Page 426 - Environment
'U'khand police begins fresh search operation near Kedarnath '
The Uttarakhand Police Friday launched a fresh operation in areas adjoining Kedarnath in search of the skeletal remains of the victims of massive floods and landslides that lashed the region in 2013, officials said. The operation is in accordance with an order of the Uttarakhand High Court passed in 2016 that asked the state government to conduct fresh searches in the tragedy-hit area to find if any more remains were lying hidden. Led by SP rank officers, police teams comprising 35 members have gone deep into the jungles around the shrine in search of the remains of people who went missing after the deluge, Additional Director General (law and order) Ashok Kumar said. The teams will comb the stretch between Gaurikund and Kedarnath on different routes including Kalimath and Trijuginarayan, the official said. The hight court had issued directives on a PIL that contended that despite the state government admitting around 3,500 persons had gone missing after the devastating deluge,only ...
CM launches Rs 1,500 cr mega IT project in Kerala
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday launched the Rs 1,500-crore Taurus Downtown project, which will be coming up at Technopark near here and is expected to be completed by 2020.
Sikkim wins gold at global Future Policy Awards for promoting organic farming
Sikkim has been awarded the prestigious gold prize at global Future Policy Awards for promoting agro-ecology through policies and laws that have made it a "100 per cent organic farming" state.
Bailey bridge connecting Behala with Alipore inaugurated
Over a month after the collapse of Majerhat bridge, the West Bengal government on Friday threw open a bailey bridge directly connecting Behala with the rest of the city. Firhad Hakim, the minister of municipal affairs and urban development, said, "We have thrown open the new route, connecting Behala and Alipore, 38 days after the Majerhat bridge collapse and just before the Durga Puja." The bailey bridge and a new level-crossing along the route will connect the two sides, which had snapped following the collapse of the Majerhat bridge on September 4. Small cars and light vehicles will be allowed to use the bridge. A Bailey bridge is a temporary structure formed of prefabricated, interchangeable, steel panels bolted together.
Silk factory in Jammu to commence production by Jan 2019
A silk unit being set up in Jammu district will start production by January 2019, benefitting cocoon growers of the state, an official said. "The order for purchase of machinery has also been placed and tentative schedule of commencement of production in the unit is by January 2019", a senior officer of the SIDCO Industrial area Bari Brahmana said Friday. The Phase-1 of the project is coming up at a cost of Rs 50 crore and the constructed portion includes Administrative Block of EDI and shall be handed over to the department by the end of October this year, he said. The shed of Silk Filature costing Rs 5.60 crore is ready, he said. A total of 30 machines have already been installed in the silk factory costing Rs 16 crore, he said. The silk project would benefit cocoon growers of the state from Kathua to Rajouri belt as all the cocoon production in the state is attributed to this belt. Around 70 per cent of the cocoon produced in the state is purchased by buyers from West Bengal and ...
Not using imported needle petcoke at Bengaluru's plant, GIL informs SC
Graphite India Ltd (GIL) informed the Supreme Court Friday that it was not using imported needle petroleum coke (petcoke) at its Bengaluru plant, which is facing complaints about pollution and emission of black dust. GIL told a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta that it was using domestic petcoke at the plant, and that too for packaging and not as fuel. The top court had on October 9 taken note of a report filed by the court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) which had said that GIL's plant in Whitefield, Bengaluru, had utilised domestic petcoke which was causing huge amount of pollution and black dust in the area. The court had then issued notice to GIL asking it to explain why use of needle petcoke should not be stopped with immediate effect since it was "causing tremendous pollution and damage to the health of the community in Bengaluru". During the hearing, the counsel appearing for GIL said they needed some time to file their affidavit ..
