NEWS

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Friday announced that all cases against those who protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and for Covid- lockdown violators would be withdrawn, continuing with his announcements of withdrawing cases before April-May assembly elections.

“Ten lakh cases filed during the lockdown period and 1,500 cases filed during the anti-CAA protests will be withdrawn in the public interest,” Palaniswami said. “Except for cases filed against specific serious offences, and for not allowing police personnel from discharging their duty, all other cases will be withdrawn.” A subsequent statement added that cases of violence, fraudulently getting an e-pass will continue to be investigated.

During the CAA protests, a case was filed against human rights activist and senior advocate of the Madras High Court Sudha Ramalingam.

The Delhi government is likely to complete the installation of the much-awaited smog tower at Connaught Place area by June this year, sources told a news agency.

The direction in this regard came during a review meeting chaired by Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai at his office on Friday.

During the meeting, the minister directed the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) to expedite the process of sprinkling water on roads. "To combat the city's air pollution, the Delhi government is also planning to strengthen its green war room monitoring," Gopal Rai said in a review meeting.

The AAP-led Delhi government in October last year had approved a proposal to install a smog tower in Connaught Place to combat the city's air pollution.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said he has instructed administrations in the state to take strict action against people who are found without masks in public amid the rising COVID-19 cases in state. Speaking to mediapersons at Shivneri Fort after an event, Pawar said district administrations have been authorised to assess the situation in their respective districts and impose a lockdown from 6 AM to 6 PM, if the situation demands.

"I am going to chair a meeting on February 21 in Pune to discuss measures to contain the viral spread," the deputy chief minister said. A spike in COVID-19 cases witnessed in some districts of the state is a matter of concern, he said.

"In some cases, the local administrations of such districts have been authorised to impose lockdowns from 6 AM to 6 PM if the situation demands," he said. Moreover, local authorities have been asked to take strict action against those who do not wear masks in public, Pawar said.

Air pollution caused by hazardous PM2.5 fine particulate matter led to the death of 54,000 people in Delhi last year. In the national capital, the pollution levels remained almost six times above the prescribed WHO limits, according to a new study.

According to a Greenpeace Southeast Asia analysis of IQAir data, 1800 deaths per million were estimated due to PM2.5 air pollution in Delhi.

"The PM2.5 air pollution claimed approximately 54,000 lives in India's national capital in 2020," the study said.

PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Exposure to PM2.5 is considered the most important environmental risk factor for deaths globally, and was attributed to 4.2 million premature deaths in 2015, the study said.