Water crisis in Cherrapunji
Cherrapunji in Meghalaya which is famous for its highest rainfall is now facing water crisis. As the winters approach, water will have to be made available even in the renowned place like Circuit house in Cherrapunji.
The depleting forest cover in Punjab
As per India's national forest policy, 33 per cent of the total land area should be under the forest cover. However, only 19 per cent is what we have achieved in the past 54 years of Independence. Right from the First Five Year Plan to the Tenth Five Year Plan, …
Rajasthan eco-project set to take off
A Japanese project on bio-diversity and forest conservation in Rajasthan, held up for nearly four years after Pokhran-II, is finally materialising. The Rs 443 crore project to be funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation is likely to take off in April 2003 after final approval from the Japanese …
New Assam forest policy
The Assam government has launched a forest development scheme based on community participation following its failure to abide by the Supreme Court decision to evict all illegal encroachers from reserved forests. The scheme is aimed at extending the green cover of the state, currently estimated to be one of the …
Trees of Life
In a name of saving trees, some 1.5 million adivasis are in danger of being evicted from their homes even though the forests they live in have survived primarily because of the protection provided by them. The Supreme Court is soon to rule in a landmark case that pits the …
Probe into timber smuggling ordered
The Assam State government has approved setting up of an one-man enquiry commission with a senior official to probe into circumstances leading to smuggling out of 400 wagons load of illegal timbers worth about Rs 200 crore from 29 railway stations in the state during the year 2000-2001.
Welcome package
The Karnataka Government's Rs 638-crore package for Bagalkot, announced by Chief Minister S M Krishna on Monday, is intended to meet the demands of the residents of the town and surrounding villages which have been badly affected by the Krishna backwaters. The people in the town and nearby areas have …
Eviction threat : SC to decide fate of Melghat tribals
The hectic harvesting in this village in the Melghat Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) does not reveal the fear the Korku tribals have been living with - of being evicted from their ancestral homes. Whether these tribals will continue to live in this hamlet or not will be decided by the supreme …
Shifting cultivation cuts down forest cover
Despite spending crores of rupees for improving forest cover, development of community forests as also the Rajiv Tiger project during the past 10 years, there has been a reduction in the extent of forest cover in the Halia district of Andhra Pradesh. Thanks to the practice of 'shifting cultivation' at …
Timber smuggling rampant in Syangja
A lack of awareness among the people and the unsystematic way of settlement in the jungles of Syangja district (Nepal) has led to a rise in timber smuggling in the Lamdada and Bhaisepani VDCs.
Denudation of Jharbari RF nearing completion
The fate of the Jharbari reserve forests in Kokrajhar district of Assam, is in doldrums due to the large scale deforestation, thanks to the negligence of the state forest department. The Jharbari Reserve Forest under Haltugaon division in Kokrajhar district is under the grip of a section of anti-social elements …
Eviction from forest rankles tribals
Though officially, 1273 hectares just over one per cent of the total reserved forest area in South Gujarat has been recorded as new encroachments this, and nearly 612 hectares evacuated as on September 9, socio economic ramifications of the Supreme court order to 'summarily evict' encroachers are wide.
Centre disregards SC directives
Despite the directive from the Supreme Court, the Centre has not provided compensation amount to the states that are trying to increase their forest cover. Madhya Pradesh is also a claimant to the amount that runs into crore of rupees. Despite repeated reminders, it has not received any amount from …
Tribal encroachers to stay put as govt makes politically correct move
Fearing its electoral fallout on the nearly 17 per cent tribal population, Gujarat's BJP rulers have refused to act on a central government guideline, dated May 3, 2002, which required all encroachers to be 'summarily evicted' from the state's reserved forest areas by the September 30 deadline.
Cauvery, Veerappan mean quiet burial for tree-felling scam
With the Karnataka State Government glued to the Cauvery issue and the Veerappan menace, the recent large-scale felling of timber in the Nagarahole National Park is being covered up - slowly, but surely. The timber felling came to light in early August, when some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and journalists noticed …
Prevent ecological vandalism
The move by Jammu Development Authority to devastate Lala Hans Raj Park at Denis Gate, the only green lung left in the winter capital, needs to be resisted by all those who are keen to arrest growing environmental degradation in the State. Most of the parks and gardens including green …
World Bank holds back Jharkhand project funds
The World Bank has deferred financing of the Rs 1,177 crore Jharkhand social forestry project, following intense lobbying by tribal leaders who want such finances stalled till all institutions guaranteeing safety of the community are in place.
Pilot project to conserve forests
The Sri-Lankan Department of Forestry plans to seek the assistance of public and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to conserve the protected forest lands, according to the chief Conservator of Forests, Sarath Fernando . The pilot project of this scheme is to be implemented at Knuckles Range area with the participation of …
Orissa's tribals resist eviction from forests
Aided by the non-governmental organisations, the huge tribal population inhabiting the forests of Orissa has decided to resist the Government move to evict them. Gomati Jharia, the fiery tribal activist from Kashipur and an advisor to former Chief Minster, Biju Patnaik summed up the sentiments of her community. "From forest …
