Delhi still makes light of trees
Officially speaking, tapping electricity directly from supply-lines and using generators to light up trees is prohibited. Officially speaking, pasting posters and screwing hoardings onto trees dotting Delhi might offer a green ray of hope to the Capital, but negligence has put them in the red. 'Delhi damages trees in more …
Roadless rule upheld as Bush moves to speed logging
A federal appeals court upheld the legality of a rule aimed at protecting 58.5 million acres of unroaded areas in national forests from logging and roadbuilding. The decision came one day after President George W. Bush ordered the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to take administrative actions aimed at reducing …
Put wasteland on development tack by Pongal: CM
The three day conference of District Collectors concluded with the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, setting a target for officials to get vast tracts of wasteland on the development track by Pongal 2003. "The process of identifying corporate houses, getting wasteland under cultivation and starting connected agri businesses or small industries, including …
Transport leads in diesel use
India's transport sector continues to be the biggest consumer of diesel, leaving behind agriculture, power generation and industrial applications by a huge margin. It accounted for 59.8 per cent of the total consumption of the fuel during 2002-03, compared with 19.9 per cent by agriculture, 6.8 per cent by the …
DJB in shallows over residual chlorine
Imagine, a 1.5 crore population drinking water testified by those devoid of any expertise in the matter. What is more, they are not even giving training for handling such highly carcinogenic compounds as orthotoludine. According to Delhi Jal Board's chief executive officer, Mr P K Tripathi, out of the 1,300 …
Bush Promotes Wildfire Plan in Arizona
President Bush viewed a blackened mountainside of ash and charred matchsticks that was once a thriving forest and then urged the Senate to pass his plan to prevent catastrophic wildfires. From atop Inspiration Rock, 8,000 feet up in Arizona's Santa Catalina range north of Tucson, Bush heard how Summerhaven was …
Poor man`s cigarette goes up in smoke
The future of beedi, the "the poor man's cigarette' seems to be going up in smoke owing to multiple factors. The sale of forests, having beedi leaves in Telangana that have been divided into 331 pockets known as units, has been going down for the last three years with lowest …
Pests set to gobble up forest
Mature teak forest spread in over five lakh hectare in Adilabad district faces the threat of extinction in another four to five years. This time the danger is posed by an insect skeletoniser pest, which has hit teak forests on an epidemic scale this monsoon.
Steps to cancel licences: Sudhakaran
Forest Minister K.Sudhakaran told the Assembly that steps would be taken to cancel the licences of sandalwood factories in Kerala State which had been functioning without the permission of the Forest Department. Sudhakaran said that Palakkad Divisional Forest Officer had denied No Objection Certificate to Palakkad Western Industries and Walayar …
Sandalwood trees falling victim to forest smugglers in Hebri
Hebri is a fast growing town in Udupi district of Karnataka and has all the credentials to be a taluk headquarters. If one enters the thick forests of Jomlutheertha here one would be exposed to the harsh reality of the unabated smuggling of sandalwood trees from here. Though the forests …
Wullar lake project on anvil
A multi crore project under the conservation and management programme has been proposed for the development and conservation of the world famous Wullar Lake. The World Bank is being approached for arranging funds for the purpose, Forests and Environment Minister Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Sofi said at a high level meeting with …
Notification on forest land withdrawn
The Himachal government has finally withdrawn the illegal notification vide which the previous Dhumal regime excluded certain categories of wasteland from the notified forest areas in contravention of the forest conservation Act and the directions of the Supreme Court.
The air we choke on
It is no secret that adulterated petrol used by three wheelers are the major cause for increasing air pollution. According to a CEPT study, out of the 42,000 total registered rickshaws in Ahmedabad city, 67% were polluted beyond permissible limits and 45% ran on kerosene-mix levels. According to officials, daily …
Forest panel formed
The Centre announced the constitution of the first ever National forest Commission under Justice B.N. Kirpal, retired chief Justice of the Supreme Court to look into restructuring, reform and strengthening of the entire forest set up and affiliated institutions in the country.
Greens join protest against HAU Centre closure
Environmentalists have joined various social organisations and bodies concerned with the farmers in opposing the decision to wind up the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra, adding to the discomfort of the government. The environmentalists are resentful because the KVK which has a sprawling campus of 46 acres, has thousands of trees …
U.S., Canada groups sue over toxic wood preservers
Environmental and labor groups from the U.S. and Canada have teamed up in a lawsuit challenging the continued U.S. use of wood preservatives containing arsenic and other harmful substances. The groups say the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has "overwhelming data" regarding the health and environmental risks posed by the preservatives, …
Facilities for pilgrims: Steps to get more forest land
Forest Minister K Sudhakaran has said that the Government will do its best to get more forest land for providing facilities to Sabarimala pilgrims in Kerala. The Government would implement projects worth Rs 80 crore under the eco tourism and pilgrim tourism programmes in the Kerala state in this financial …
Students vow to protect trees
Here is the story of a group of students from Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, who are working overtime, in fulfillment of a pledge to transform this drought prone district into a lush and green one. This group of about 600 students of Sivanthipatti Nadar Higher Secondary School, Mamasapuram at the …
Stress on forest conservation, wildlife protection
Rain Forest Conservation Week was observed by Nature's beckon in collaboration with Namom Lakhimpur Bon Sangrakhyan Samittee at different parts of Lakhimpur district, Assam to create awareness among the public to stop destruction of forest and wild life. Accordingly, a seminar was heed at Anirudha Vocational College, Dhalpur, Pichala with …
State goes slow on soft drinks laboratory tests
Apparently buckling under pressure of cola giants, the Andhra Pradesh state government has adopted a go-slow attitude on laboratory tests of soft drinks samples collected from various parts of the state in wake of the startling revelation by the Centre for Environmental Studies that soft drinks contain pesticide residues.
