Groundwater level has increased by 0.6 metres
Rs. 20 crore has been allocated for supplying water across the State, says TWAD Board managing director The groundwater level has increased from 18.10 metres below ground level (pre-monsoon) to 17.5
Rs. 20 crore has been allocated for supplying water across the State, says TWAD Board managing director The groundwater level has increased from 18.10 metres below ground level (pre-monsoon) to 17.5
As part of its modernisation drive, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) has constructed a Rs.330-crore greenfield oil terminal at Ennore. This will not only enable it to move petroleum products from Ennore Port to its terminal seamlessly through dedicated pipelines, but also decongest the Tondiarpet area in north Chennai. The new oil terminal is expected to start functioning soon. Talking to The Hindu, Y.V.N. Sarma, DGM - Ennore Project, HPCL Chennai New Terminal, said the current HPCL terminal was located on 15 acres of land having a tankage of 50,000 KL at Tondiarpet. HPCL had decided to discontinue its operations there and move POL products (petroleum, oil and lubricants) to Ennore in a phased manner.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it cannot be swayed by emotions or public protests in directing closure of polluting industries but have to go strictly by law in deciding demands for closing down Sterlite Industries in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district. A bench of justices A K Patnaik and H L Gokhale wondered whether courts can intervene and direct closure even after the authorities like the pollution control board had granted the clearance.
Corporation tweaks earlier proposal to make them more viable for contractors The Chennai Corporation has tweaked its proposal to install newly-designed toilets across the city. From 5,000, proposed in the earlier plan, there will now be only 2,000 toilets installed in crowded areas in all 15 zones. Most of the spots have been already been identified, based on a survey by the civic body, focussing on commercial areas lacking in toilet facilities.
The Chennai Corporation will request proposals from 18 of its shortlisted companies for projects under its solid waste management initiative this week. The initiative includes privatisation of conservancy operations along with remediation and scientific closure of the existing Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dumpyards. The Corporation Council has now approved the proposal for gradual privatisation of conservancy operations in all zones.
Corporation blames contractor; seeks explanation on fire accident Residents of Konavaikalpalayam, Mahalingapuram, N.G.R. Nagar, Sakthi Eswaran Nagar and L.G. Nagar blocked the Chettipalayam Road on Monday, demanding closure of the Coimbatore Corporation’s dump yard in Vellalore. As the Coimbatore Corporation officials’ and police’s efforts to pacify the crowd failed and traffic remained blocked, the police removed around 253 protestors, including 108 women.
A sea-based agitation against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project passed off peacefully on Monday, with around 700 boats, including 150 mechanised vessels, carrying more than 3,000 fishermen participating in the protest. With black flags fluttering on their boats, protesters raised slogans against the ready-to-be-commissioned nuclear complex and the Central and State governments.
A voluntary organisation of residents has contributed a handsome sum for the improvement of Chitlapakkam lake, a 50-acre water body near Tambaram. The lake has been at the core of a movement by activists and residents who have been fighting for its protection for over a decade. The S.V.V Trust handed over Rs. 10 lakh to the town panchayat administration, during a recent interaction with C. Rajendran, South Chennai Lok Sabha MP. Mr. Rajendran sanctioned another Rs. 5 lakh from his MP local area development scheme, taking the total amount to Rs. 15 lakh.
Locality receives just 4 million litres per day against requirement of 28 million There is some good news for Pallavaram residents reeling under a shortage of drinking water. The State government has given its nod for a Rs. 99.95-crore water supply improvement scheme in the municipality. It will be implemented by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board with the aid of World Bank under the Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project-III (TNUDP).
The State unit of the CPI (M) on Thursday urged the government to form an independent expert committee to go into the safety aspects of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in the wake of apprehensions expressed by the local people about its safety. Mr. Ramakrishnan said the party was in full agreement with the Supreme Court’s observation that there could be no compromise on people’s safety. He, however, clarified that the CPI (M) did not support the demand for closing down of the two nuclear reactors in Kudankulam.
Over 1.14 lakh get degrees at the 80th convocation of Annamalai University On the occasion of the 80th annual convocation of Annamalai University on Thursday, M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, asked the university to promote seawater farming. Delivering the convocation address, Mr. Swaminathan said the founders of Annamalai University had established the Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology at Parangipettai with great vision. Its role was quite important at a time when humanity was facing the travails of climate change, global warming and marine pollution.