Soumya Pillai covers environment and traffic in Delhi. A journalist for three years, she has grown up in and with Delhi, which is often reflected in the stories she does about life in the city. She also enjoys writing on social innovations.
Articles by Soumya Pillai
Delhi govt to set up monkeypox info desks
The Delhi government will set up monkeypox information desks across the city and play pre-recorded messages on district helplines, in a move to ease concerns about the viral infection that has spread to 19 countries so far, said health department officials aware of the matter
Published on May 25, 2022 11:31 PM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Levying service charge not unfair trade practice: NRAI
NRAI’s statement came a day after the government’s department of consumer affairs said it was calling a meeting with restaurant owners to discuss why some consumers were being forced to pay service charge despite the government making it optional in 2017.
Updated on May 25, 2022 03:20 AM IST
Delhi govt to install external defibrillators in public places
A senior official of the Delhi government’s health department said that the idea is to ensure basic cardiac life support to a patient in the case of a medical emergency before they are hospitalised.
Updated on May 24, 2022 03:18 AM IST
Mercury drops as rain makes a return in Delhi
IMD readings showed that in most parts of the Capital, wind blew with speeds up to 40kmph on Saturday.
Updated on May 22, 2022 12:25 AM IST
Telangana CM applauds Delhi education model
During his visit, Rao also interacted with students from the school, and said that he was “impressed by the mindset of leadership that students have developed”. Rao is currently in Delhi for a week to attend political meetings and social programmes.
Updated on May 22, 2022 12:48 AM IST
Delhi: Rain, dust storm bring city solace from oppressive heat
IMD recordings showed that heatwave conditions continued in the Capital on Friday, with the maximum temperature at the Safdarjung weather station settling at 44.4°C — five degrees above the season’s normal.
Updated on May 21, 2022 12:39 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Granular monitoring gives Delhi sharper picture of local weather
IMD data from the past week shows that 80-90% of the 11 stations in Delhi recorded temperatures higher than the official maximum
Updated on May 17, 2022 03:49 AM IST
Delhi hospitals see spike in heat-related ailments
As the national capital copes with a severe heatwave -- temperatures went above 49 degrees Celsius in parts of Delhi on Sunday -- hospitals have reported a noticeable spike in the number of heat-related ailments
Published on May 16, 2022 11:52 PM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Mundka fire: For kin at morgue, bangles, bracelets set loved ones apart
To identify the dead, police are working with the forensic science experts. A team of FSL senior experts visited the site and collected forensic samples
Updated on May 15, 2022 08:23 PM IST
Hemani Bhandari and Soumya Pillai
‘There were no windows... We were choking’: Mundka fire survivors recount horror
When the fire spread, the people inside the building were on different floors. On the first floor the employees were working at the offices of the CCTV and Wifi router assembly unit. Most people were on the second floor attending the motivational speaker’s session.
Updated on May 15, 2022 07:11 AM IST
Mundka fire: No factory licence, no building plan, no safety
The fire, which broke out at the illegal building near the Mundka Metro station on Friday evening, was likely caused by a short-circuit on the first floor, the police said.
Updated on May 15, 2022 01:26 AM IST
Delhi plans survey to find reasons for low Covid booster shot turnout
Taking note of the low turnout for Covid-19 booster shots in the national capital, senior officials from Delhi health department said they will conduct a detailed survey to explore the reasons for the depleted numbers at vaccination centres for the third dose and undertake necessary remedial steps
Updated on May 11, 2022 12:14 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
43% of donors in paediatric liver transplants are mothers: Apollo Hospital
On the occasion of Mothers’ Day on May 8, doctors say mothers form the largest donor group in liver transplants
Published on May 08, 2022 12:37 PM IST
Depression over Bay of Bengal may intensify today. IMD says 'monitoring closely'
The weather system had intensified into a depression, and at 11.30am on Saturday, lay 170km west of Car Nicobar Island and 300km south-southwest of Port Blair, it said in a special bulletin.
Updated on May 08, 2022 07:28 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
NW, central India get hottest April in 122 years
As a whole, India has recorded the fourth hottest April ever.
