Pune: Four more people succumbed to swine flu in the state in the past three weeks, taking the toll this year to 189 till June 27, according to the latest report by the state health department. Of these,
District Collectors Told To Submit Weekly Report On Water Storage Pune: District collectors of five districts, under Pune revenue division have been asked to closely monitor water storage in reservoirs located in their respective districts and prepare a weekly report, said Prabhakar Deshmukh, Pune divisional commissioner on Wednesday. He added that water in Ujani and Kukdi dams is reserved for drinking purpose and there is enough water reserved in the Khadakwasla division to meet water demands of Pune city till end of July.
Setting Up Saw Mills, Industries May Soon Be Banned Pune: Activities such as commercial mining and setting up saw mills, large hydroelectric projects and pollution-causing industries may soon be banned in the eco-sensitive zones around the main sanctuaries in the state, including the Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve, Melghat tiger reserve and Sanjay Gandhi national park in Mumbai.
Pune: The standing committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday took a step forwardin drawing water for the city from the Bhama Askhed dam, situated about 40 km from the city in Khed taluka. The municipal commissioner has been given the right to acquire land for laying the pipeline. “The committee also gave a go ahead to generate funds for the project through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and the state government,”said Baburao Chandere, chairman of the standing committee.
50% DROP IN OLIVE RIDLEY NESTS ALONG KONKAN COASTLINE Pune: Industrial activity around coastal areas has cast its shadow on the nesting season of the endangered Olive Ridley turtle this year. There has been a disturbing 50 % drop in the total number of nests along the coastline in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts and experts hope the activity would pick up before the nesting season ends in March. Those working in this region and in the field of turtle conservation have counted 36 Olive Ridley nests along the coastline of the three districts. They say that large scale development in the vicinity of ecologically critical coastal areas and sea pollution are largely responsible for the drop in numbers this year.
Advisories To Deal With Situations When Big Cats Stray Into Human Habitats Pune: The chief wildlife warden of Maharashtra has issued advisories to the state’s four tiger reserves —Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Kolhapur, Tadoba-Andhari in Chandrapur, Pench in Nagpur and Melghat in Amravati — to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) recently released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), framed to deal with emergencies arising because of tigers straying into humandominated landscapes.
State To Screen Over 1.95 Cr Children; Programme To Be Launched Tomorrow Pune: The state health department is set to screen over 1.95 crore children below 18 years of age across the state and provide free follow-up treatments if required through district and tertiary level hospitals as part of a new scheme under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Called the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), the scheme, with an estimated state budget of Rs 130 crore for 2013-14, will be formally launched at Palghar, a tribal block in Thane, on Wednesday.
PUNE: The proposal to reserve land in merged villages for bio diversity parks (BDP) has been officially passed. But the major tasks lies ahead as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and citizens face
Pune: The proposal to reserve land in merged villages for bio diversity parks (BDP) has been officially passed. But the major tasks lies ahead as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and citizens face a stiff challenge to protect the open tracks of lands from encroachers. The state government has clearly put the responsibility on the civic body asking it to take care of the BDPs on its own. Environmentalists, on the other hand, say the PMC should devise a mechanism to protect the land from slums. Experts say that protecting public lands, parks and water bodies has become an increasingly uphill task. Adequate involvement of people, policy makers and politicians which is most essential for effective management of common resources in the city is shrinking rapidly.
The Planning Commission’s Appraisal Has Stressed On Consistent Implementation Of Reforms And Holistic Urban Renewal Pune: Urban planners and activists have criticized the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for their inapt handling of works done under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM). The PMC has spent crores of rupees meant for renewal of infrastructure to cover up the backlog in the provision of basic urban services, they said.
PUNE: Citizens' groups, NGOs and educational institutions in Pimpri-Chinchwad can give suggestions and information about any environmental issues or eco-friendly projects to the municipal corporation. The suggestions will be considered by the corporation which has now started the process of preparing the environment status report for the year 2012-13. Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Mohini Lande and municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi have urged the citizens to submit details about any environmental initiatives, explaining its nature, scope and its impact. "Citizens who are alert about the environmental impact during cultural activities, management and conservation of natural resources, use of eco-friendly techniques to save environment can also send their views and reports to the corporation," Pardeshi said.
