Teak, Oak Among Those Cut On Designated CA Site

Bangalore: Close to 3,000 fullgrown trees were cut down late last week on a 10-acre land on the outskirts of the city. Land is part of Plot No. 40, Doddanekkundi II Stage, near Whitefield. A neighbouring company, Bhoruka Steel Limited, which was involved in developing the land, is crying foul. It sees the move as an attempt to palm off a plot designated for civic amenities to another company.

PANJIM: Governor of Goa B V Wanchoo announced that government would pay monthly cash compensation ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 to mining dependent persons, and spend approximately Rs 15 crore monthly for providing interim relief to them through a rehabilitation scheme. Wanchoo was addressing the first session of Goa Legislative Assembly of 2013, which commenced on Monday.

This is a step taken by his government towards ameliorating the sufferings of mining dependent persons, who are currently rendered jobless due to suspension of mining activities, Wanchoo said, during his half hour speech.

Protesters turn to ritual cursing, effigy burning and 24-hour guard posts as 24-year battle against project reignites

PANJIM: More than 96% of the state’s geographical area will fall under the category of ‘inviolate forest areas’ for the purpose of protection, anti-mining activist Ramesh Gauns has said.

The Committee to Formulate Objective Parameters for Identification of Inviolate Forest Areas, which was formed to after a Group of Ministers (GoM) on environmental and developmental issues relating to coal mining and other development projects, suggested that identified pristine forest areas where any mining activity would lead to irreversible damage to the forests should be barred from any kind of non-forest activity and those which can never be regenerated to the desired quality should be protected, had in its report submitted in July last year but made public only now has drawn up a list of areas and guidelines to term forests as inviolate for mining.

The government of the Tibet autonomous region plans to invest more than 3.5 billion yuan ($563 million) in 2013, 10.5 percent more than last year, in environmental protection.

The major rivers and tributaries have been drying up abnormally in the Brahmaputra basin much ahead of the seasonal dry season this year due to the adverse impacts of global climate change, reports

Laying stress on conservation and protection of rich bio-diversity of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today emphasized the need for rejuvenating the depleted forests and raising massive plantation on vacant available areas.

"Protection of forest wealth and rejuvenation of degraded forests are all the more necessary to maintain ecology, restrict climate change, save water bodies and fauna and flora of the State", he said asking for full utilization of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) initiative in this regard.

The Forest Department will launch a special drive to increase green cover and eradicate lantana weed in the hill state. Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmauri today said the drive would initially start from Rampur and Chamba forest circles and later be extended to other parts of the state.

The department would also work on war-footing to remove lantana and other obnoxious weeds and plant fodder species for the benefit of sheep breeders and farming community.

MAJOR international rivers like the Brahmaputra and the Teesta have dried up abnormally at their Bangladesh sections with the advent of dry season unlike other years.