Counter affidavit on behalf of Chief Municipal Engineer, Patna Nagar Nigam in the matter of Saurav Narayan Vs Bihar Pollution Control Board & Others dated May 20, 2025. The report said that the corporation has been diligently performing its statutory duties within the limitations of the available resources and infrastructure. …
The Ministry of Environment and Forests implements policies and programmes relating to conservation of the country's natural resources including lakes and rivers, biodiversity, forests and wildlife, ensuring the welfare of animals and prevention and abatement of pollution. The Annual Report to the People on Environment and Forests is trying to …
Pollination is a concern for cardamom farmers as it is difficult to maintain pollinator populations in plantations between years. The innovative solution that is gaining popularity for ensuring quality pollination services to cardamom in South West India, is the use of managed forestry to create "sequential blooms" in mixed coffee …
The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) has slammed the Maharashtra government for clearing the Andhra Lake Wind Power Project promoted by Enercon (India) Limited. Situated near the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary here, the 113 MW wind energy project has caused “substantial forest destruction and triggered large scale soil erosion,” according …
The lingering fear that linking the Pampa and the Achencoil rivers in Kerala to the Vaipar in Tamil Nadu will spell disaster in the central Travancore region has come to the fore once again with Monday's Supreme Court verdict in the river interlinking case. The link project has been figuring …
Kerala has termed some recommendations of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) draconian. In its response to the suggestions of the panel, the State came down heavily on the proposal to decommission dams older than 50 years. “Such a step will leave the State without power in a few …
NEW DELHI: The battle over removing hotels and resorts from the only corridor linking elephants in the Eastern and Western Ghats has got shriller. Experts on board the prime minister-led National Board of Wildlife (NBW) have written a joint letter to senior forest officials warning that they could be in …
Central Empowered Committee has recommended cancellation of 49 leases The Karnataka Government has requested the Supreme Court to revoke the suspension of 117 mining leases listed under categories A and B by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC). The Supreme Court-appointed CEC has recommended cancellation of 49 mining leases listed under …
The Kerala government has rejected the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) proposals and urged the Union government to “do away with the Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA).” The State has requested the Union government not to “burden it with another regulatory authority, seriously diminishing the scanty land area of …
A wildlife survey for the critically endangered Malabar Civet has led to the “first authenticated sighting” of an adult tigress near Athirumala, between Neyyar and Peppara wildlife reserves, almost 60 km northeast of the capital city. P.K. Jayakumar Sharma, Wildlife Warden, Neyyar, said wildlife researcher A. Mathews Nixon Armstrong had …
Mumbai: An indefinite moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining in the ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ) in Goa and Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts in Maharashtra has been recommended by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel . It has also recommended a ban on new licences for quarrying and sand mining. …
Fresh water from WG goes waste Despite three rivers passing through the district, the 1.4 lakh populace of Hassan is yet to get clean drinking water. Ironically, in areas neighbouring the Western Ghats (WG), which is the source of several rivers, people have to dig more than 300 feet for …
The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (Fimi) has suggested to the Government to take up feasibility study of underground mining in Karnataka's Western Ghats. In addition to 2.16 billion tonnes of haematite ore deposits in Karnataka, there is magnetite ore to the tune of 7.8 billion tonnes. “Fimi is ready …
Finally it is victory for environmentalists, especially for Dharwad-based NGO Samaja Parivartana Samudaya, which questioned the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education's (ICFRE) suggestion to exploit mining reserves in the Western Ghats. The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in its report submitted to the court on February 3 …
The total capacity of the Hongadahalla and Yadakumari projects will then be 48 MW The expert team from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, in its report, has said that the two mini-hydel projects being implemented in Sakleshpur taluk should be treated as one project with a total capacity of …
Company violating guidelines, says MoEF panel The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Committee, which visited the mini-hydel power project sites in the Western Ghats following an order of the High Court of Karnataka, has found glaring violation of the Wildlife Act by privately owned Maruthi Power (Gen) India Private …
Undeterred by the criticism that the Athirappilly hydroelectric project may cause irrevocable environment damage, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) continues to bat for it. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), has recommended that the proposal should not be …
Forest dept fears the Western Ghats Ecology Authority infringes on its powers The recommendation of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) for setting up the Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA) has not gone down well with the State Forest department. It has written to the government opposing the recommendation, …
MUMBAI: In a bid to push the plan for setting up a 29-km freeway along Mumbai's western coast, the state government on Monday asked the Centre to consider modifying the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and permitting reclamation for construction of a road. The demand was made during a meeting …
Says Union Forest Ministry can’t impose heritage tag on Western Ghats against govt’s wish With barely 20 days left for India to resubmit its dossier to Unesco World Heritage Committee (WHC) for the serial nomination of the Western Ghats, Karnataka, as in the previous year, isn’t making the task any …
Implementation of the hydro-electric project will help ease power situation in Karnataka The time has come for power-starved Karnataka to make a tough call on implementing the long-pending 200-MW Gundia Hydro-Electric Project (GHEP) in Hassan and Dakshina Kannada districts. If the chief minister heeds the opinions of the Forest Department …