SpiceJet plans to fly new overseas destinations with Boeing 737-8 MAX planes
SpiceJet will look at flying to new international destinations as well as provide free wi-fi onboard its more fuel-efficient Boeing 737-8 MAX planes, according to the airline. The no-frills airline, which has inducted its first 189-seater B 737-8 MAX aircraft, Friday said the plane can fly non-stop to Singapore, Doha (Qatar), Kuwait, Abu Dhabi (UAE), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Tehran (Iran), Salalah (Oman) and Kunming (China), among other destinations, from various Indian airports. "With a one-stop, the aircraft can easily fly up to Finland, Norway, Morocco, London and Amsterdam," the airline said. SpiceJet, which has made a turnaround after being on the verge of collapse in 2014, placed an order for up to 205 B737 MAX 8 planes last year and has inducted the first one into its fleet. The aircraft is equipped with Satcom that would enable the airline to provide internet on board services once the requisite approvals are in place. SpiceJet Chairman and Managing ...
NGT summons Delhi govt official on action plan on climate change
The National Green Tribunal has summoned an official of the Environment Department in Delhi to explain the proposed amendments made by the AAP government in the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC). A bench headed by Raghuvendra S Rathore and expert member Satyawan Singh Garbyal directed the Deputy Secretary or concerned senior scientist of the department to appear before it on October 25. "A draft Action Plan was prepared in the month of September, 2016. However, the Counsel for Delhi was unable to give any update in respect of the proposed amendments to be made in the Action Plan," said the bench. "Therefore, in order to apprise us with the update which is proposed by the state government, we direct the Deputy Secretary/concerning senior scientist of the Environment Department of NCT Delhi to appear before the Tribunal on the next date of hearing with complete information and the proposed amendments in the said Action Plan of Climate Change, the one finalised so far," it ..
Ice blades cover Jupiter's moon Europa: Study
Fields of sharp ice growing to almost 15 metres tall could be scattered across the equatorial regions of Jupiter's moon, Europa, which may make the search for alien life difficult, scientists say. Previous space missions have identified Europa as one of the likeliest destinations for harbouring life in our solar system, most notably because of the large seas of liquid water underneath its surface, said researchers from Cardiff University in the UK. The new study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, suggests that any potential landing mission may have to navigate hazardous obstacles known as 'penitentes' before touching down on Europa's surface. Penitentes are tall sharp-edged blades and spikes made of snow and ice that point towards the midday sun. They form through a process known as sublimation, which requires bright, sustained sunlight as well as cold, dry and still air. Sublimation is a process through which ice turns directly into water vapour without melting into a ...
Shimla-based group to showcase solar heating system in Finland
A Shimla-based Himalayan Research Group has been invited to Finland to present the mountain solar water heating system developed by it which has got the Himachal Pradesh State Innovation Award in 2018, its top official said on Friday.
Ice blades cover Jupiter's moon Europa: Study
Jupiter's ocean moon Europa is probably covered with blades of ice up to 15 meters tall in its equatorial regions, making alien life search difficult, researchers have found.
Aborted launch astronauts to go to space next spring: Russian space agency
Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague will likely fly into space in the spring of 2019 after their flight was suddenly aborted, the head of the Russian space station, Dmitry Rogozin, said on Friday. "The guys will fly for sure," Rogozin said on Twitter, posting a picture of the smiling Ovchinin and Hague and himself. "We are planning their flight for the spring of next year," he said, adding the men had returned to the Star City space centre outside Moscow.
Himalayan quakes: Water-loading plays a role, say geophysicist
Seasonal variations in the "hydrological load" in the Indo-Gangetic plains play a key role in the genesis of Himalayan earthquakes, a team of geophysicists from India and the US have reported.
Despite ban, farmers in Karnal burn stubble
Even after prohibition, farmers in Haryana's Karnal district burned stubble in the region.Talking to ANI, a farmer said that they are well aware of the consequences of stubble burning, but they are helpless and has no alternative."We know that it causes pollution but we have no alternative. We are forced to do this. We are helpless," the farmer said.Karnal's Deputy Commissioner, Dr Aditya Dahiya, said that they are encouraging farmers not to burn stubble but still some farmers are resorting to the same."We have taken strict action against the farmers, who are still burning the paddy. They are being stopped and fined," he said.In the Union Budget 2018, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had assured to provide assistance to the Government of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi National Capital Territory (NCT) to deal with the worsening air quality.The decision came after Delhi's air pollution levels spiked last year, leaving the people gasping for breath.
