Author: theokhlatimes

Meet Okhla-based Mughlai Queen who years ago wowed judges at food reality Zebi Zuber has never been to a cooking school, yet she impressed the judges at the a reality show MasterChef India on Star Plus years ago with her signature dishes Benarsi Kemami Seviain, Barfi Gulkand, Chicken Brinjal Surprise and Stir-fry Noodles. Then for weeks she was judges’ favourite, including Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. Despite failing to reach the final of the most coveted MasterChef India title, she succeeded in making a mark of herself as a successful chef. Born on April 27, 1982 in Varanasi, she did her…

Traffic jam: Who is to be blamed? Last evening Atif, a software engineer, got stuck in a traffic jam at the Okhla Head. He was on his way back to his house from Saket which is just ten kilometers from here. The traffic snarl was such that it took 45 minutes to clear the jam. “When I saw many cars stranded in the jam I realised it was another bad day for me. I left office early to reach home but it took me 45 minutes to cover 15 minutes of journey. At times I think of giving up driving…

Where have all the sparrows gone? The sweet chirping sound of sparrows was music to the ears of residents of Jamia Nagar, but not anymore as they have become a rare site in the locality, writes Md Qaiser Khan. With the mushrooming of buildings in the locality and dwindling greenery, they are rarely seen on the balcony or on a window grills of a house. Md. Mushtaq a resident of Abul Fazal Enclave and a bird lover said: “A few years ago we would be greeted with the sweet chirping sound of this beautiful bird but not anymore. My children…

2 on scooter snatch resident’s phone, arrested Two men have been arrested for allegedly snatching mobile phones, according to a media report. Police identified the two men as residents of Jamia Nagar. Police said they recovered a scooter and three stolen phones from the suspects, reported Hindustan Times. Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) R P Meena said they received a distress call from a man on Musafir Road, near New Friends Colony, on January 21. He claimed that two men on a scooter snatched his phone, it said. Police said their investigation pointed to the duo’s involvement. “We then arrested…

How quake resistant are Okhla buildings? After feeling tremors on Friday night, many Okhla residents are now talking about safety of their buildings. Tremors were felt across north India in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, the Delhi-NCR region, and Uttarakhand following a high-intensity earthquake which rattled Tajikistan. There were no reports of any loss of life or damage to property. However, what worry Okhla residents most is that Delhi lies in the high-risk seismic zone IV and many are concerned about their buildings in Okhla. According to experts, the whole of Delhi, NCR, Noida and Gurgaon are vulnerable…

Strong earthquake tremors felt in Delhi just now, did you feel in Okhla? After we posted this question on social media many residents answered in positive. It was a few minutes ago when the OT staffers said they felt tremors. According to media reports, a high-intensity earthquake hit Tajikistan on Friday night and tremors of which were felt across north India in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, the Delhi-NCR region, and Uttarakhand at 10.34 pm. Some even rushed out of their houses. Okhla resident Syed Hashim informed the OT that he felt the tremor a few minutes ago.…

Another road mishap reported on Hari Kothi road, residents say incomplete divider work  reason Another road mishap was reported on Hari Kothi road a few minutes ago on Friday where divider work going on, said an eyewitness. Okhla resident Aslam said as he was going on the road he saw a youth in pain sitting on the road. “We reached him immediately and he told us his name Hari. He works in an eatery in Julena and came to this locality for food delivery. Other residents also turned up and rushed him to Al-Shifa hospital,” said Aslam.

Watch: No solution in sight to parking blues in Okhla There was a time when people in Okhla used to complain about the single-lane Abul Fazal Enclave- Kalindi Kunj road. After a lot of hues and cries and by the collective efforts of local leaders, the problem was finally solved and the road was widened to a 20 feet road. It was a big relief to the locals, but it soon became a problem because people started parking their vehicles in the sides, thus narrowing the already-widened road to a mere half, where only one vehicle can pass at a…

What went wrong with Ghaffar Manzil park? After 30 years park turned lush green in 2019, it is again barren All over the world there are campaigns going on to turn barren land green to make residents’ lungs healthier. But, unfortunately in Okhla the opposite has happened. The case in point is the Ghaffar Manzil park, which in 2019 was turned green with some hard work put in by local councillor Neetu Manish Choudhary, local women group and some green lovers. However, over a few months time the green patch start decreasing due to lack of care to grass put…

Watch: RJ Naved supports crowd funding drive of okhlatimes, says he reads OT for local news India’s leading Radio Jockey, Naved Khan, in a video appeal, has urged Okhla residents to support the okhlatimes, which a few days ago launched its crowdfunding drive to sustain community portal covering local news since 2011. He said he reads the OT for Okhla news. It takes only a few bucks to sustain and strengthen your voice. (To contribute click here) “I reside in Okhla and earlier people used to inform me about updates in the locality, but not anymore. Since I started reading…