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Joydeep Thakur

Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.

Articles by Joydeep Thakur

Stubble burning begins: Hold your breath Delhiites, that deadly smog is coming

Every year in October, farmers in northern India burn stubble due to lack of alternative ways for its disposal. This year too, as farmers begin to set stubble afire, HT travels to Punjab and Haryana for a ground report.

Farmers set agricultural stubble on fire in Punjab. Smoke from fields in Punjab and Haryana chokes Delhi every year.(Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Oct 09, 2017 05:08 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur and Ritam Halder

Built, razed, built again: DDA demolishes mystery road on Yamuna after HT report

Senior officials of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Friday rushed to demolish a road made of debris that had reappeared on the Yamuna within a month. The move came a day after Hindustan Times reported that the path had reappeared again under the Delhi Metro bridge between Yamuna Bank and Indraprastha.

The road that cuts through the river connecting its banks on either side is such that officials say it would take days to dismantle it completely.(Sonnu Mehta/ HT Photo)

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Updated on Oct 07, 2017 01:41 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Road across Yamuna will harm river, trigger flood: Experts

Experts claimed that as the Yamuna is already highly polluted, blocking its flow further would tantamount to increasing the pollution load further. This could contaminate the groundwater and aquifers, which the river used to recharge.

A temporary road across the Yamuna that was demolished by the DDA on September 2, has come up again.(Sushil Kumar/HT Photo)

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Published on Oct 05, 2017 11:48 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Mystery road on Yamuna demolished after HT reported its return within a month

The road, which was razed by the Delhi Development Authority in September, was partly visible from the elevated Metro rail between Yamuna Bank and Indraprastha stations.

A temporary road that had come up on the river bed near Yamuna Bank Metro Station was demolished by DDA official a day after HT published the report on September 1. The road has now resurfaced.(Sushil Kumar / HT Photo)

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Updated on Oct 07, 2017 09:19 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur

Delhi air quality deteriorates, likely to get more polluted in next three days

While stubble burning continues in Punjab and Haryana causing air pollution in Delhi, meteorological conditions are making the situation worse. SAFAR has forecast that the concentration of pollutants is likely to shoot up

Despite the ban, a farmer burns paddy straw in a field near the National Highway-64, at Kauli village, in Patiala, Punjab. A study by IIT Kanpur has listed stubble burning as the third biggest contributor of pollution to Delhi air.(Bharat Bhushan/HT Photo)

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Updated on Oct 05, 2017 11:13 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Delhi civic bodes rush to build toilets for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan anniversary

Most of the public toilets are coming up near existing facilities that are not used because of poor maintenance. For example, close to New Delhi Railway Station, there are at least six toilets barely 50 metres away but all in bad shape and unusable.

A toilet under construction at Aaya Nagar in New Delhi.(Sushil Kumar/HT Photo)

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Updated on Oct 02, 2017 09:29 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur

Brace for air pollution in Delhi as crop burning starts in neighbouring states

Agricultural stubble running into millions of tonnes is burnt by farmers in northern India every October. An estimated 35 million tonnes are set afire in Punjab and Haryana alone.

Over a dozen cases of crop burning have been reported from Haryana till September 27.(Ravi Choudhary/HT File Photo)

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Updated on Sep 28, 2017 11:04 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Saving Aravallis: Delhi’s green lung facing desertification, Ridge cover down 40%

In the first of a six-part series, Hindustan Times explores why modern cities such as Delhi and Gurgaon should care for the Aravallis. Here’s why the survival of this green mountain range is crucial for these cities to prosper

While the ridge, the northern most spur of the Aravallis, is touted to be the green lungs of Delhi its role in making Delhi a more hospitable terrain doesn’t stop here.(Photo courtesy Pradip Krishen)

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Updated on Sep 26, 2017 01:52 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Pleasant weekend in store for Delhi as rain likely to keep temperature down

Met department has said that moderate to heavy rainfall could delay the paddy harvesting season in NCR states.

Delhiites woke up to an overcast sky on Friday morning and the mercury dipped as some parts of the city received rain.(Ravi Choudhary / HT Photo)

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Updated on Sep 23, 2017 01:00 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur

Air Pollution: Delhi sees hope as NTPC steps in to buy crop residue from farmers

Agricultural stubble running into millions of tonnes is burnt by farmers in northern India every October, triggering heavy pollution in Delhi-NCR before the onset of winter.

