SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday inaugurated the Lake View Cottages and Orchid Lake Cottages near the scenic Umiam Lake constructed under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Ministry of
Guwahati: Union Minister for Environment and Forest , Janathi Natarajan on Wednesday announced a grant of Rs one crore for taking immediate measures to repair the damages caused by three successive waves of floods in the rhino sanctuary known all over the globe for its diversity of faunal resources. Natarajan was on her maiden visit to the abode of one-horned rhinoceros, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which suffered extensive damages recently to its infrastructure due to three waves of floods since June this year.
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B S Sajwan today said the State government would soon enact its own Forest Act to protect the virgin forests, besides various flora and fauna in the State. “We are serious about framing our own forest laws to protect the State’s biodiversity,” he said while responding to queries during a Press conference here this morning. He, however, declined to divulge the time frame by which the Act would be ready and said that the process would start soon.
SHILLONG: In a ray of hope for the water-starved residents of Jowai and adjoining villages, the much-delayed river pumping water supply scheme for the area is expected to be commissioned by March 2013. An official of the PHE department recently informed that the project is in its final stages and 90 per cent of the work has already been completed. “The department is currently carrying out the distribution of pipelines,” the official said.
SHILLONG: The much-awaited second unit of the Myntdu Leshka Hydro project was finally commissioned on Tuesday even as the first unit of the project is yet to become functional. Talking to The Shillong Times on the progress of the project on Wednesday, Chief Project Manager Elias Lyngdoh said that that second unit crossed one hundred million units of energy on Tuesday and is generating power now.
Guwahati: Days after Assam’s Kaziranga National Park hit the headlines following a spate in poaching of the one-horned rhinos, the Assam government has decided to rush a 100-member team of the elite Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for the protection of the rare animal. Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain Tuesday said a 50-member team of the AFPF had already been dispatched to the national park, which is a Unesco World Heritage site. He added that another 50 personnel of the elite force will be sent to the park within this week.
SHILLONG: The Gauhati High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the State Government for failing to take tangible steps in the matters pertaining to framing of Mining policy. Hearing the petition filed by prominent lawyer Siddharth Dey on behalf of the five citizens from Jaintia Hills on Monday, a division bench of Chief Justice AK Goel and Justice NK Singh decided to impose the fine after it did not get a satisfactory reply from Additional Advocate General BP Todi.
SHILLONG: Notwithstanding widespread opposition from various corners, Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary has advocated the need for Uranium mining which according to him would benefit the State immensely in terms of power generation. “Uranium is an important natural resource since it is a critical source for generation of power,” Mooshahary said while addressing a national seminar on ‘Mining: impact assessment on the economy, ecology, technology, polity and society’ organised by Sankardev College and BBS College here on Thursday
SHILLONG: Despite the government initiating several measures to curb the menace of tobacco and other allied products, the tobacco consumption is increasing every year in the State. “The scenario in Shillong is very bad as far as tobacco consumption is concerned and as per reports Meghalaya is ranked third among the north eastern states with over 65 per cent of tobacco users”, President of the Rotary Club of Orchid City Dr C Varghese said.
SHILLONG: Despite having huge potentials of generating solar energy in the state, yet not even point one per cent has been exploited so far, claimed experts. “The potential of renewable energy source in the state is about 3669 MW”, Director of the Meghalaya Non-Conventional and Rural Energy Development Agency (MNREDA), John Rodborne said. Rodborne was delivering a speech at a one-day workshop on ‘Tourism and sustainable energy: sustainable development’ organised by the tourism department of Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) as part of the World Tourism Day celebration at Brookdene Hall in city on Thursday.
Plans to install 4180 LEDs, CFLs across Shillong city SHILLONG: The Urban Affairs department is currently in the process of identifying locations for installation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in the city. It may be mentioned that the State Government has mulled to install 4180 street lights to illuminate the city.
