Congress leader convicted for felling trees
In a major development, the District Sessions Judge, Mr B.R. Chandel, today held a Congress leader and a former MLA, Mr Kewal Ram Chauhan, his son, Mr Virendra Chauhan, and four others guilty of illicit felling of trees in the Chopal area of Shimla district.
Hyogo forest fire advisory lifted
Authorities lifted an advisory and evacuation order in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, , Japan saying that a forest fire in the area was expected to be extinguished by the end of the day. The fire was first spotted shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday and has consumed 32 hectares of mountainside forest.
Make afforestation ' a mass movement '
Haryana has introduced clonal forestry through genetic improvement besides increasing the area under forest cover by 360 sq km during last three years to increase production of wood. Disclosing this on the eve of World Forestry Day, the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, appealed to the people to …
Padmas can wait, tree-saving can't
It was a unique protest organised spontaneously by the educated lot of Panaji, Goa, led by Padmabhushan recipient and renowned cartoonist Mario Miranda and Padmashree recipient Norma Alvares, an animal rights activist and environmental lawyer. no dharna, no demonstration, no morcha, no slogan shouting, not even speeches. The nature lovers …
Protecting the 'legal' rights of city's trees
The Garden City has had its way for a while now, and trees like Bangalore's citizens have legal rights in ' tree courts '. As far back as 1991, tree courts were established in the city. A tree court hearing is held in Bangalore on the first and third Saturday …
Forests need flora & fauna, not fawning officials
The Union Ministry of environment and forests has proposed common supervision of the activities of the Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India and the Forest Survey of India and a 'drastic pruning' of staff at the three organisations. The report of the ministry's Expenditure Reforms Committee says these …
Forest fires continue to ravage Wayanad ranges
Forest fires continue to ravage almost all parts of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, a highly sensitive portion of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, even as cash-strapped authorities are trying hard to contain the damages. Though the district witnessed scattered rainfalls during the last one week, fire is still raging, posing …
No Campal trees will be cut, govt. assures court
The Goa State Government on Wednesday informed the Panjim Bench of Bombay High Court during a hearing on the petition challenging the proposed cutting of the trees along the Campal-Miramar stretch, that no trees will be cut until a fresh assessment was made.
Goa - green and clean
This has reference to the government's decision of cutting the age old trees on the Campal-Miramar road for providing a 2-lane highway. It is sad to note that the authorities took such a major decision without considering the long-term impact on the social, cultural and environmental aspects of the city...editorial
A small, green village in Orissa
Twenty years ago, the villagers of Suruguda, a tiny village in Orissa, took the initiative to protect their forest as a result of degradation and conflict with their neighbouring village. The villagers formed a forest protection committee in the presence of the general body. Today, the village has been honoured …
Forest department control ground fire at Nagarhole
The ground fires noticed at two ranges of Nagarhole forest division of Karnataka are under control now. Forest sources said that fire protection teams from the department, with the help of villagers, have adequately contained mild fires near Balle and two other forest ranges - Metikuppe and D B Kuppe …
Forest fire in Hyogo forces evacuation
A forest fire broke out on a mountain in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, leading city officials to order 79 households to evacuate the area, the police said. Although the fire is still some distance from the residential area of Fujigaoka, police said they have advised another 162 households in the area …
Ponda locals up-in-arms over move to cut garden trees
Barely days after the controversial move to cut the trees at Campal in Panjim, Goa was shelved following public outcry, the municipal garden in Ponda is now threatened with a similar fate and for a similar reason. The proposal to cut a part of the garden in order to widen …
Furor rises on cross species cloning
Last summer researchers in Embryologist Park's laboratory launched what he terms a top secret project to create cross-species embryos by combining human DNA with cow eggs. Twenty people carrying picket sings and shouting through amplifiers had gathered outside the company, a spinoff of Maria Infertility Hospital, South Korea's largest fertility …
700 flee Japan forest fire
More than 700 people were evacuated on Tuesday as forest fires spread from nearby mountains into the suburbs of the western Japanese metropolis of Osaka, an official said.
Taj trapezium project's phase II gets green signal
Buoyed by a decline in the pollution levels around the Taj trapezium with the successful implementation of the first phase of the afforestation project, the state administration has okayed the Rs 15.90 crore second phase.
Ground fires noticed at Nagarhole
Close on the heels of forest fires reported in Bandipur and Mudhumalai forest ranges, in Karnataka, ground fires have been noticed at Nagahole too. At least two ranges of the seven in the division have been reportedly affected by the ground fires. Though the fires are said to be routine …
Japan forest fire
A fire raged through mountain forests in northern Japan on Monday, forcing dozen of primary school children to stay at home. More than 800 firefighters and self-defense force soldiers have been battling the blaze since Sunday but have not been able to bring it under the control.