As many as 35 million tonnes are burnt in Punjab and Haryana alone to make room for the winter crop.(Ravi Choudhary/HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Sep 22, 2017 11:20 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur

East Delhi corp tries to convince NGT-appointed committee about need for landfill

Two persons were killed on September 1 when a part of the garbage mound at Ghazipur in east Delhi came crashing down.

Trucks dumping garbage at the Ghazipur Landfill site in New Delhi.(Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Sep 09, 2017 11:38 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVibha Sharma and Joydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Despite wettest June in a decade, Delhi has 35% monsoon rain deficit

The only state with a higher rain deficiency than Delhi is Manipur. Weekend in Delhi is going to be rainy but deficit can be slimmed only with heavy showers before monsoon starts retreating after September 21

Delhi usually receives around 567mm of rain between June 1 and September 6. But this year, it received around 369mm rain during this period.(Ravi Choudhary/HT Photo)

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Updated on Sep 08, 2017 11:25 AM IST

ByJoydeep Thakur

Ranchi Rajdhani Express derails near New Delhi station, 3 accidents in one day

On a day that saw three train derailments, seven coaches of Jabalpur-bound Shaktipunj Express jumped the track near Obra Dam station in Sonbhadra district and two coaches of a goods train derailed in Maharashtra, besides the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express.

Ranchi-Delhi Rajdhani Express at Shivaji Bridge in New Delhi after its engine and a coach derailed.(Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

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Updated on Sep 07, 2017 06:24 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByVishal Kant and Joydeep Thakur

Ghazipur landfill collapse: Despite L-G ban, waste dumped at Delhi’s garbage mound

About 3,000 metric tonnes of waste generated daily in east Delhi was being dumped at Ghazipur landfill site. More than half of it could not be lifted from colonies on Monday

East Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to continue dumping garbage at Ghazipur as no alternative site is available yet.(Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

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Updated on Sep 05, 2017 03:21 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByVibha Sharma & Joydeep Thakur

Hair for wigs, cattle feed: Delhi’s Ghazipur garbage dump not total waste for some

While a kilo of human hair sells at Rs 1,500–Rs 2000, discarded food could fetch up to Rs 4 per kg. Metals and alloys like copper, bell metal, brass could sell for around Rs 300 – Rs 350 a kg.

Hundreds of traders, each specialised and buying a specific kind of waste, depend on these ragpickers and their collection. The ragpickers look out for around 40 items.(Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Updated on Sep 04, 2017 11:41 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Living on waste: 1,500 families lose livelihood as Delhi’s Ghazipur site shuts down

After two people were killed when a portion of Ghazipur’s garbage dump collapsed in east Delhi on September 1, L-G Anil Baijal banned anymore disposal of waste there

Meenu, 18, was a ragpicker at Ghazipur landfill site. Most of the items at her house came from the landfill. She uses an old AAP hoarding as a partition in her house in a slum cluster in east Delhi’s Ghazipur.(Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Sep 04, 2017 04:46 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Today it is Ghazipur, tomorrow it can be Bhalswa or Okhla in Delhi, say experts

Two people died in East Delhi after a part of the Ghazipur garbage landfill collapsed on Friday afternoon, causing several people on a road nearby to be swept into a canal.

Two people died after a part of the Ghazipur garbage landfill collapsed on Friday afternoon.(Prabhat Pandey/ Hindustan Times)

cities

Updated on Sep 01, 2017 07:00 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Yamuna mystery road razed by DDA after HT report, role of sand mafia suspected

Hindustan Times reported on its website on Thursday that an illegal road had been built on Yamuna under the Delhi Metro bridge between Yamuna Bank and Indraprastha stations

A 12-member team of Delhi Development Authority rushed to the eastern bank of Yamuna on Friday morning to tear down the illegal road made of debris.(Joydeep Thakur/HT Photo)

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Updated on Sep 01, 2017 10:57 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Cattle grazers or Sand mafia – who is using the ‘ghost’ road over river Yamuna?

Allegations have surfaced that sand mafia could be using the ‘ghost’ road over the Yamuna to ferry the sand that is being mined illegally in the area. Allegations of sand mafia constructing a road to illegally mine sand could not be brushed aside, as a similar incident had come to light in Uttar Pradesh.

