Waste war casts closure cloud on units
Thirty-nine industrial units were recently slapped with "closure and disconnection of electricity' orders by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (PCB), following Supreme Court directives on hazardous waste management. Senior PCB law officer Biswajit Mukherjee said in his order that the offending units were "operating without authorisation and failed to …
HC nod to rehabilitation of Yamuna slum dwellers
Paving the way for removal of unauthorised settlements on the banks of the Yamuna in the city, the Delhi High Court asked the authorities to go ahead with the implementation of the rehabilitation scheme, envisaging the simultaneous eviction and allotment for those affected.
Whose field is it anyway?
A unique protest is being carried out the Barela tribals of Upala village in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, despite all their hardships arising out of virtual landlessness. The repeated destruction of their crops by the forest department has failed to rob them of their faith in their ultimate victory. …
The problem in pesticides
The Joint Parlimentary Committee (JPC)'s report confirming the presence of pesticide residues in some popular soft drinks is an important step forward. It should settle the controversy that has been generated on this issue after the New Delhi-based non-governmental organisation, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), released its findings …
HC notices to MCD, DDA, Govt
The high court issued notices to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority, Centre and Delhi government on a petition challenging the relocation of slums in Sector 12, R K Puram.
Water flows in Gurudeniya after report
Authorities appear to have taken immediate action on the news item "No water for two weeks" and the results were instant. The same evening around 6 p.m., water started flowing in the pipes of the affected area in Gurudeniya coming under the purview of the Kandy Four Gravets and Ganga …
New HP law on housing approved
With the objective of strengthening laws and rules, the Himachal Pradesh Housing Board plans to bring out new legislation.
Village will have a road, but where will cattle graze?
Barelas and Bhilalas inhabit Matli village, of Madhya Pradesh, located deep inside the Satpuras. As land suitable for cultivation is extremely limited in these areas, cattle wealth plays an important role in the economy of tribal life here. An eight-km long road is to connect Matli to Ikkalwara via Upla …
PURA by partnership
The Centre's new model of PURA is more than a plan for "Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas" but is a "Partnership of entrepreneurs, government administrators and the local populace for Urban Amenities within Rural Ambience". In the present scheme of PURA, the Government does not proceed alone but lets …
Krishnagiri district from Monday
Krishnagiri district, the 30th in Tamil Nadu will come into being on February 9. The new district has been carved out of Dharmapuri district, and will have its headquarters at Krishnagiri.
Rs 1,000-cr master plan to give Pune a facelift
With a migrant population in the city that is thrice the normal range, vehicular population touching 13.54 lakh units in 2003, a pathetic network of roads and public transport system, pollution levels that now give it the ugly tag of the fifth most polluted city in Asia, Pune is groaning …
HC directs Collector to evict Sugandhagiri encroachers
The Kerala High Court directed the District Collector, Wayanad, to evict all recent encroachers from Sugandhagiri Project area and allot the land to eligible landless tribal people. This should be done within six months. The court, however, clarified that if any crop is ripe for harvest the cultivator should be …
HC notice to Govt over Pushta slums
The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Delhi government on its failure to remove unauthorized structures from the bank of the Yamuna. Chief Justice BC Patel and Justice BD Ahmed took, suo moto cognizance of the government's inaction.
Delhi to get convention center in budget sop
The schemes of accelerated drinking water supply, setting up of a convention center in the Capital, were amongst the ingredients of the interim budget announced, which would impact the Capital directly, the schemes for setting up of six AIIMS -like institutions primarily in the BIMARU states may ease the pressure …
TERI drafting ratings for buildings
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is in the process of drafting a rating system for Indian buildings. The first draft of the rating norms for commercial buildings in and around Delhi would be ready by the middle of this year. The TERI proposes to develop TERI's Green Building Rating …
Umas development agenda ranges from absurd to the weird
Fifty days may be too short a period to look at the report card of a government. But mid-way through Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's 100-day deadline for performance, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti's record is dotted with unusual announcements, bizarre projects
Rajasthan to spend Rs 3 cr on heritage conservation
The Rajasthan government will soon announce a heritage policy, which will aim at conserving and increasing awareness about heritage. The State government will spend Rs 3 crore on conservation of selected monuments like the Amber Fort In Jaipur, Naharagarh's Charan temple, Kiraru temples of Barmer, Bikaji Ki Tekri and Jalmahal …
Tourism policy to regularise guesthouses
The Delhi government wants more than 1,000 illegal guesthouses, most of them operating from residential areas, regularised. The government says this will help it promote tourism. Urban planners, however, claim the move may deteriorate the quality of life as it will grant legitimacy to illegal commercial activity in colonies.The proposal …
Smart cities to add to feel-good factor
Smart cities, that's another of those vote-catching programmes that the Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Ministry is kick-starting before the general elections. With a project worth Rs 60.44 crore, the Ministry plans to map the cities and develop an urban information database. Information on land/property, health and education will be …
