New Delhi Fe 25 PTI COVID-19 is the primary cause of death in 90 of the 250 coronavirus patients who have died in Delhi in February so far government data showed According to the data shared during a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA on Friday COVID-19 appeared as an incidental finding in 157 patients who died between February 1 and February 4 Officials said comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases cancer liver and heart diseases have been the primary cause of death in most Covid patients in the third wave of the pandemic driven by the Omicron variant Since December 1 the maximum number of fatalities 331 have occurred in the 61-75 age cohort while patients from this age group accounted for only 878 per cent of the total cases logged in the period the data showed As many as 266 Covid patients aged 76 and above have died in this period while this age category accounted for only 208 per cent of the total cases The data showed that 226 deaths occurred in the 46-60 age category and 96 occurred in the 31-45 age group Forty-nine deaths each took place in the 16-30 and 1-15 age groups while these accounted for 32 per cent and 622 per cent of the total cases respectively PTI GVS AAR

New Delhi Dec 20 PTI The Commission for Air Quality Management CAQM on Monday lifted the restrictions on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR in view of an improvement in air quality and meteorological forecast The central air quality panel had on Friday allowed authorities in Delhi-NCR to resume physical classes for students in classes 6 and above colleges and other educational institutions with immediate effect It had also said that physical classes for students up to class 5 can begin from December 27 The CAQM considering the improvement in air quality and meteorological forecast allows the resumption of CD activities in NCR and also the entry of trucks into Delhi with immediate effect the panel tweeted on Monday PTI GVS AAR

New Delhi Nov 25 PTI Three years after it was initiated the Delhi Forest and Wildlife Department has dropped the plan to control the surging monkey population in the capital through laparoscopic sterilisation according to officials The plan to use an immunocontraceptive vaccine which can make monkeys sterile is also off the table for now they said However the department is preparing a proposal to conduct a monkey census with the help of the Wildlife Institute of India WII and train monkey catchers employed by civic bodies at the Dehradun facility The decisions were taken last week at a meeting of the Enforcement Committee set up by the Delhi High Court to deal with the monkey menace in the national capital Experts from WII also attended it There was no discussion on sterilisation to control the monkey population That plan has been dropped Immunocontraceptive vaccine is also off the table for now We dont know what effect it may have on the animal population There is no literature about its large-scale effect or a proven record of success an official told PTI Animal rights activists have repeatedly opposed sterilisation of monkeys in Delhi citing failed attempts in Himachal Pradesh and Agra The officials PTI talked to acknowledged that sterilisation isnt a successful way to deal with the monkey menace Sterilisation may not yield the desired results as an alpha male captured will be quickly replaced by another male Monkeys will become aggressive which will increase cases of man-animal conflict It is not a proven successful method an official said The department is now focusing on better management of monkeys and upgrading the skills of the catchers It has been decided to send the monkey catchers employed by civic bodies for training at the Wildlife Institute of India We are going to approach the WII and ask them to send us estimates Thereafter a proposal for funds will be sent to the central government a senior official said The focus of the training will be on ethical ways to catch monkeys and how to capture them in troops a member of the committee said adding this is the first time it is being conducted In 2007 the Delhi High Court had asked municipal corporations to catch monkeys from human habitations and shift them to the Asola Bhatti sanctuary It had directed the forest department to provide the animals food so that they do not venture out At present there are more than 25000 monkeys in the sanctuary and there is no count of those roaming free in human habitations according to the officials The department will also ask the WII to conduct a census to determine the monkey population in the capital However the idea is not new It was decided to conduct monkey mapping in 2020 but the exercise could not be undertaken due to the COVID-19 pandemic You have to follow a scientific approach -- a census to identify the areas having a large concentration of monkeys Randomly picking up a monkey and giving it a contraceptive pill amounts to nothing the committee member quoted above said The officials said civic bodies have also been asked to actively fine people found feeding monkeys in public areas and revive three centres to collect food for monkeys in the Asola Bhatti sanctuary The Delhi HC had ordered that no person can feed monkeys in public areas particularly around the western command Rashtrapati Bhawan Connaught Place Central Secretariat and Qutub area where they are present in large numbers The MCDNDMC is entitled to challan such persons for creating public nuisance and can impose fine in accordance with the provisions of the MCD ActNDMC Act or any other law empowering them to act in this regard the 2007 order read The officials had earlier said that not a single monkey could be sterilised in Delhi since January 2019 when the Centre released funds to the city forest department to control the simian population through laparoscopic sterilisation In 2018 the then chief wildlife warden Ishwar Singh had prepared a three-year plan to sterilise monkeys of reproductive age to curb the monkey menace in the national capital The Centre sanctioned Rs 543 crore to the forest department in January 2019 for sterilisation of 8000 monkeys in the first year The forest department floated tenders thrice but no agency came forward to capture and sterilise monkeys Not much could be done during the pandemic and the fund has been returned to the Centre There is no proposal for sterilisation pending now an official said PTI GVS AAR

New Delhi Nov 24 PTI Suspended due to high pollution levels physical classes in schools colleges and other educational institutions will resume from November 29 Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday He said all government offices will open from Monday Rai urged government staff to use public transport and said special buses will be deployed for them The minister said only CNG and electric vehicles barring those engaged in essential services will be allowed to enter Delhi from November 27 The ban on the entry of vehicles operating on other fuels will remain till December 3 he said after a review meeting with senior officials The Delhi government on Monday lifted the ban on construction and demolition activities in view of an improvement in the air quality and inconvenience caused to workers On November 13 the city government had ordered closure of all educational institutes in Delhi due to high air pollution levels PTI GVS AAR