The Excise Department of the Delhi government on Sunday announced that it arrested 730 people and registered 725 FIRs over the last five months, seizing 2.20 lakh bottles of illegal liquor and 197 vehicles in a major bid to crack down on the illegal liquor trade in the Capital.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the Delhi government was following a zero-tolerance policy towards the illegal liquor trade and was working on an effective excise policy.

“The government is working on a new excise policy aimed at strengthening public safety, ensuring responsible regulation of the liquor trade, maintaining quality and increasing government revenue,” the CM said.

In the corresponding period from April to August in the financial year 2025-26, the department had arrested 312 people, registered 315 FIRs, recovered around one lakh bottles of illegal liquor, and seized 112 vehicles.

Ms. Gupta added that the government’s priority was to ensure adequate availability of legal liquor during festivals so that Delhi residents do not face any inconvenience, while also effectively curbing the sale and smuggling of illegal liquor.

According to the department, Delhi shares geographical boundaries with neighbouring states and has around 70 entry points, both large and small.

“Enforcement activities would be stepped up further in view of the upcoming festive season in Delhi. The department aims to take strict action against those involved in the illegal liquor trade while also ensuring the availability of liquor through legal channels in the city,” a statement from the CMO said.

The sale of liquor has been a highly contentious political issue in Delhi over the past few years, following the arrest of senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders over a new liquor policy introduced by the Kejriwal government. The new policy was ultimately scrapped and the old regime was brought back.

Checks on emissions

Meanwhile, in a video statement, Ms. Gupta announced all pollution testing centres in the city will be upgraded to effectively check emissions.

Noting a technology gap, she said private vehicles use petrol pump booths while commercial ones rely on outdated certification systems. To strengthen monitoring, every centre will be equipped with cameras. New automated stations in Tehkhand and Nand Nagri will each test 72,000 commercial vehicles annually.

Arpan centres

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday said that over 41 tonnes of old clothes have been collected at Delhi Metro’s 10 Arpan centres and turned into useful products. These centres help residents who struggle to store or properly dispose of old garments.

As of August 31, 3,940 people deposited 41,181 kg of clothes. Self-help groups are using the material to make items like rugs, bags, and pouches, recording total sales of ₹27,036, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.

“Our effort is to make it easy and convenient for people to donate old clothes and ensure their maximum utilisation, thereby further strengthening efforts to make Delhi cleaner, more beautiful and greener,” Ms. Gupta said.

Five centres were launched on August 3, while the remaining centres became operational on August 12 and 17.

The government plans to expand the initiative by opening 10 more centres in January 2027 at major metro stations, including INA, Rajouri Garden, and Dwarka Sector 10.

The Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW) successfully developed and handed over 75 surveillance drones to Delhi Police under the ‘Netra-Naari-Netritva’ initiative, and over 1,000 students secured placement offers, with the highest package of ₹1 crore, as per the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday attended the valedictory ceremony of the ‘Prabodhan’ Induction Programme-2026 at the IGDTUW. They also inaugurated the university’s lecture hall complex equipped with modern facilities. “During the recent placement season, IGDTUW students received more than 1,000 placement offers, with the highest package recorded at ₹1 crore. These achievements reflect the growing confidence of Delhi’s daughters,” the CMO said in a statement.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, inaugurated 25 Atal Canteens on Sunday, the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Delhi now has 100 such canteens, where meals are served twice a day for ₹5.

Each Atal Canteen aims to provide around 1,000 meals daily, 500 each for lunch and dinner, and over one lakh people will now receive meals every day from the canteens, as per the Delhi government.

At an event at the Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station, Ms. Gupta said that achieving the target of 100 Atal Canteens was a major milestone for the Delhi government. “This initiative is a meaningful tribute dedicated to the spirit of Antyodaya and the ideals of public service upheld by revered Atal ji. Atal ji’s life was devoted to the welfare of the person standing at the last mile of society and to the service of the nation. Carrying forward those very values, the Delhi government is striving to ensure that no needy person is deprived of respectful and nutritious food,” the Chief Minister said. 

Ms. Gupta said that a canteen has also been opened near the Delhi University metro station that will help outstation students access nutritious and affordable food.

