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 Konkan Railways project was supposed to have been India's most ambitious railway project of the post-independence era. But we must ask ourselves how our democratic system allowed a massive fraud of Rs 4,000 crore to be perpetrated? How a few opportunistic technocrats, bureaucrats and politicians could take the people …
the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) enjoys a unique place among the Indian non-human primates. But it may not enjoy this distinction for long as it has been placed very high on the endangered species list in the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red Data Book. The international concern about its conservation …
environmental degradation and failure of the monsoons has resulted in a famine in places like Kinnakorai and Kundah taluk s (blocks) of the Nilgiris in the Western Ghats. Unfortunately, the reason for this famine is little understood by the people, either due to ignorance or sheer negligence. The Nilgiris are …
From the Western Ghats to the Thar desert, all the way up to the Himalaya, India's ecological diversity means there is a great variety of grasslands. There are 400 species of grass in India, 139 of these are endemic (specific to the region they are found in). India is one …
the innovative attempt to give money in return for the traditional knowledge of the Kani tribals of the Western Ghats as Intellectual Property is now complete. Royalty from the sale of
the proposed 165-km long rail line between Hubli and Ankola, near the Goa border has drawn the ire of environmentalists who say that the project will cut through the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. Savio Carvalho of the Uttara Kannada Parisara Saurashankana Samiti, an environmental organisation, said that the …
The moist tropical forests of the Western Ghats of India are pockmarked with savanna-grasslands created and managed by local agricultural communities. A sample of such savanna-grasslands with differing growing conditions was studied in terms of peak above-ground biomass, monthly growth and cumulative production under different clipping treatments.
Dying Wisdom: Rise, Fall and Potential of India's Traditional Water Harvesting System provides a comprehensive overview of India's millennia-old traditions of water harvesting. This book triggered a nationwide interest in community-based water management.
green activists are up in arms against the ongoing work on the Kaiga atomic power plant in Karnataka. They have stalled work on the project's transmission line which cuts through the Western Ghats, posing a threat to the precious flora in the area. Local residents and green activists under the …
the Western Ghats, which bear the brunt of the monsoon rains, are blessed with an almost unbroken stretch of evergreen forest cover from the southern extremity of India up to the hills of Goa. The forests further north are smaller and gradually lose their evergreen character and become deciduous. In …
DEFORESTATION in tropical regions could cause the disappearance of 50-150 plant species every day, reveal recent statistics collated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources***(where?). The data shows that about 25,000 plant species are in danger of extinction, and at the present rate of destruction of …
LAST year, when we were in Talaicauvery, the fountainhead of the Cauvery, we were regaled with the thrilling and rare spectacle of the slopes splendidly clothed in kurinjis in bloom. There are references to kurinji - the blue flower that gives the Nilgiris (blue mountains) its name and blossoms cyclically …
The hilly tract of Uttara Kannada district in the Western Ghats of India has been famous for its arecanut and spice orchards for several centuries. The cultivators have evolved complex horticultural practices to maintain productivity under conditions of high rainfall, hilly terrain and leached soils.
IMMEDIATELY after the monsoon, most of the paddy-fields in central Kerala are prepared -- not for cultivation, but for brick making! Brick-making has been gaining momentum during the last 15 years because it is easy money. From about one hectare of paddy-field leased from farmers, a brick manufacturer can rake …
Increasing instances of theft of plant species from Asian countries led delegates at a recent symposium of botanists in New Delhi to stress the need to recognise the importance of taxonomy - the science of classifying organisms. The UNESCO-sponsored meet was organised by Botany 2000-Asia, a network of Asian botanists. …
GEORGE Fernandes may have been looking for a short cut to lasting fame when he announced on July 19, 1990 the setting up of the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC). To many, the prospect of a railway line along the west coast was the fulfillment of a dream. The idea was …
Ecological factors • The present alignment passes through densely populated and cultivated coastal land. • The alternative alignment also passes through forest areas. • Trains running at a high speed will have an impact on historic buildings and disturb the peace of the residents. • Vibrations generated will die within …
SINCE THE Konkan Railway Corporation was adamant about going ahead with the project despite protests from environmentalists, Goa Foundation secretary and activist Claude Alvares decided to take the matter to court. In April, shortly before the court adjourned for the summer vacation, he filed a writ petition, but it was …
• Total length of the Konkan railway : 760 km • Cost (at 1991-92 prices) : Rs 1,391 crore • Completion date : October 1994 • Length in Goa : 106 km • Number of bridges proposed : 84 • Total track length in khazan lands : 21.176 km • …