Updated on Apr 30, 2022 11:39 PM IST
Hottest April in 121 years over northwest and central India: IMD
India as a whole recorded the fourth hottest April month, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said adding that higher than normal maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to continue in northwest and central India in May.
Published on Apr 30, 2022 03:45 PM IST
AIIMS nurses call off strike after Delhi HC order
- Advocate Satya Ranjan Swain, appearing for AIIMS, told the court that Kajla instigated, threatened and created an atmosphere of fear among nurses and other staff.
Updated on Apr 27, 2022 05:32 AM IST
Nursing officer suspended at AIIMS Delhi over staff shortage strike
- In an order issued by the AIIMS administration on Monday, nursing officer Harish Kumar Kajla was suspended with “immediate effect” for heading the protests and misbehaving with the duty officer on Saturday.
Published on Apr 26, 2022 05:11 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Amid case spike, Delhi ups Covid testing
- Delhi on Monday recorded 1,011 new Covid cases and one death from the disease, according to the Delhi government’s daily health bulletin.
Updated on Apr 26, 2022 04:58 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Few Covid patients in Delhi need critical care, oxygen: Doctors
- Delhi government data shows that on Saturday, of 3,705 active cases in the city, only 101 Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospitals. This means that nearly 99% of Delhi’s 9,489 hospital beds are vacant.
Published on Apr 24, 2022 03:57 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Delhi: Doctors allay fears, say kids below 12 at low Covid risk
- Data from Delhi’s government hospitals show that of the 91 patients currently admitted in hospitals, only eight are children who have been advised institutional care because of pre-existing co-morbid conditions.
Published on Apr 21, 2022 03:25 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Delhi’s mask mandate should not have been lifted, say experts
While experts stood divided over the reintroduction of fines for violating the mask norms, a majority of doctors believed that mandatory masking could help control the rise in Covid infections.
Updated on Apr 21, 2022 03:18 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Delhi adds 501 Covid cases; 99% hospital beds still vacant
- Due to the targeted testing, the test positivity rate – a bellwether figure for outbreak trends – has shot up.
Published on Apr 19, 2022 04:40 AM IST
Delhi may bring back masks amid case uptick
The people added that the messaging from the removal of the ₹500 fine for not wearing masks appeared to have led to a lowering of the guard, and consultations are now underway on bringing back the mandate.
Updated on Apr 16, 2022 05:50 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi:
As Delhi adds 299 cases, govt says may sequence all fresh infections
At the same time, however, the state health department is likely conduct genome checks on samples from all fresh Covid-19 cases, in a bid to ascertain if there is any pattern to the rise in cases, and if the XE variant of the coronavirus has made its way to Delhi.
Published on Apr 14, 2022 03:50 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Booster must be same as first two jabs, extra fee of ₹150 allowed
Private vaccination centres will be allowed to charge a maximum of ₹150 per dose as service charge in addition to the cost of the vaccines, the ministry said. The price of Covishield and Covaxin has been reduced to ₹225 at private facilities.
Updated on Apr 10, 2022 03:38 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Delhi rolls up sleeves for booster drive: Stocks in place, say centres
The decision to open the third dose for all comes at a time when China is seeing a fresh surge in infections, though India’s pandemic situation is under control
Updated on Apr 09, 2022 06:52 AM IST
Positivity rate uptick largely due to focused testing: Experts allay fears
Delhi added 126 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, with 1.12% of the tested samples returning positive samples. The test positivity rate was 1.05% on Tuesday and 1.34% on Monday, when it breached the 1% mark for the first time in 38 days
Updated on Apr 07, 2022 05:13 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Largely vacant, Delhi winds down its Covid-19 care centres
A senior health department official said the Covid care centres and health centres will be closed in a phased manner by mid-April, noting that there have been no admissions in these centres since March 12.
Published on Apr 05, 2022 07:03 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Delhi closes 1,000 jab centres, terminates services of vaccinators and nurses
According to health department officials, the number of vaccination centres was reduced as the Delhi government had decided to do away with centres being run from government schools due to reopening of schools in the Capital.
Published on Apr 02, 2022 03:23 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