US announces measures to prevent nuclear technology exports to China
As part of its pressure campaign against Beijing, the Trump administration has announced measures to prevent export of nuclear technology to China, alleging that it has been trying to illicitly acquire sensitive American technologies. "The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China's efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of the US-China civil nuclear cooperation," Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said after his department announced the measures Thursday. These national security measures are results of a US government policy review prompted by concerns regarding China's efforts to obtain nuclear material, equipment, and advanced technology from US companies. The policy guidance establishes a clear framework for disposition of authorisation requests for transfers to China that are currently on hold because of military diversion and proliferation concerns. As per the new policy, there will be a presumption of denial for new ...
US to restrict nuclear technology exports to China
The United States has said that it will sharply restrict exports of civilian nuclear technology to China for fear it will be diverted to military use. "The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China's efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of US-China civil nuclear cooperation," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a statement Thursday.
India targets 100 GW installed capacity of solar energy by 2022
India has a target of 100 gigawatt (GW) installed capacity of solar energy by 2022, of which 40 GW is projected to come from rooftop solar systems, an energy expert said on Thursday.
Tanker driver held for dumping hazardous chemical in drain
A tanker driver was arrested Thursday for allegedly dumping a poisonous chemical waste in a drain that caused a health scare in a residential area here last week, the police said. About 1550 people had taken ill on October 3 after inhaling the noxious fumes released by the chemical. Superintendent of Police, West, Siddharth Bahuguna told reporters the accused Prakash Bala (40) has been arrested on a tip off. "Bala started dumping chemical in a nullah in Bhagirathpura area. He fled soon after the chemical started emitting gas," he said. The SP said the driver again unloaded the remaining waste in a nullah under Kshipra police station area. "As per a preliminary report submitted to police by the State Pollution Control Board, the chemical waste was of acidic nature which might have proved dangerous for the human life," the SP said. He said Bala transported the chemical waste stored in a warehouse in Nagda town of Ujjain district, over 100 kms from Indore, for ...
Delhi's Rani Jhansi Grade Separator to be commissioned on Oct 16: Mayor
North Delhi Mayor Adesh Gupta Thursday inspected the Rani Jhansi Grade separator and said the ambitious flyover project would be commissioned on October 16. The 1.6-km-long flyover, from near St Stephen's Hospital to Filmistan Cinema, was originally scheduled to be completed by 2010, but has missed several deadlines. "The grade separator will be commissioned on October 16 by Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri... The ambitious project is ready for commissioning and it would ease traffic flow between ISBT Kashmere Gate and Karol Bagh areas," the mayor was quoted as saying in a statement by the NDMC. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation had earlier said that the project would be completed by November 30. Its commissioning would help in improving overall traffic movement in this part of central Delhi, Gupta said. The commissioning ceremony would also be attended by Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay ...
Mega fish farm to come up in Kishtwar
A mega fish farm funded by National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) is coming up at Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 4 crore. This was stated during a meeting chaired by Principal Secretary Animal, Sheep and Fisheries and Transport departments, Asgar Samoon, to discuss modalities for setting up of NHPC funded projects under Environment Management Plan (EMP), an official spokesman said. The fish farm will be setup at Pakal dul dam. Samoon directed the officials to expedite the process of its setting up the mega plant to boost the fish farming in the Chenab valley. He asked the officials of the NHPC to execute the projects keeping in view the laid down procedures and rules of the government. He also stressed on the NHPC officials to adhere to the guidelines laid down by the concerned ministries for minimum damage to the environment, flora fauna where projects are being executed by them. He also raised the issue of compensation to the Sheep and Animal Husbandry ...