The temporary bridge made by the villagers for cows and buffaloes in the middle of the river Yamuna.(Sushil Kumar/HT Photo)

cities

Published on Sep 01, 2017 12:04 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Mystery road on Yamuna: Nobody knows who built a path that’s choking the river

A road has been built on Delhi’s Yamuna river under the metro bridge between Yamuna Bank and Indraprastha stations. DDA said they had no knowledge about the bridge and they will visit the spot.

The road, nearly 100 metre long and 3 metre wide, has been built with concrete debris, soil and waste material.(Sushil Kumar/HT PHOTO)

cities

Updated on Sep 01, 2017 02:31 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur

Ram Rahim sentence: Delhi Police say don’t believe in rumours, city safe

Delhi police quashed rumours of traffic restrictions in the capital and urged people to confirm information from verified channels before sharing with others.

Delhi police said that the traffic advisories doing rounds on social media were fake and urged people not to believe in rumours.(Sonu Mehta/HT FILE)

cities

Updated on Aug 28, 2017 10:31 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur

NGT ban: Agencies seize 8,000 kg plastic in Delhi, wonder how to dispose it

A senior official in the state environment department said that the government was exploring options on how to dispose of these plastic bags. The final call would be, however, taken by the National Green Tribunal as it was on the court’s order on August 10 that plastic less than 50 microns was banned.

Till August 23, the government, civic bodies and other government bodies had seized around 7,739 kilos of plastic. The amount has now crossed 8,000 kilos.(Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

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Published on Aug 27, 2017 11:48 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVibha Sharma and Joydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Ram Rahim rape verdict: Cases of arson in Delhi, 3 arrested while trying to set fire to bus

At least seven cases of arson have been reported in Delhi since the verdict against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, was pronounced

A train set on fire at Anand Vihar station yard in east Delhi.(Ravi Choudhary/HT Photo)

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Updated on Aug 25, 2017 07:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByShiv Sunny and Joydeep Thakur

Bawana votes to eradicate drug menace again

Bawana went to polls on Wednesday after the area MLA Ved Parkash switched sides to the BJP earlier this year.

cities

Updated on Aug 23, 2017 10:49 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur / Abhinav Rajput, New Delhi

In Delhi but not really part of Delhi, say Bawana voters

In most of the areas, people demanded better infrastructure for schools and more hospitals and educational institutes.

Women show their ink-marked fingers after casting votes for Bawana assembly seat byelection on Wednesday.(PTI)

cities

Updated on Aug 24, 2017 12:29 PM IST

HIndustan Times | ByAbhinav Rajput and Joydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Delhi begins crackdown on plastic bags, civic bodies seize 200kg polythene

Nearly 200kg plastic bags were seized by the civic bodies and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The South Delhi civic body collected Rs 75,000 by penalising vendors and traders.

As soon as the drive started, distributors started resisting and gathered in large numbers. Civic officials had to take the help of local police.(Arun Sharma/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Aug 18, 2017 12:04 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVibha Sharma and Joydeep Thakur

Delhi sees 37% rain shortfall though it recorded wettest June in 10 years

The weatherman forecast rain and thundershowers for the weekend, but this won’t be enough to offset the shortfall this monsoon.

Children play in a flooded street near Vinod nagar in East Delhi on August 7, 2017.(Arun Sharma/HT Photo)

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Updated on Aug 18, 2017 05:23 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur

A deer family: Rejected by mother, Sambar fawn finds foster parents in Delhi zoo

In a rare event, a Sambar fawn is being hand raised by Delhi zookeepers. It is more than a month-old now and zoo officials are waiting for the day when the fawn will be reunited with its herd

Delhi zoo officials say the mother Sambar abandoned the fawn as it was weak and had little chances of survival.(Ajay Aggarwal/HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 05:29 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur, New Delhi

Delhi chef thrown off building after rape by ‘friend’ critical

The 20-year-old woman received severe head injuries and is being treated. Doctors said her situation is critical but stable. The accused, who was her friend, has been arrested by Delhi police.

Locals raised an alarm when they found the woman lying in a pool of blood in a semi-clad state.(HT FILE)

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Updated on Aug 14, 2017 04:35 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur

Woman raped at GB Road by 30 men over 5 months, gets her pimp arrested

The 22-year-old woman from Nepal was trafficked and sold to a brothel in GB Road after being offered a job in Dubai. She escaped when women at the brothel were being shifted to another location.

