2025

New Delhi is actively reshaping its tourism landscape with some fresh offerings — for example, the city has just introduced hot-air balloon rides above the Yamuna riverfront, giving both residents and visitors a brand-new aerial view of the skyline and river. At the same time, a new initiative for eco-friendly boat cruises and ferry services along the Yamuna River is under development, aiming to turn the river into a major leisure and tourism corridor for Delhi. However — tourism has also been hit recently by security concerns. After a blast near Red Fort metro station, several countries issued travel advisories, prompting postponements or cancellations among some foreign tourists — especially as this happened right around the peak winter travel season. Still, industry experts believe this will mostly cause a short-term dip rather than long-term decline. On the policy side, national tourism leadership is emphasising a broader vision: as per the latest statements from Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the government aims to build a “resilient, future-ready tourism economy,” positioning India — and capitals like New Delhi — as globally competitive travel destinations. Overall, New Delhi’s tourism scene is seeing a mix of innovation and challenge — new experiences and infrastructure push the city forward, even as safety and environmental issues continue to influence travellers’ perceptions.

New Delhi’s political landscape is seeing major shifts ahead of civic polls, most notably with Rajesh Gupta — a two-time legislator from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — defecting to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This defection has been described as emotionally-charged, with Gupta openly criticizing his former party’s leadership and warning that many inside AAP are unhappy and wish to leave. At the same time, the city is undergoing an administrative restructuring: the local revenue department has proposed creating nine new districts — expanding the number of districts from 11 to around 13. The goal is to realign district boundaries with municipal zones to reduce overlap and improve governance efficiency. These changes come as the city heads into by-elections for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), where competition between BJP and AAP is expected to intensify Meanwhile, environmental policy has also turned into political theatre: the controversial cloud-seeding experiment launched by the local government to fight pollution has sparked a heated “political slugfest.” Opposition and supporters accuse each other of misusing public funds or downplaying the pollution crisis.

New Delhi continues to struggle with severe environmental challenges, especially rising air pollution levels that have pushed the city’s Air Quality Index into the “very poor” and “severe” categories during the winter months. Thick smog has reduced visibility, caused health problems for residents, and forced authorities to impose emergency measures under the Graded Response Action Plan, including restrictions on construction, industrial activity, and outdoor events. Despite efforts like anti-smog guns, cloud seeding trials, and water-sprinkling drives, experts warn that these short-term solutions cannot offset the deeper issues of vehicle emissions, crop-burning in neighbouring states, and rapid urbanisation. Public frustration has grown as citizens stage protests demanding cleaner air and stronger environmental policies, while many families struggle with the rising cost of healthcare and air-purification measures. Overall, Delhi’s pollution crisis continues to affect daily life, economy, and livability, making environmental sustainability a major concern for the city’s future.

In early November 2025, J&K created history by defeating Delhi for the first time ever in the history of Ranji Trophy — at the home ground of Delhi. J&K posted a solid first-innings total of 310, thanks largely to a century from their captain Paras Dogra, which laid the foundation. Delhi responded with 211 in their first innings, but in their second innings slipped to 277 — leaving J&K a target of 179.In the chase, J&K’s opener Qamran Iqbal stood out with a brilliant and unbeaten 133 runs, steering the team to a comfortable seven-wicket win. On the bowling front, J&K exploited a fragile Delhi batting lineup and never let the hosts recover — disciplined bowling and fielding sealed the deal. The result is being described as a “historic moment” — a major upset and a turning point for J&K cricket, showing that they “believe they can beat anybody now.” For Delhi, this marks “a new low”: a wake-up call pointing to deeper issues like inconsistent selection, lack of cohesion and poor performance under pressure.

Over the past weeks, New Delhi has witnessed a string of serious criminal incidents — from terror-linked attacks to long-standing cold cases finally cracked. In a major blow to organized crime, city police — supported by central agencies — arrested a notorious gangster known as Harsimran (aka Badal/Simran), who had fled abroad using a fake passport. Reportedly involved in over 23 criminal cases including murder and extortion, Harsimran was deported from Bangkok and immediately taken into custody. A shocking incident occurred on 10 November when a car exploded near Red Fort, a landmark in Old Delhi. The explosion, now being treated as a terror attack under anti-terror laws, killed 15 people and injured more than 20. Authorities have invoked stringent laws and launched a full-scale investigation, with multiple arrests made in connection. On the justice front, a decades-old murder case from 2002 — involving the killing of a mother and her toddler daughter in the area of Sarita Vihar — was finally solved. Two long-fugitives, one of whom had been living under a false identity for more than 20 years, were arrested by the city’s Crime Branch, bringing relief to the victim’s family. Meanwhile, law-enforcement agencies have cracked down on organized crime and narcotics trafficking. Recent operations dismantled several drug-trafficking networks and arms suppliers operating across Delhi-NCR, yielding large seizures of drugs and weapons.