Uniform hues for green cars
As a part of its exercise to comply with the high court directive on enforcement of Bharat Stage II (BSII) emission standards for vehicles plying in the Calcutta Metropolitan Area (CMA), the government has decided to create distinctive colour schemes for BSII-enabled vehicles.
Forest officials underplaying illegal-tree felling
The forest offiials are grossly underplaying illegal felling of trees in Beej Khandel and Nahar Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh. While more than 5000 tree stumps are brute reminders of the act, the officials could count only 360 stumps and recovered only 60 longs during their recent visit to the area.
300 trees make way for office, home
The little lake, once home to migratory birds, is slowly drying up. All around are stumps of freshly-cut trees. At a distance, bulldozers work. This is the Southern Ridge forest spread over Vasant Kunj, Vasant Vihar and Mahipalpur. The Army is constructing homes and offices on this land which, it …
NE has lesser irrigated & cropped areas than national average
"To improve the existing infrastructure of tourism and make the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District a major hub of tourists from lower Assam, the executive committee of BTAD is trying to develop the infrastructure of Manas Wild Life Sanctuary as an international tourist destination," said Mr Bishiram Narzary, the newly elected …
Stress on bamboo cultivation as serious enterprise
The Governor of Assam, Lt General (retd) Ajai Singh said that the people of the North-east should take up the cultivation of bamboo as a serious enterprise. Market forces must determine the demand for the supply of bamboo in the region, he said. Mr Singh was speaking after inaugurating a …
Plantation work in catchment areas delayed
The plantation and flood-protection works in the catchment areas of the 800 MW Kol Dam Project spread over 1,22,000 hectares in four districts, Shimla, Solan, Bilaspur and Mandi, could not be started as the state Finance Department has not released an amount of Rs 32.23 crore deposited by the National …
Corporation to plant 10,000 saplings this season
The Chennai Corporation is planning to plant 10,000 saplings in anticipation of the monsoon showers. "The saplings have already been procured from the nurseries. We have decided to plant mostly avenur trees. Last year, we had planted 8,000 trees. Our target is 10,000 this time," Chennai Corporation Commissioner M.P. Vijayakumar …
Where have all the trees gone?
The Bangalore City seems to be fast losing the sobriquet of Garden City. Statistics have it that 19,800 trees have been axed on the Bangalore-Mysore road in the last one year and 9,000 trees chopped in the City itself. The High Court has been quick to react, though. It has …
Timber traders cry foul, allege govt conspiracy
Demanding abolition of forest tax of Rs 10 per feet being levied on imported timber from outside Jammu and Kashmir state besides an end to ''atrocities'' committed by the government, Association of Timber Industries Jammu (ATIJ) has charged it of hatching a conspiracy to wipe out timber trade in winter …
Green board bans tree-axing after replant order flout
With the grand old trees gone and not many replaced, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (PCB) has slapped a ban on further felling of trees by the civic authorities. Besides, the PCB has also called upon police commissioner Sujoy Chakraborty to ensure that there is no more chopping of …
MC for easing construction laws in green areas
Even though environmentalists and heritage lovers are opposed to lifting of the ban on construction in the green areas of the town, pressure is being mounted on the government to give some relaxation. Though formally only 37 representatives have been made to the Department of Town and Country Planning but …
Govt to lend impetus to jatropha afforestation plan
The newly formed State Government will go ahead with the project for developing bio-fuel plantation launched by the previous government to generate employment in the State. The basic idea of planting bio-fuel tree like Jatropha Curcus (Ratanjyot) plantation was mooted by Federation of Madhya Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry …
Forest management plan with villagers launched
Forests Minister Vinay Tendulkar launched joint forest management (JFM) in cashew plantation areas under Goa Forest Development Corporation Ltd (GDFC) at a function held at Ravindra Bhavan, Curchorem. The JFM programme aimed at jointly managing with local communities the state owned forests through production, conservation, regeneration and sharing the benefits …
Meghalayas silted problems
Increased deforestation is creating a new problem in Meghalaya. The picturesque Umiam lake just 12 km off Shillong, gets a lot of silt and solid waste that is reducing the water-holding capacity of the lake.
Orissa Govt taken for a ride by saw mills: MLAs
Alarmed by the fast disappearance of Orissa State's forest cover, 30 MLAs cutting across various parties have urged Chief Minister Navin Patnaik to stall the move to amend the Forest Act. The amendment seeks to lift the present restriction on setting up saw mills within a 10 km radius of …
805 acres along Yamuna to be turned into forest
In A boost to Delhi's forest cover, 805 acres of land along the eastern bank of the Yamuna near Garhi Mandu village are to be developed into a forest. During a visit to the stretch of land
MP Govt plans to give Forest Act more teeth
The Madhya Pradesh Government is planning to give more teeth to the existing Forest Act to make it more effective. Chief Minister Babulal Gaur in a review meeting with the Forest Department to discuss the proposed Forest Policy suggested certain changes that would make the Act more stringent. The Government …
Governor sends back Forest Bill
The Governor, Sikander Bakht, is understood to have sent back to the State Government the Bill for the takeover of ecologically fragile lands, passed by the Assembly on August 7, this year (2003), as he found it inconsistent with the Central conservation laws. He has asked the Government to send …
Casuarina trees lose battle with erosion
Around 150 Casuarina trees dotting the Betalbatim-Majorda coast in Goa gave in this monsoons, either due to strong winds or soil erosion. The Forest Department has auctioned the uprooted tees. Officials say the auction proceeds made the Forest department richer by Rs.17,000, but has no concrete plans on how to …
