Capital in for a green makeover
The national Capital is in for a makeover. A green cover which will not only beautify the city of concrete but will also allow Delhiites to breathe easy is on the anvil. The government has announced the upgradation of the existing parks in addition to the establishment of new ones. …
Brahmaputra turns into a safe timber smuggling route
Despite the Government's bid to comply with Supreme Court's ban on felling and sale of timber, excluding some variety, the timber smugglers have been using the Brahmaputra for safe transportation of illegally felled timber outside Assam. At the western-most segment of the Brahmaputra, stretching from Goalpara to Kamrup, several engine-fitted …
Supreme Court decision will affect 1.12 lakh families
A total of 1.12 lakh families will be evicted from forest land in Karnataka if the Supreme Court passes its final orders on forest land encroachment, according to Minister of Forests, Ecology and Environment K H Ranganath. Replying to a question raised in the Legislative Council by Mr Ramachandragowda (Graduates' …
41,000 hect of forests destroyed in State
Forests in 41,000 hectares of land in Assam were destroyed during the period from 1996 to 1999. This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Forest, Sri Pradyut Bordoloi while replying to the debate on the cut motions on the demand for grant of Rs 1,33,41,62,000 for the Forest …
Chemical might pose health risk to younger women and girls
A common industrial chemical used to produce Teflon might pose health risks for young girls and women of childbearing age, an internal report by the Environmental Protection Agency has found. Agency scientists are concerned because the chemical, ammonium perfluorooctanoate, accumulates in human blood and demonstrates toxic properties. In September, the …
Forest Minister, officials resort to blame game
Minister of Forests Ch Ayyannapatrudu and senior officials are washing off their hands over the SR Puram Hills quarrying controversy and resorting to blame game. Two days after the Minister, reacting to a report in these columns about the continuing quarrying and denundation of the beautiful SR Puram Hills, in …
1.50 lakh trees destroyed
Forest Minister Harvansh Singh admitted that as many as 1.50 lakh costly sagon trees in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh have dried up and they have sought the permission of the Government of India to remove such old trees.
Buck passes while Behala ponds vanish
With environment awareness drives in full swing across the drives in full swing across the Calcutta city, the civic authorities and the state administration are facing serious charges of being unable to stop landsharks from grabbing the waterbodies of Behala in West Bengal.
Thirsty villagers water down Bhagidari claims
Over 120 people from 30 villages in and around the capital joined hands with the government and the Asian Centre for Organisation, Research and Development (ACORD) to provide water, electricity and civic amenities for their villages. Water has been a common problem in villages like Ujwa, Riwa and Pandwala Kala …
Punjab house to discuss SYL
Punjab Assembly will discuss "various aspects of the matter pertaining to SYL Canal". The report of the Business Advisory Committee of the House adopted fixed two hours for the discussion on the "resolution " on April one. Punjab had failed to complete the SYL Canal by January 15 as per …
Antony for amendment to Forest Act
The Kerala Chief Minister, A.K. Antony is spearheading a move at the national level for amendment to the Forest Act. Though the demand for an amendment is being made in the name of tribals, the move is essentially for protection of the interests of the people who had encroached upon …
60 acres of social forest, cashew plantation
Around 60 acres of social forest and cashew plantation were reduced to ashes in a fire mishap at Koila near Uppinangady in Mangalore. It is reported that the hay at the animal husbandry unit at Koila was lit by a miscreant which led to this incident.
Eating up forest land
Encroachment by politically and economical influential groups threatens to destroy the already shrinking forest cover of Karnataka.
An ecosystem in peril
The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, the biologically richest coastal region in India, is under tremendous pressure, and the legal measures that are in place to protect it have not been quite effective.
A conflict on the waves
The bio-resources of the Gulf of Mannar can be saved only if the conflict between the traditional and mechanised sections of the fishing industry is resolved and the economy of the local community improved.
Villagers reap reward of forest Management
While villagers in the western part of Orissa are preparing themselves to face an acute scarcity of drinking water in the scorching summer ahead, residents of the tiny Kantapali village in Bolangir district are unruffled. Screaming for the government's help is rarely heard from the village. Their forest protection bid …
Water scarcity grips city
Water problem has slowly begun to grip various parts of Mangalore city, with the erratic power cuts only adding to the problem and affecting regular water supply. Moreover, the provision of around five thousand new tap water connections under Jalabhagya Yojana this time, is said to have further contributed to …
