Farmhouses shrink Delhi`s green lungs
The green belt on the fringes of New Delhi is under siege. The proliferation of farmhouses, commercial outlets and shopping malls are eating away the greenery -kown as buffer zone.
Tripuras forest brigade
Forest ranger Ashok Choudhury's work in west Tripura's Boxanagar in the last five years has been a cause for much cheer. The officer has transformed a group of tree smugglers into the forest's protectors. With Choudhury's initiative, the former smugglers have formed a group called Green Brigade, which not only …
In Mizoram, money grows on trees
Since Mizoram does not have enough flat land to grow foodgrain, it's looking at alternatives. Last week, for instance, chief minister Zoramthanga launched a new scheme under which the government will support farmers who will grow four cash crops
Guwahati goes green
Guwahati, long maligned for its unplanned and haphazard growth, is now shedding some of its chaos. The state forest department has launched an ambitious masterplan called
Worth its salt
In the quieter western parts of the Sambhar Lake, the flamingoes have landed, like they do every winter. And to ensure their return, the Rajasthan state forest department has drafted a new policy, to preserve India's largest salt water lake. Standing on the periphery of the lake, anyone on the …
Restoring lost biodiversity in the Nilgiris
The one-hour drive from Udhagamandalam town to Kothagiri may no longer be alluring because of the dwindling eucalyptus and pine forests in the region. Starting 200, the Forest Department had gone into a reforesting overdrive, especially in areas like Coonoor, Kothagiri and Wayanad.
Gurgaon colony goes to court: vanishing green
Green spaces seem to be vanishing one after the other in Gurgaon. After South City residents took on their coloniser to save a green area near their houses, residents of Sushant Lok are fighting a move by the Ansals to construct a dispensary on a 1.2-acre site in Block C …
50 Orissa MLAs seek law against forest mafia
Fifty MLAs, cutting across the party lines, have sought a law on lines of the Maharashtra Tree Act to save the vanishing forests of Orissa. They have also demanded action against timber mafia. In a memorandum to Chief Minister Navin Patnaik, the legislators have said that illegal tree felling is …
Water recedes in Sutlej
Amid confusing reports of the increase in the size of artificial lake in Tibet, the water discharge at the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Project came down to 448 cumecs (cubic metres per second) from 656 cumecs yesterday. The silt level also came down to near 6000 ppm in the evening, …
Drive against forest land encroachment soon
The Himachal Government has decided to launch a special drive to remove 45,000 encroachments on forest land regarding which affidavits had been filed by illegal occupants for its regularisation. Stating this at a press conference here today, Mr Sat Mahajan, Revenue Minister, said in the first phase the encroachments in …
Bamboo can change NE economy if harnessed properly
The humble bamboo, if harnessed in the right manner, stands to change the economy of Assam state and the North East. Grown abundantly in the region that accounts for 60 per cent of the country's total bamboo reserves, this huge asset is yet to be put to its optimum use. …
Stop using asbestos for school roofing : NGO
Asbestos is a known carcinogen and asbestos dust can cause a fatal lung condition called mesothelioma.The State government should ensure that asbestos is not used as roofing material in place of thatched roofs in schools and immediately withdraw any order to that effect, Toxic Link a Ngo campaigning against environmental …
Sweden rejects tax on gas-heavy cars
The Swedish government rejected attempts to place a new tax on heavy, gas-guzzling cars. The minority Social Democratic government has been under pressure from its partners, the Green and Left parties, to introduce a registration tax on new cars related to their CO2 emission and weight.
Need to popularise bamboo plantation in HP, says minister
Dwelling upon the need to make concerted efforts by Forest Department researchers, NGOs and the people for achieving the mandate of 60 per cent forest cover the State Forest Minister, Mr Ram Lal, said the forest cover in the state had registered an increase of 1,859 sq km. comprising 26 …
Degraded forests and JFM
The Government of Assam by a Notification made some Rules for participation and involvement of local people for regeneration, maintenance and protection of degraded forests and plantations namely, the Assam Joint (people's participation) Forestry Management Rules, 1998.
Is community forestry a viable option?
As part of the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, issued policy guidelines, way back in 1990, for the involvement of village communities and voluntary agencies in the regeneration of degraded forestlands. This was in response to the realisation that efforts to …
SC clears decks for trial in 17-yr-old HP forest scam
Decks have been cleared by the Supreme Court for trial of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Conservator of Forests M P Gupta, along with four other accused, in the 17-year-old multi-crore barbed wire and syntax tanks purchase scam, by setting aside the Himachal Pradesh High Court order of dropping the charges …
Illegal felling of sandal trees in Sirsi
Sandalwood trees including immature ones are being mercilessly chopped in the Byrumbe Hills near Sirsi, Karnataka. The Forest department is yet to take notice of the illegal felling of sandalwood trees in the Soppinabetta region on the Sirsi-Yellapur road from the last two-months. The density of sandalwood trees, which has …
