Reply by the Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Kerala in Original Application 184/22 filed by M N Jayachandran before the National Green Tribunal. M N Jayachandran in his petition before the NGT had alleged that Biji P Mathew was running tourism activities in the encroached area of the Periyar …
They dedicate all Saturdays for vegetable cultivation Environmentalist C.P. Roy travels to Valiyakandam in Idukki every Saturday from Kottayam with the excitement of a budding farmer. He is part of a group of 21 families who came together to produce organic vegetables for their own consumption. They also sell the …
Cabinet Gives In-Principle Nod For Real Estate Bill The cabinet has decided to set up a potable water company near Malankara dam in Idukki, for which the government will soon release Rs 9.86 crore. Chief minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday that the company would be set up under …
Experts Say Kasturirangan Report Does Not Ban Construction, Cultivation, Tourism And Infrastructure Development In Villages In ESA Viju B Chief minister Oommen Chandy may have succumbed to political pressure from UDF allies, quarry owners and church authorities, who want a drastic reduction in the number of villages categorized as Ecological …
5 firms likely to ask for rethink on application to open new quarries As many as five firms may ask for reconsideration of their application for opening new granite quarries in Western Ghats, invoking an order of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest. The applications of firms for opening …
Thiruvananthapuram : Amdist the violent protests in hilly regions of Kerala over implementing certain recommendations of the Kasthurirangan report on Western Ghats, Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan said the final notification on the report would be issued only after hearing the states and stakeholders. Natarajan told reporters …
Expert panel convenes meet to formulate State’s response to Kasturirangan report Legislators representing constituencies falling within the Western Ghats region in Kerala have reiterated their demand to exempt populated zones from the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) demarcated by the Kasturirangan committee on conservation of the Western Ghats. MLAs from Idukki, …
The decision of the Ministry of Environment and Forest to declare 60,000 sq km of the Western Ghats, which covers 44 districts in six states, as ecologically sensitive area, has evoked protest from political parties and Syrian Catholic Church in Kerala. While the government has convened an all-party meeting next …
Participates in Navaratri festival in Padmanabapuram Palace Reiterating the Kerala government’s position on the Mullaperiyar dam, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said his government would not compromise on the safety of the dam, a matter concerning lakhs of people living in many districts of that State. After participating in the inauguration …
Fund For Setting Up Basic Facilities The state will get Rs 125.5 crore for improving the basic facilities of the government hospitals across the state. The fund has been sanctioned by the Centre under the national rural health programme (NRHM), said health minister V S Sivakumar. The fund will be …
Will Provide Info On Market-Based Demand, Nutrition Needs Of Vegetables The state agriculture department is all set to launch a GPS-based service for providing polyhouse farmers accurate information on market-based demand and nutrition needs for vegetables cultivated inside the translucent tents. In polyhouse farming, vegetables are cultivated in a controlled …
With the central department of science and technology (DST) withdrawing from its project of installing early warning systems at Mullaperiyar dam as part of disaster risk reduction, the chief secretary-led state executive committee is relying on private solutions providers to implement the project. “The DST has cited technical reasons for …
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on the suit filed by Tamil Nadu questioning the law passed by Kerala in 2006, constituting the Dam Safety Authority to prevent the State from raising the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam from 136 ft to 142 ft. A five-Judge Constitution …
An investigation carried out in Idukki by a team led by S. Sreekumar, Associate Professor with the Department of Geology and Environmental Science of Christ College, Irinjalakuda, indicates the possibility of fresh landslides being triggered in areas near where they occurred recently. Dr. Sreekumar had earlier been Principal Investigator in …
Gadgil Report Included District In Highly Sensitive Areas “Idukki is a classic case where conservation of green zones and large perennial tree growth that can stop soil erosion, mitigating the risks of landslides,’’ said Madhav Gagdil, the architect of Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). The WGEEP report had in …
KSEB Says The Reservoir Can Hold Water Up To Full Level Terming the state disaster management authority’s suggestion to lift the shutters of Idukki dam well before the water level in it touches the maximum (2,403ft) as a debatable contention of academic nature, the state government has decided against draining …
As much as 388.3 sq. km of land in Idukki district, comprising 8.9 per cent of the total area, is highly susceptible to landslips while 873.7 sq. km (20 per cent) is susceptible to a lesser degree. Devikulam taluk has the largest area highly prone to landslips (177.8 sq.km), followed …
The Supreme Court’s observation that Kerala’s version was not heard before the Empowered Committee (EC) on Mullaperiyar drew its final conclusions has brought cheers to the state. Through its arguments, the counsel for the state pointed out that the panel which looked into the issue, denied natural justice to the …
Kerala on Tuesday submitted before the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court that the report of the Empowered Committee (EC) on the safety of Mullaperiyar dam has to be relooked in the light of the facts brought by the state. Senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for Kerala, argued that the …
Incessant rain since Sunday evening claimed 14 lives in landslides in Idukki district while water logging at the runway forced the Kochi International Airport to suspend operations till Tuesday afternoon. In central Kerala, several people were reported missing from areas that were inundated after several dams in Idukki hills overflowed. …
Reservoirs across the State fast filling up; shutters of Neyyar, Moozhiyar dams opened In view of the increase in water level, seven control rooms have started functioning at vulnerable areas of the Mullaperiyar dam. District Collector Ajit Patil on Sunday visited the dam and held a meeting with officials of …