Laudable Initiative

Mr. Naidu said that launching 100 Atal Canteens in Delhi is a highly commendable initiative and its goal is to provide affordable and nutritious food to the poor, slum dwellers, laborers, and people arriving in Delhi in search of employment. He said that this is a true example of sensitivity and service toward the most vulnerable sections of society.

The event was attended by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, Education Minister Ashish Sood and others. 

In the run up to the 2025 Delhi Assembly election the BJP had promised to set up Atal Canteens in slum clusters to provide nutritious meals for ₹5 each. Till now, about 95 lakh subsidised meals have been served to the public through the Atal Canteen scheme without any holiday, as per the Delhi government. 

E-Cabinet system 

The Delhi Government is planning to implement a modern e-Cabinet system that can make the entire process of Delhi Government Cabinet meetings paperless, more secure, faster and more transparent. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently held a discussion with experts from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) on the issue. 

“With the introduction of an e-Cabinet system, the entire process related to Cabinet meetings can be conducted digitally. This will speed up decision-making, strengthen the security of confidential documents and make coordination among departments more effective,” an official statement said. 

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday (July 10, 2026) appointed BJP MLA Abhay Kumar Verma as the chief spokesperson of the Delhi government and MLAs Anil Kumar Sharma and Harish Khurana as spokespersons.

Mr. Verma, who is the Laxmi Nagar MLA, is also the chief whip of the BJP in the Delhi Assembly. 

Ms. Gupta said that the government has taken this decision to strengthen its commitment to transparent, accountable, and citizen-centric governance and also the dialogue between the government and citizens. 

“They will ensure timely and effective dissemination of official information regarding the government’s policies, decisions, and public welfare initiatives to the citizens and media,” she said. 

New Delhi

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday joined volunteers, youth groups, social organisations and residents in a cleanliness drive at Yamuna Ghat in Chilla village under the ‘Clean Delhi with CM’ campaign.

Ms. Gupta said the Yamuna, revered by millions for centuries, faces a grave pollution challenge and restoring it requires “collective action” by the government and citizens alike.

She said the government is pursuing the Yamuna’s scientific and sustainable rejuvenation.

“The government is modernising sewage treatment plants, expanding the sewer network, and tapping drains flowing into the river in a phased manner,” she said.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said development works worth ₹441.10 crore are under way in jhuggi-jhopdi (JJ) clusters across the city through the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to improve the quality of life for lakhs of residents.

The projects include the construction and repair of basic civic infrastructure, upgrading community buildings, improvements to drinking water supply and sewerage systems, development of lanes and internal roads, repair of drains, strengthening of street lighting and electrical infrastructure, construction of boundary walls and entrance gates, storm water drainage works, beautification of public spaces, and renovation of community toilets.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, the projects aim to provide better civic amenities in JJ clusters and make neighbourhoods safer, cleaner and more convenient.

“A total of 1,510 development and construction works have been approved in JJ clusters during 2025-26 and 2026-27 through DUSIB. Of these, 1,253 works worth ₹379.80 crore were approved in 2025-26, while 257 works worth ₹61.30 crore have so far been cleared in 2026-27. Development works worth ₹441.10 crore are being carried out over the two financial years,” read the statement.

It added that development works are being prioritised in Narela, Timarpur, Adarsh Nagar, Jahangirpuri, Azadpur, Bawana, Rohini, Seemapuri, Trilokpuri, Shahdara, Karawal Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Dwarka and Najafgarh. “These projects reflect the government’s commitment to social justice, inclusive development and public welfare,” the statement quoted Ms. Gupta as saying.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday said the government has removed 3.4 million metric tonnes of silt from drains across the Capital ahead of the monsoon. 

Urging residents to help identify stretches where desilting remains incomplete, Ms. Gupta asked them to report such locations through the MCD 311 app, assuring that action would be taken promptly. 

The Chief Minister said the government is working on a permanent solution to chronic waterlogging in the city. 

“There will be no waterlogging at the Minto Bridge underpass this year as well. The desilting carried out last year has yielded results. We are also closely monitoring other waterlogging hotspots across the city,” she said. 

The city witnessed thunderstorms and strong winds on Tuesday under the influence of a western disturbance. The southwest monsoon, which usually arrives in Delhi by June 27, has been delayed this year. 

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday said no existing structure in the city’s O-zone, housing an estimated 15 lakh people across 91 unauthorised colonies and nearly a dozen villages, will be demolished.

