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
On a day when the Supreme Court directed the Union and State governments to provide basic infrastructure, including drinking water and toilets, in all schools within six months, a survey conducted among parents (low-income group) in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore said that “toilets remain the single-most commonly voiced concern for girl students and their parents across India among the lower-income group.” The secondary data of survey added that only 44 per cent schools covered by the Right to Education Act have separate, functioning girls’ toilets. In the rest, girls either need to risk embarrassment and run to nearby fields, or run back home to use the toilet.
Villagers of Gopalapuram registered their protest against sand quarrying in their vicinity on Wednesday. They stopped two earth-movers from carrying out work to lay temporary road for lorries to reach
The National Green Tribunal’s principal bench has restrained a number of State agencies from dumping garbage in the Pallavaram ‘periya eri’. “The Tribunal is able to see a prima facie case made out for granting an ex-parte ad interim injunction in view of the warranting fact and circumstances. Accordingly, an ex-parte ad interim injunction is granted, restraining R-1 (first respondent) from dumping garbage at Pallavaram ‘periya eri’ until further orders of this Tribunal,” said the Tribunal’s order, dated September 27.
Three advocate commissioners confirm several irregularities pointed out by PIL petitioner The Madras High Court Bench here on Monday passed an interim injunction restraining the Public Works Department (PWD) from mining sand “illegally” on Vaigai riverbed in Sithargal Natham and Villampatti in Nilakottai taluk of Dindigul district. A Division Bench comprising Justice P.P.S. Janarthana Raja and Justice M. Duraiswamy granted the injunction following a public interest litigation petition filed by P. Kottaisamy (64), former chairman of Nilakottai Panchayat Union, through his counsel N. Dilip Kumar in August.
Even as the State received the lowest quantum of Cauvery flows during the southwest monsoon (June-September) in the last two decades, Union Water Resources Secretary Dhruv Vijai Singh is to visit Chennai and Bangalore on Thursday (October 4) to meet officials of the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments for discussions on the Cauvery issue. His discussions in Chennai and Bangalore would form part of his preparations for the Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC)’s meeting in New Delhi on October 8 to review the position.
Land near slaughter house used as unauthorised dumping yard Residential areas south of Government Engineering College here has become uninhabitable in the recent past as the rubbish, particularly the plastic waste, being burnt in the unofficial garbage dumping yard of the Corporation near Melapalayam modern slaughter house generates huge volume of smoke and gases almost round-the-clock.
The city’s trees are giving way to metro rail as about 385 trees will be felled for the on-going construction. Seventy eight trees from the stretch between Washermanpet station and Chennai Airport and 307 from Chennai Fort to St. Thomas Mount are being felled. But the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) claims to have planted over 15,000 saplings and trees last year. “Not just saplings, we have planted trees after they reached primary growth. But most of the planting has been done in the outskirts of the city in many schools, colleges and even in Puzhal,” said an official of CMRL. The transplantation of trees within their habitat has been carried out only for the rare species, he said.
14-hour power cut coupled with high cost of diesel takes a toll Unable to cope up with 14 hours of power cut a day and high cost of diesel to run generator sets, BHEL Small and Medium Industries’ Association (BHELSIA) has kept its options open on exploring alternative sources for power generation. The association intends to determine feasibility for establishing a 10 MW captive unit, or see if solar power generation will serve their requirement. For, at the prevailing cost of diesel, the units are unable to survive by running generator sets for backup power. The ancillaries are prepared to invest on generator sets, but are unable to meet the recurring cost towards fuel. However, the proposal for establishment of captive power plant will be pursued only in the long run.
Seeks closure of a sand mining unit belonging to V.V. Minerals, country’s largest exporter of garnet A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court Bench here seeking a direction to Tirunelveli Collector to close down a sand mining unit of V.V. Minerals, one of the country’s largest exporters of garnet and ilmenite, at Ponnarkulam village in Irukanthurai panchayat and to regulate other such mines situated within 30 kilometres from Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.
Kottar diocese Bishop Peter Remugius has urged the State as well as the Centre to take immediate steps to allay the fear among the fisherfolk regarding the commissioning of the nuclear plant at Kudankulam. When he was contacted about his stand on the power project as the fishermen from the eastern coast had stayed off the sea for the 14th day today, the bishop said it was unfair on the part of the police to resort to lathi charge and bursting of tear gas shells against fishermen at Idinthakarai.