Delhi’s air quality improves with increased wind speed
New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality showed a slight improvement on Saturday due to increased wind speed, favourable for dispersion of pollutants, and settled in the ‘poor’ category, authorities said. The overall air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 264 which falls in the ‘poor’ category, according to data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Four areas in the national capital recorded ‘very poor’ air quality while 22 areas recorded ‘poor’ air quality, the data said. The level of PM2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was recorded at 119 and the PM10 level was recorded at 235, it said. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the air quality has improved due to higher wind speed The Particulate Matter (PM) concentration is likely to reduce owing to increased wind speed and air quality is likely to be in poor category, it said. Humidity in the city is high which is slightly unfavourable and stubble fire will have marginal impact, it said. (PTI)
Man injured in firing incident succumbs to injuries in J&K
Srinagar: A civilian, injured in a firing incident near a security forces camp in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, succumbed to injuries on Saturday, officials said. Ishfaq Ahmad Ganaie was injured in the firing near the camp of Army’s 50 Rashtriya Rifles unit at Chattergam area of Budgam in central Kashmir on Friday, a police official said. He said Ganaie succumbed at the SMHS hospital on Saturday morning. Local residents had accused the Army of opening unprovoked fire that led to Ganaie getting injured. However, Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia said the Army did not open fire and the civilian was injured in a “terrorist committed atrocity”. “In a case of terrorist committed atrocity, Ishfaq Ahmad Ganie of Magraypora was shot at by the terrorists, 500-600 metres away from Army camp at Chhatargam,” Kalia said in a statement. He said when the Army troops heard the sound of the firing, the Quick Reaction Team immediately rushed towards the direction of the fire to find out what was happening. “When the party reached the spot, they saw Ishfaq in a pool of blood. He had bullet injuries, one in head and the other in leg and was immediately taken to Chhatargam hospital from where doctors shifted him to SMHS,” Kalia said. (PTI)
Home guard crushed to death by liqour laden vehicle in Bihar
Nawada: A home guard was crushed to death by a car carrying liquor on Saturday, the police said. The incident took place at Sadbhavana Chowk where a patrol team had been deployed following information that two cars, moving at great speed, had jumped the Rajauli check post, Superintendent of Police Sujit Kumar said. They intercepted a car which was carrying a huge quantity of liquor both country made and foreign, the SP said. Soon another car, carrying liquor, came at a great speed and it knocked down home guard Kailash Chaudhary when he tried to stop it. Chaudhary succumbed to injuries at a hospital. The car was later caught and its sole occupant arrested. The bottles of liquor found inside the car bear the seal of Jharkhand excise department, he said. Sale and consumption of alcohol was banned in Bihar. (PTI)
Over Rs 3 crore compensation to kin of 3 road accident victims
New Delhi: A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has awarded Rs 3.07 crore as compensation to families of three men who died in a road accident while travelling from Noida to Kotdwar in Uttarakhand. MACT Presiding Officer M K Nagpal awarded Rs 3,07,27,000 crore in total to the next kin of the three victims who were killed when their car collided with a tractor near Bijnaur in Uttar Pradesh nearly six years ago. The tribunal held that the accident was a result of the “rash and negligent driving of the tractor” and directed the driver, owner and insurer — the Oriental Insurance Company Limited — of the offending vehicle to “jointly and severally” pay the compensation. It clubbed together the pleas moved by the kin of the three victims and awarded varying compensation amounts to the families based on the income of the deceased. On December 29, 2012, Sandeep Balodi, Satish Kumar and Deepak Kainthola were travelling along with two others in a Maruti Swift from Noida to Kotdwar when their car collided with a tractor coming from the opposite direction. All five occupants suffered injuries and Balodi, Kumar and Kainthola were declared brought dead at the hospital. The tribunal awarded Rs 10,83,000 to the aged parents of 25-year-old Balodi and Rs 53,65,000 to the family of 30-year-old Kumar. It awarded Rs 2,42,79,000 to the aged parents of Kainthola, a software engineer, who was 33-years-old when the accident took place. (PTI)