The assurance came after the CM chaired a meeting to address the concerns of residents living in the protected, eco-sensitive zone along the 22-km Yamuna floodplain stretch in Delhi from Wazirabad to Okhla, where permanent construction is banned.

During the meeting, which was attended by Bharatiya Janata Party MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (South Delhi) and Manoj Tiwari (North East Delhi), along with Gandhi Nagar MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely, Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar, among others, Ms. Gupta directed authorities to revise the signboards to prevent panic among residents.

Last week, various agencies installed signboards across the O-zone, warning against construction activities. Following this, residents’ welfare associations from several areas, including Sangam Vihar in the north, Shastri Park in the north-east, and Jaitpur in south-east Delhi, approached elected representatives expressing apprehension over the demolition of houses.

Ms. Gupta said she would soon meet Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal, along with other public representatives from the Capital, to discuss the issue. The two Lok Sabha members said they would seek “justice for 15 lakh people” from Mr. Lal.

HC’s May 26 order

The meeting was held against the backdrop of a Delhi High Court order last month directing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to submit a report on demolition measures taken to prevent further unauthorised construction in the O-zone. The CM clarified that the court had only flagged ongoing construction activities in the area.

In its order on May 26, the court had noted that residential colonies in the protected zone are not eligible for regularisation, no ownership rights are being granted, and that the existence of residential colonies in the eco-sensitive zone “would be completely impermissible”. It will hear the matter in July.

On Monday, Mr. Bidhuri and Mr. Tiwari submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu urging him to exclude the residential colonies and villages from the O-zone.

The Hindu Bureau New Delhi 
The Delhi government has approved projects worth over ₹1,000 crore to strengthen water management, sewage treatment and water supply systems under its Mission Yamuna initiative, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated on Sunday.

The package includes new rainwater harvesting structures and the restoration of existing ones to improve groundwater recharge and water security.

The Delhi Jal Board will “appoint four groundwater experts and 10 rainwater harvesting social mobilisers to support implementation,” read the CMO statement.

A major trunk sewer line from Amichand Chowk to the Old Kalyanpuri sewage pumping station in Trilokpuri will be revamped at a cost of nearly ₹57 crore. The over-40-year-old line has suffered repeated cave-ins and technical faults, it added.

The government has also cleared the upgrade of Phase I of the Keshopur sewage treatment plant from 12 million gallons per day (MGD) to 18 MGD at an estimated cost of ₹122 crore. The project aims to ensure treated water meets the latest standards and is reused more effectively.

“In addition, an underground reservoir of 0.72 MGD and a booster pumping station will be built in Shahdara’s Rohtas Nagar at a cost of about ₹27 crore,” said the CMO.

The government has also approved the installation of 12 decentralised sewage treatment plants in Najafgarh under the Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation scheme. Estimated at around ₹860 crore, the plants will have a combined treatment capacity of 46.5 MGD and are expected to reduce untreated waste flowing into the Yamuna through the Najafgarh drain.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government’s priority is to improve civic infrastructure and ensure sustainable use of water resources in the city. “These initiatives will directly benefit lakhs of citizens and give fresh impetus to the resolve of making Delhi a clean, green and water-secure Capital,” she stated.

Power after eight years

Ms. Gupta also met 36 families from Harsh Vihar’s A-3 block who are in the process of getting electricity connections after eight years, said Ms. Gupta’s office. “Electrification work has been completed, and the process of installing electricity meters for eligible applicants is under way. Most demand notes have already been issued,” the statement read.

Ms. Gupta said residents had raised the issue during a public grievance hearing, informing her that many families in the area had been waiting for regular power connections since 2018.

“Coordination was established among stakeholders concerned, and land for installing a transformer was made available,” the statement added.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday said the Indian Railways has approved widening of the Haiderpur-Badli rail overbridge and an elevated loop between Shalimar Bagh and Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, expected to ease congestion in northwest Delhi, especially at Mukarba Chowk. 

The elevated loop, crossing railway tracks, received clearance after technical scrutiny and correspondence between the Delhi Government and Northern Railway, she said. 

“Northwest Delhi corridors have long witnessed heavy traffic movement. Once completed, the projects will reduce congestion and improve connectivity,“ Ms. Gupta said. 

She added that the Delhi government is identifying traffic bottlenecks to develop long-term solutions and reduce travel time for commuters across the city substantially.