Sadia Akhtar is a reporter at Hindustan Times where she covers education, heritage, and a range of feature stories. She also writes about refugee communities and tracks stories at the intersection of gender and social justice. Before joining HT's Delhi team, she reported from Gurugram and Mewat where she tracked politics, education, and heritage.
Articles by Sadia Akhtar
Shah Jahan’s hunting lodge crumbles as it lies forgotten in Delhi
Senior officials from the state department of archaeology said the shikargah was not a notified monument under their watch
Updated on Oct 30, 2023 06:33 AM IST
Archway of 12th-century Qutub mosque restored in Delhi
Conservation architect Misbah Noorie said work on the archway was started this March and took around six months to complete
Updated on Oct 28, 2023 06:00 AM IST
Grap 2 enforced in Delhi, CAQM says air may deteriorate
The federal anti-air pollution agency for the National Capital Region (NCR) has enforced measures such as banning diesel generators and allowing agencies to charge more for public parking to curb use of private vehicles as air quality in the region drops. The measures are listed under Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) and are enforced at various stages of air pollution. The decision was based on a forecast by the Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi-NCR, which predicted that air quality would worsen to the "very poor" category by Monday.
Updated on Oct 22, 2023 05:38 AM IST
Delhi’s Gole Market museum to fete women achievers
British-era Gole Market in Delhi will be converted into a museum dedicated to women achievers. The project is estimated to take two years & cost ₹21.66 crore.
Updated on Oct 22, 2023 05:25 AM IST
Revamped Mehrauli monuments now open in Delhi
Lieutenant governor VK Saxena inaugurated six renovated monuments in Mehrauli Archaeological Park in Delhi, along with a restored water body and other amenities. The restoration work was undertaken jointly by stakeholders at a cost of ₹2.6 crore. Saxena said the revival of the water body would serve as a template for others in the city. Conservation work included repairs, strengthening, and fresco painting.
Updated on Oct 20, 2023 10:31 PM IST
15 years after Soumya Vishwanathan's murder, is Delhi safer for women now?
In 2008, National Crime Records Bureau data showed there were 3,515 crimes recorded against women in Delhi. Last year the number was 13,988
Updated on Oct 19, 2023 04:26 PM IST
An epic for the ages: Magic of Ramlila back to enthral Delhi
Artistes of the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra began presenting the annual cultural extravaganza, which is marking its 67th edition this year
Updated on Oct 16, 2023 06:00 AM IST
A missing student, cries for justice, an enduring mystery
Najeeb Ahmed, a JNU student who went missing on October 15, 2016. Having found no clues, the agencies shut the case in 2018. But his family still seeks answers
Updated on Oct 15, 2023 12:35 PM IST
As Afghan school downs shutters, pupils left in lurch face uncertainty
180 Afghani students used to go to the Sayed Jamaluddin Afghan school in Bhogal – which shut doors – forcing them to find themselves lost and confused.
Updated on Oct 06, 2023 12:46 PM IST
As Afghan school in Delhi downs shutters, pupils left in lurch face uncertainty
Till 2021, the school’s expenses were taken care of by the Afghan government. After the return of the Taliban, the embassy stopped receiving funds for it
Updated on Oct 06, 2023 12:59 PM IST
Delhi’s neglected Roshanara Bagh falls into obscurity
Begum’s grave rests in the middle of the 57-acre garden and the tomb has a central hall with open courtyards on four sides
Updated on Oct 02, 2023 05:44 AM IST
DDA takes over Delhi club that was once the home of cricket
Officials of the club said the sealing was done despite a stay from the Delhi high court, valid till October 6
Updated on Sep 30, 2023 06:12 AM IST
Cell by cell: How ASI is conserving ruined structures in Delhi’s Purana Qila
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has repaired the collapsed dome of a cell at Purana Qila that was used as office space.
