Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item Titled "Neglected Katora Houz in Hyderabad’s Golconda Fort Cries for attention appearing in ‘The Siasat Daily’ dated 25 May 2025". The application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled “Neglected Katora Houz in Hyderabad’s …
It could be seen as the best tribute the government could pay our colleague Anil Agarwal. At the hearing of the air pollution case in the Supreme Court when the report on fuel adulteration done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) was being discussed, the counsel for the …
Unquiet woods With the ban and without access to forest revenue, Northeast economy is in doldrums THERE is an unusual quietness in the forests of India's northeast, arguably the country's best timberlands and one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. Brought about by the Supreme Court's blanket ban on tree felling …
THE ban comes at a time when the region's economy is in an inertia and is desperate for an economic miracle. The post-ban realisation of the economic potential of forests and the apex court's instruction to measure the sustainability of forests comes as a reminder of the development model that …
Ban blessing Some people in the region regard the ban as a blessing in disguise. Though the situation was difficult initially, they have ventured into other sources of income. In Tirap district, many people once involved in timber trade have now switched to tea cultivation. Says Mithi: "We are promoting …
Destruction often comes disguised as development. Nobody knows this better than the inhabitants of Kudremukh National Park (knp) in Karnataka, who have witnessed years of mindless mining and the consequent loss of habitat in the state's
Reinforcing laws The court acted methodically. First, it asked states to define forests. Interestingly, a clear definition of forests is not given in the existing legal instruments - Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980, Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 1988, and the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Under Section 2 of the FCA …
The Supreme Court recently asked the Union government to consider banning the production of anti-rabies vaccine from sheep. The court highlighted allegations that patients administered such vaccines faced the danger of paralysis and even death. Hearing a petition that charged the companies with manufacturing vaccines in dismal conditions, the court …
The Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) has hit yet another roadblock. Even as the Union government passed an order to raise the height of the proposed dam from 90 metres (m) to 100 m recently (Down To Earth, Vol 10, No 19, February 28, 2002), the resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R;) sub-group …
funds meant to depollute the Dal lake may have been embezzled. Rajinder Tickoo, Jammu and Kashmir vigilance commissioner, has alleged that out of the Rs 88-crore grant released to the state government, Rs 15 crore has been siphoned off by Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (lwda) officials in the name …
• The Supreme Court has asked the chief secretary of Bihar to file an affidavit regarding the killing of District Forest Officer (DFO) Sanjay Singh by " perhaps those indulging in illegal mining activities'. • Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot is seeking funds from the Union government for the development …
In a crucial judgement, the California Supreme Court ruled that people harmed by drinking contaminated water can legally sue their supplier for failing to deliver. The ruling came in a case involving about 2,500 residents of San Gabriel Valley, who sued industrial polluters and water companies over the alleged contamination …
on december 2, 2001, prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated a Rs 296-crore project to beautify Andhra Pradesh's Musi river. Top priority was to be accorded to cleaning the water body under the National River Conservation Plan. The state government, however, seems to have set its own agenda. In compliance …
nearly half a century after the Koel-Karo hydroelectric project (sited in present-day Jharkhand) was conceived, tribal protests against the venture continue unabated. An independent inquiry into the latest incident
Acting on an affidavit filed by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) and the Corbett Foundation against a proposed highway through Corbett Tiger Reserve, the Supreme Court (SC) recently ordered the state of Uttaranchal to submit a revised proposal to the Union ministry of environment and forests. The SC …
Acting on a petition, the SC issued a notice to the state of Orissa and three other parties instructing them to reply on the release of vehicles that had been involved in forest offences. The court issued the notice after the petitioner alleged that this was a violation of an …
while Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh (MP) governments are set to resume construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (nba) has criticised the recent announcement by the Union government to raise the height of the proposed structure from 90 metres to 100 metres by June 2002. The NBA …
• The Supreme Court recently slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the Union environment ministry for showing laxity in probing the disappearance of huge quantity of hazardous waste oil from major ports. • The Sikkim Forest Department arrested a person on charges of smuggling medicinal plants from Borong recently. …
The raging row over raising of water level in the Mullaipperiyar dam remains unresolved with the Kerala state government locking horns with the Tamil Nadu (TN) and the Union government. At stake is the Periyar Tiger Reserve which faces inundation if the dam's water level is raised from 41.4 metres …
In a landmark decision, the SC directed the Punjab government to expeditiously construct the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal to give effect to the Eradi Commission Award on sharing of river water between states. The SC ordered the Union government to take steps to construct the canal if the Punjab government …