Based on the victim’s complaint, Delhi Police, Delhi Commission for Women and a NGO conducted a joint raid in the brothel on Saturday and arrested a woman, who allegedly forced the victim into prostitution.(HT FILE)

cities

Updated on Aug 14, 2017 11:56 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByJoydeep Thakur

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Joydeep Thakur

Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.

Every year in October, farmers in northern India burn stubble due to lack of alternative ways for its disposal. This year too, as farmers begin to set stubble afire, HT travels to Punjab and Haryana for a ground report.

Experts claimed that as the Yamuna is already highly polluted, blocking its flow further would tantamount to increasing the pollution load further. This could contaminate the groundwater and aquifers, which the river used to recharge.

The road, which was razed by the Delhi Development Authority in September, was partly visible from the elevated Metro rail between Yamuna Bank and Indraprastha stations.

While stubble burning continues in Punjab and Haryana causing air pollution in Delhi, meteorological conditions are making the situation worse. SAFAR has forecast that the concentration of pollutants is likely to shoot up

Most of the public toilets are coming up near existing facilities that are not used because of poor maintenance. For example, close to New Delhi Railway Station, there are at least six toilets barely 50 metres away but all in bad shape and unusable.

Agricultural stubble running into millions of tonnes is burnt by farmers in northern India every October. An estimated 35 million tonnes are set afire in Punjab and Haryana alone.

In the first of a six-part series, Hindustan Times explores why modern cities such as Delhi and Gurgaon should care for the Aravallis. Here’s why the survival of this green mountain range is crucial for these cities to prosper

Met department has said that moderate to heavy rainfall could delay the paddy harvesting season in NCR states.

Agricultural stubble running into millions of tonnes is burnt by farmers in northern India every October, triggering heavy pollution in Delhi-NCR before the onset of winter.

Two persons were killed on September 1 when a part of the garbage mound at Ghazipur in east Delhi came crashing down.

The only state with a higher rain deficiency than Delhi is Manipur. Weekend in Delhi is going to be rainy but deficit can be slimmed only with heavy showers before monsoon starts retreating after September 21

On a day that saw three train derailments, seven coaches of Jabalpur-bound Shaktipunj Express jumped the track near Obra Dam station in Sonbhadra district and two coaches of a goods train derailed in Maharashtra, besides the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express.

About 3,000 metric tonnes of waste generated daily in east Delhi was being dumped at Ghazipur landfill site. More than half of it could not be lifted from colonies on Monday

While a kilo of human hair sells at Rs 1,500–Rs 2000, discarded food could fetch up to Rs 4 per kg. Metals and alloys like copper, bell metal, brass could sell for around Rs 300 – Rs 350 a kg.

After two people were killed when a portion of Ghazipur’s garbage dump collapsed in east Delhi on September 1, L-G Anil Baijal banned anymore disposal of waste there

Two people died in East Delhi after a part of the Ghazipur garbage landfill collapsed on Friday afternoon, causing several people on a road nearby to be swept into a canal.

Hindustan Times reported on its website on Thursday that an illegal road had been built on Yamuna under the Delhi Metro bridge between Yamuna Bank and Indraprastha stations

A road has been built on Delhi’s Yamuna river under the metro bridge between Yamuna Bank and Indraprastha stations. DDA said they had no knowledge about the bridge and they will visit the spot.

Delhi police quashed rumours of traffic restrictions in the capital and urged people to confirm information from verified channels before sharing with others.

At least seven cases of arson have been reported in Delhi since the verdict against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, was pronounced

Bawana went to polls on Wednesday after the area MLA Ved Parkash switched sides to the BJP earlier this year.

In most of the areas, people demanded better infrastructure for schools and more hospitals and educational institutes.

Nearly 200kg plastic bags were seized by the civic bodies and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The South Delhi civic body collected Rs 75,000 by penalising vendors and traders.

The weatherman forecast rain and thundershowers for the weekend, but this won’t be enough to offset the shortfall this monsoon.

In a rare event, a Sambar fawn is being hand raised by Delhi zookeepers. It is more than a month-old now and zoo officials are waiting for the day when the fawn will be reunited with its herd

The 20-year-old woman received severe head injuries and is being treated. Doctors said her situation is critical but stable. The accused, who was her friend, has been arrested by Delhi police.

The 22-year-old woman from Nepal was trafficked and sold to a brothel in GB Road after being offered a job in Dubai. She escaped when women at the brothel were being shifted to another location.

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