Updated on Sep 24, 2023 11:52 PM IST
DUSU elections: ABVP wins 3 seats, NSUI bags one
The new panel comprises ABVP’s Tushar Dedha, Aprajita and Sachin Baisla, as president and secretary and joint secretary, respectively, and the NSUI’s Abhi Dahiya as vice-president
Published on Sep 23, 2023 11:17 PM IST
New gate, facade, interpretation centre in Jantar Mantar revamp
Bheem Singh Rawat, conservation assistant at Jantar Mantar, said the interpretation centre will help visitors understand the history of the various instruments.
Updated on Sep 22, 2023 02:01 AM IST
On Delhi University Students’ Union polls eve, violence video leads to police case
The purported violence led to a blame game between the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI)
Updated on Sep 21, 2023 12:00 AM IST
New lease of life for Delhi’s oldest police chowki
The heritage structure is estimated to have come up in the early 1800s, according to conservation experts
Updated on Sep 19, 2023 11:58 PM IST
Garden where Aurangzeb was crowned
Today, Shalimar Bagh is a shadow of its glorious past, and the palace within it has become a site of neglect and deterioration, despite its ASI-protected status
Published on Sep 19, 2023 12:04 AM IST
Delhi's Bhagirath Palace — once a mansion, now a wholesale market
As the structure completes 200 years in existence, HT traces how the palace evolved into the Capital’s most popular market for electrical goods
Updated on Sep 14, 2023 01:42 AM IST
Delhi govt’s plan to check pollution: Artificial rain, track hot spots
In a written statement, the Delhi government shared that burning of biomass is one of the major causes of pollution
Published on Sep 12, 2023 11:11 PM IST
Rain, traffic curbs help Delhi log year’s first good air day
The vastly improved air coincided with the G20 Summit, during which vehicular movement was disallowed and public spaces shut in the central Delhi region
Updated on Sep 11, 2023 09:00 AM IST
Traders, residents behind G20 festivity in Delhi’s Walled City
Residents and traders said they were compelled to decorate the Walled City themselves, claiming a “lackadaisical attitude” by authorities
Updated on Sep 10, 2023 08:43 PM IST
Six Delhi monuments get facelift before G20 Summit, more to follow
Although there is no confirmation if G20 delegates will visit the monuments, officials said the exercise was undertaken to create awareness about heritage
Updated on Sep 06, 2023 11:20 PM IST
Seeking corporate funding, ASI begins ‘Adopt a Heritage 2.0’ scheme
The ASI has launched the "Adopt a Heritage 2.0" programme, inviting corporates to fund amenities at monuments from their CSR funds.
Updated on Sep 05, 2023 02:24 AM IST
New show at Purana Qila to go on floor soon in Delhi
Although a final trial of the show is pending, efforts are underway to complete the preparations before the G20 Summit
Updated on Aug 26, 2023 10:27 PM IST
Lodhi-era turret in Delhi gets facelift ahead of G20 summit
The structure, part of the 1451-1526 enclosure, last underwent repairs in 2010
Updated on Aug 20, 2023 02:48 AM IST
Peeling walls, broken bricks: Delhi’s Lodhi structure awaits repair
Officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) could not confirm when the damage took place
Updated on Aug 16, 2023 11:37 PM IST
Partition: Tales of love, longing, and loss
India’s march as a free country began on a tragic note in 1947 as the horrors of Partition tore families. Sadia Akhtar talks to three such families
Updated on Aug 15, 2023 11:36 AM IST
Govt felicitates Partition survivors at Delhi’s Ambedkar University campus
As part of the commemorative event, many survivors shared accounts of their lives in then-Pakistan and the tumultuous journey that they undertook to reach India
Updated on Aug 14, 2023 10:19 PM IST
Conservation of Mughal-era palace in Delhi to begin by October
In April, Hindustan Times highlighted the poor condition of the complex and the need for timely conservation
Updated on Aug 07, 2023 11:52 PM IST