about the lack of progress in implementing parking reforms in Delhi and the NCR. These reforms are seen as crucial to reducing air pollution, particularly from private vehicles. It has issued a notice
The time has come for the government to get off the oil industry's back The runaway rise in international oil prices, which recently crossed $100 a barrel, has put Indian oil companies in a spot. Even as their costs rise, they are unable to raise prices to get the resources needed for acquiring oil assets or otherwise build the infrastructure needed for oil security.
With the tiger fighting a losing battle for survival in the wild, here is the story of one man's resolve to see the royal beast in its natural habitat. Sought-after prize of tourists: A tigress at the Ranthambore Park. Tales of all-eluding tigers are perhaps the most swapped stories among eco-tourists. I remember sharing tables and travel stories with complete unknowns at a non-descript coffee house in Kolkata a year and a half back. Those were the days when the realisation that there existed fine demarcations between travellers also had not dawned on me. On that table that day, I understood that I was a cultural traveller
A project to highlight the key flaws in design of Indian roads and develop a manual is to be launched here in the Rajasthan Capital. The manual, first of its kind in India, will contain recommendations on "remedial traffic calming strategies' for policy makers and those involved in traffic management such as police, municipal authorities and the public works department persons. CUTS (Consumer Unity and Trust Society) International has conceptualised the project in partnership with Lund University, Department of Technology and Society, Sweden with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency, New Delhi. The project is titled, "Traffic calming strategies to improve pedestrian safety in India'. Umesh Gupta of CUTS-CART (Centre for Research and Training) said 24 sites from six locations would be taken up for a detailed study of road crashes.
As the phase of implementation of the law approaches, there is palpable unease among the tribal populations. At Pipalkhura, forest Department personnel destroyed tribal homes and took away their belongings. THE road to Pipalkhura is long, rocky and dusty. Across a parched, hilly landscape occasionally broken by a village, farm or bazaar, we make our way to this remote village in Madhya Pradesh. Suddenly, we see a cluster of white tents breaking out of the brown earth
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Rajasthan Council has welcomed the emphasis laid by the 2008-09 State Budget, presented on Monday, on development of infrastructure, saying it would ensure delivery of goods and services of a high standard and meet public aspirations. CII Rajasthan chairman R.K. Poddar said here on Tuesday that the State Government had agreed to some of the recommendations made by CII in its pre-Budget memorandum and taken steps to reduce the time involved in the value added tax (VAT) refunds and provided for annual self-assessment and exemption to employers using e-filing from submitting audit reports. Mr. Poddar said the Budget had taken care of social sectors such as health, nutrition, drinking water and education and would speed up economic growth of the State. Other important announcements included those on skill development projects, electrification of all villages by the year 2009 and reduction of VAT on marble and finished Kota stone from 12.5 per cent to four per cent. CII Panel on Economic Affairs convenor Kishore Khaitan pointed out that the reduction in tax on aviation spirit from 28 per cent to 4 per cent and entertainment tax from 35 per cent to 30 per cent would lead to high revenue earnings for the State Exchequer.
The country may harvest over 76 million tonne of wheat this season, if the current weather conditions remain favourable for the next three weeks, a top official said. "If weather conditions remain favourable, wheat production may touch the record level,' Union agriculture secretary PK Mishra told reporters. India recorded the highest production of 76.37 million tonne of wheat in 1999-2000. Mishra, said the weather conditions till the third week of March is very crucial for wheat, which requires a mean temperature of 20 degree Celsius. Except in Haryana, the mean temperature in most of the wheat growing states such as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan is normal for the crop, agriculture commissioner NB Sing said. The temperature at some places in Haryana had gone up to 29 degree Celsius for two days last week, which may impact the wheat crop, Singh added. Overall, the prospect of wheat output is very good, the agriculture secretary said. "We have been monitoring the temperature in the wheat growing areas. It is within the normal, prescribed for wheat crop, although the temperature has increased from what it was two weeks earlier.' "It will be not less than 3% when the final figures come,' Mishra said.
The Punjab government has rejected the Rajasthan government's demand to supply 20,000 cusecs of canal water over and above the existing use of the water for irrigation purpose through the Rajasthan feeder being made by it. Sources said Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje had written to Parkash Singh Badal for additional supply of canal water during February and March for the rabi crop. Even the Rajasthan Irrigation Department had contacted the Punjab government in this regard. However, the sources said the Punjab government had decided to write back to the Rajasthan government that it could not spare additional water. Punjab, in fact, itself was facing problem to meet its irrigation requirements through canal water in absence of adequate rainfall in the region during this winter. Except light rainfall near the Shivalik foothills, there was no rainfall in the countryside. More over, the level of water is also low in the various dams. During the summer availability of water from the dams for irrigation would be less this year. Keeping in view these circumstances, the state government had decided to refuse the additional water. Rajasthan had been alleging for the past several years that Punjab had been using its unutilised share and it should be compensated for that. However, Punjab had been saying that the flow of water in the rivers had come down by 3 MAF over the years. Even the BBMB and the Central Water Commission (CWC) was aware of this fact. Meanwhile, the Punjab government had also decided to oppose the second barrage on the Ravi-Beas waters. Sources said the state government would seek the CWC report prepared with regard to the leakage of water to Pakistan from the river water systems. There were reports that the CWC had found that there was no such huge leakage of water from the river systems to Pakistan. Hence there was no need to construct the second barrage. Moreover, Punjab had not been taken into confidence before taking a decision regarding the barrage by the Union government. As Punjab was a host riparian state, the Union government could not execute any barrage like project without its consent. The sources said the Haryana government had given a concept paper to the CWC for constructing the barrage.
Entrepreneurs and NGOs find innovative models to take solar energy to rural homes in the country. As dusk slowly lapses into night, it is time for millions to call it a day. For, before the night falls, farmers with their cattle have to be at home, children have to finish studies, housewives have to finish the household chores, as life comes to a standstill once it is dark.
DOWN TO EARTH Sunita Narain / New Delhi February 26, 2008 It was the mid-1980s, environmentalist Anil Agarwal was on a mission: to track down the person who had conceptualised the employment guarantee scheme in Maharashtra. His hunt (I tagged along) led him to a dusty, file-paper filled office in the secretariat. There we met V S Page. I remember a diminutive, soft-spoken man, who explained to us why in 1972 when the state was hit with crippling drought and mass migration of people, it had worked on a scheme under which professionals working in cities would pay for employment in villages.
The erratic and heavy rainfall last year has turned a large part of the deep desert country into a vast submerged landscape.
