Forest dept, environment groups oppose PWD move
At a time when rapidly shrinking forest cover is exposing the Assam State's biodiversity to the gravest possible danger, a move to construct a PWD road through Amchang reserve forest in the outskirts of the city has evoked vehement opposition from the Forest Department and environmentalists who fear it will …
Forest policy for Nagaland
The national forest policy has been launched in Nagaland with the objective to bring one-third of the geographical area under forest cover. According to the policy, in order to prevent soil erosion and degradation of land and to maintain stability of the fragile eco-system in the State, at least 60 …
Land filling will damage ecology: Nuvem sarpanch
Nuvem sarpanch Pasquina Colaco has expressed fears over the reported decision of Goa government to fill up the entire stretch of paddy field lying between the river Sal and the National Highway 17, from the KTC bus stand Davondem near Nuvem. Colaco warned that filling up of the land would …
Bottled water in Blore safe
Bangaloreans need not be skeptical about ISI certification, in the wake of the mineral water controversy, as bottled water in the city is relatively safe and pesticide-free, according a top official from the Bureau of Indian Standard's (BIS) Bangalore office. "So far we have tested several samples in the city …
Govt for agency to fund Cauvery projects
The Karnataka Government is seriously contemplating establishment of a new agency, Cauvery Jala Bhagya Nigam, to mobilise Rs 5,000 crore towards completion of on-going projects in the Cauvery river basin by water year 2004-2005. State Minister for Water Resources H.K. Patil told reporters in Bangalore on Friday that the Government …
MCV prepares plan for water project
Minister for municipal administration BV Mohan Reddy said that the Municipal corporation of Visakhapatnam (MCV) prepared a plan worth Rs 100 crore for utilisation of Godavari waters and maintained that the Andhra Pradesh state government would almost clear instantaneously as and when the corporation submits its report to the government.
Cabinet panel on forest land grab expanded
The Cabinet sub committee, constituted to study the situation arising out of the Supreme Court direction with regard to eviction of forest encroachments, has been expanded to include all ministers in-charge of districts having forest cover. According to Forest Minister K.H. Ranganath, the Cabinet sub-committee had been expanded in an …
Mysore may face severe water crisis
It appears that the Mysore City is heading towards a serious water crisis considering the shortfall of water supply even before the onset of summer. Water supply has been hit due to depleting storage levels in Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir and the demand by a group of farmers not to pump …
Unwise blanket ban
The forest Minister's announcement to put a blanket ban on the extraction of even dry timber trees from the forests on selective basis does not appear to be a sound decision in view of the past experiences. First of all this decision of the government cannot be enforced fully in …
TDB to approach Centre for more forestland
The Travancore Devaswom Board will approach the Union Environment Ministry to release forestland to provide basic facilities for Sabarimala pilgrims of Kerala. TDB president N Babu told this website's newspaper that he would meet Union Environment Minister T R Baalu in New Delhi next month in this regard. The forestland …
Mango tree illegally felled on govt land at Loliem
Barely days after the alleged illegal felling of timber along the Polem coastline, Goa, a huge mango tree standing along the Loliem-Peddem road, was illegally cut about two days ago in broad daylight by a local sawmill owner and in alleged collusion with PWD and forest officials.
India cracks down on bottled water companies
The government has stopped verifying the quality of some of India's most popular brands of bottled water, and may close some plants, after high levels of pesticide were found in samples, a Consumer Affairs Ministry official said.
Paper industry takes help of GIS tools to grow trees
Remote sensing data is no longer confined to scientific applications. Of late, the data is being used by corporates as a vital MIS (management information system) tool in their decision-making process. In one such application, paper manufacturers have decided to utilise satellite maps developed by NRSA (National Remote Sensing Agency) …
Push for inquiry into bushfires
The Bracks Government is under pressure to establish an independent inquiry into Victoria's bushfire crisis amid claims that poor public land management contributed to the blazes. The Opposition, the National Party and independent MPs Craig Ingram and Russell Savage have pledged to push for an inquiry when Parliament begins next …
Fears rise as the bush slowly dries out
Victoria's rural water storages have fallen more than 50 per cent in a year leading to fears of economic collapse in some communities unless catchments receive above-average rains. The state's biggest storage, the Dartmouth Dam in the far north-east, is down from 85 per cent to 41 per cent and …
Greening a forest gives villagers hope
While Rajasthan reels under drought and forest cover is fast depleting due to indisciminate felling of trees, a village near Jaipur has shown a rare dedication to greening the forest. Hundreds of acres of supposed "pasture land" under the Soda Panchayat lay barren and nobody realised it could transform the …
Rampant smuggling of wood from forests of S Gujarat
Smuggling of wood and other produce from forests of South Gujarat continues unabated even a year after forest officials of South Gujarat and Maharashtra held a joint co-ordination meeting to plan measurers to check the menace, at Silvassa, in February last year. Stress was then laid on strengthening protective measures …
Stop extraction of standing dry trees timber: Sofi
The Minister for Forests and Environment, Mr Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Sofi has instructed the Principal Chief Conservator Forest and Managing Director, State Forest and Managing Director, State Forest Corporation to stop the extraction of standing dry timber trees throughout Jammu and Kashmir. He asked the forest officers to extract all the …
Deforestating Goa
Something is very wrong with the Forest Department of Goa. It is bad enough that, on its own, the Department does not only the flora but also the fauna, of the State. What is even more shocking is that even when transgressions are brought to the notice of the Chief …
Timber smuggling: forest officials visit Makadshew-Polem
Deputy Conservator of Forest R K Singh and V T Thomas made a spot visit on Monday afternoon to the coast of Makadshew-Polem in Canacona, to get a first hand knowledge of the alleged plunder of the forest produce. The officials had acted on a report in Herald on Sunday, …
