West Bengal

Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding restoration of the Salboni Jheel, Kolkata, West Bengal, 15/05/2025

Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of Salboni Apartment Owner’s Association Vs State of West Bengal & Others dated 15/05/2025. The matter related to restoration of the Salboni Jheel, Kolkata, West Bengal. The NGT directed the West Bengal Pollution Control Board to place …

Faceless Figures

Room number eight is located in a nondescript corner of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (aiims), New Delhi. Gauri Prasad regularly visits this room, which stores medical histories of cancer patients. A resident of Panipat, Haryana, Prasad has been afflicted with lymphoma for the past five years. Now …

Classified ?

We are not supposed to keep on publishing the report,' says N K Ganguly, director-general, icmr. "We are supposed to carry out research and cannot spend money on a particular project,' he justifies. It is as if icmr's cancer data is protected under the Officials Secrets Act. Repeated requests to …

System error

The registries would have helped formulate a control programme . But in absence of the data, the nccp has been forced to source information from other places. "We use World Health Organisation's projections,' says Sudhir Gupta, chief medical officer, directorate general of health services at the mohfw. Ironically, the ncrp …

Forest war

As prime minister A B Vajpayee was reminding the nation about threats from across the border in his Independence Day speech from Delhi's Red Fort this year, a group of extreme Leftist outfits, popularly known as Naxalites, were redrawing the internal map of the country. At a secret meeting held …

Trouble at sea

On july 11, 2001, fisherfolk across the country were thrown in at the deep end when the Union ministry of environment and forests (mef) announced a blanket ban on the catching, processing, stocking and sale of 60 types of sea creatures. These included the entire sub-class of elasmobranches (sharks, rays …

Tried and lab tested

to clear the prevailing doubts about the efficacy of herbal drugs, a special centre will be set up at Jadhavpur University in West Bengal. This first-of-its-kind section will examine the validity and authenticity of the herbal drugs produced and marketed by different firms. The Union and state governments have not …

CONFISCATION POWER

The Supreme Court recently ruled that forest authorities are entitled to confiscate not only illegally felled timber but also implements and tools used for illegal activities. Allowing the appeal of the West Bengal government against the judgement of the Calcutta High Court, the apex court clarified that the power to …

Digha in troubled waters

the picturesque Digha coast near Kolkata has been dogged by rapid erosion in recent years. Taking serious note of the steady deterioration of the coast, the West Bengal government recently sent an SOS to the Union government requesting it to protect the coast and its population from further environmental degradation. …

Blowing out a tradition

the familiar sound of conch shells (shankh) resonating during auspicious occasions may soon be a thing of the past, courtesy a recent Union government decision. The July 11, 2001, gazette notification by the Ministry of environment and forests has de facto banned the harvest, processing, stocking and sale of Xancus …

Caught in the net

Why has a ban been imposed on shark hunting in particular? Sharks have a vital role in the marine ecosystem since they are the apex predator at the top of the marine food chain. But today they are almost extinct, being a major target of the fish hunters. Their slow …

Germs of terror

the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, usa, have not only changed the skyline of world's business capital, but also the world's perception of terrorism. Even as shocked Americans came to terms with the attacks, the us government issued warnings of a possible attack by terrorists using …

Arsenic food

people in West Bengal are highly susceptible to arsenic poisoning because of their food habits, states a report of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (unido). According to it, the chemical gets concentrated in the roots of vegetables that form a big part of Bengalis' diet. "Liquid pulses and potato …

Planned failures

• Under phase II of GAP, Uluberia town generating 10.85 million litres per day (mld) sewage with biological oxygen demand level (BOD) of 43.07 milligrammes per litre (mg/l) was not included while Jangipur generating 0.37 mld sewage with BOD level of 34 mg/l was covered • Between Palta (the source …

A ray of solar hope

when darkness approaches Sagar Island in the Sunderban delta of West Bengal, life no longer comes to a standstill. A silent revolution is slowly taking place in this remote island. More than 1000 houses are today electrified by solar energy through distribution lines, and more such projects are in the …

Cooling tactics

picture this: it is the peak of summer in Kolkata and an office operates normally without any air conditioner, but none of the people inside are sweating (or complaining). West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency ( wbreda ) has proved its efficiency in renewable energy once again. Its new office …

Sordid state

government hospitals and primary healthcare centres in West Bengal are not up to the mark with regards to the availability of medicines and the quality of treatment. This was revealed during a survey of people treated at 50 hospitals and health centres across the state. The Consumer Coordination Council, an …

Tinkering with technology

He loves to dabble with pumps. Fourteen-year-old Sukumal Dutta along with the other members of the community has undergone training as a mechanic for diesel pumpsets. With help from the NBTDP, the conventional diesel pump which used to lift water was modified to increase the overall efficiency, reduce cost and …

Women wisdom

Our stock brokers can learn a few things about rising and falling prices from the Rabha tribe. Sheetin Rabha is a dynamic and wise women. Her group of 24 members decided to invest and took Rs 600 from their deposits and purchased 480 kg of rice. The price of paddy …

Changing lives

Devastating floods ruined Bhavesh Mandal's crops in the late 1960s. The hapless farmer had no option but to migrate to Mumbai and work as a masonry worker with no roof over his head. However, thanks to the North Bengal Terai Development Project ( nbtdp ), today Bhavesh is back in …

DESTROYING WATERBODIES

At least 63 ponds and wetlands in the Howrah town of West Bengal have been destroyed, according to a report placed before the Calcutta high court by municipal authorities. The green bench of the court had asked the Howrah Municipal Corporation for the report regarding the condition of wetlands and …

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