Page 594 - Environment
Trains to slow down while passing through Rajaji Tiger Reserve
Trains along the 18-km Haridwar-Rishikesh-Dehradun rail route that goes through the heart of Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) will have to lower their speed for the safety of wild animals. Trains passing through the section, which is notoriously called the "killer track" with 25 elephants knocked down by speeding trains along the line in the last 25 years, will have to lower their speed to 40 kmph during daytime and 35 kmph from 6 in the evening to 6 am, RTR Director Sanatan Sonkar said. The decision was taken at a meeting between the head of the state forest force Jairaj and Additional Divisional Railway Manager Moradabad Sharad Kumar, Sonkar said. The rail track passes through Haridwar, Motichur and Kansrau ranges of RTR, he said.
Bihar to get world's cheapest clean drinking water
With the launch of cost-effective innovative water project, Bihar will soon provide the cheapest drinking water in the world.The first of such a water project was launched in Bihar's Darbhanga district on Saturday, by Sulabh International, an organisation that introduced the concept of 'Sulabh Sauchalya' in the country.With the help of this project, the people will easily be able to get pure and clean water only in 50paisa/litre.The 'Sulabh Jal' project converts contaminated pond and river water into safe drinking water.The founder of Sulabh International Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak laid the foundation of the project at Haribol Pond in Darbhanga Nagar Nigam premises.Darbhanga MLA Sanjay Saraogi and District Magistrate Chandrasekhar Prasad Singh were also present here on the occasion.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Pathak said, "We have succeeded in producing pure drinking water at a very nominal cost by this new technology, which has not yet been introduced anywhere in the world. Villagers may
Rosatom starts work on unit 2 of Bangladesh n-project
The first "concrete ceremony" marking the beginning of main construction of the second unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Project (RNPP) in Bangladesh took place on Saturday at Rooppur, Russian state-run atomic energy corporation Rosatom said in a statement.
Bihar set to get cheapest drinking water in world
An innovative cost-effective drinking water project in Bihar promises to lower the price of one-litre bottle to 50 paise -- cheapest in the world.
PM blames previous govts for the state of Varanasi, says change visible now
Blaming the previous governments for the state of the pilgrim city, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he wanted to see it developed as a place with an ancient soul but in a modern shell. Addressing a public rally here in his Lok Sabha constituency, he said change was visible in Varanasi over the last four years of his government. Modi urged the people of Varanasi to start preparing to welcome delegates from all over the world for the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (NRI Day), which will be held here from January 21 to 23 next year. The guests will also visit Allahabad for a 'kumbh darshan'. Earlier in the day, the prime minister had addressed another rally in Azamgarh and laid the foundation stone there for the 340-km Purvanchal Expressway. He will visit Mirzapur tomorrow, wrapping up his two-day visit to eastern Uttar Pradesh. In a symbolic inauguration in Varanasi, Modi launched development projects worth nearly Rs 1,000 crore for the city and the region around it. A new Banaras is .
Peace symposium deliberates on addressing key global issues
Love, passion and dialogue are key to addressing pressing issues like climate change, gender equality and refugee crisis, which will ultimately lead to a more peaceful world, feel members of a global organisation seeking to inculcate common values among people. The Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG), the Indian affiliate of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), organised a 'peace symposium' in the city yesterday to deliberate on the issues, and propagate the message of tolerance and coexistence. "Through these peace symposiums, we are able to create an ideology and awareness among the people of a particular city, especially among the youth. The youth have lot of power, passion and energy, which if channelised in the right direction, can bring lot of positive results," Chairperson of BSG, Vishesh Gupta said. The organisation also holds exhibitions on various themes in schools and colleges, he said at the symposium on 'Towards an Era of Human Rights: Building a People's ...
Coal India expects 322 mt from ongoing projects in FY19
Coal India Ltd on Saturday said as many as 119 major ongoing coal projects are expected to contribute about 322 million tonnes (mt) to its estimated production in the current fiscal.
Seven Odisha district to experience heavy to very heavy
Seven Odisha districts are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall while 10 other districts will receive heavy downpour in the next 24 hours under the influence of a low pressure formed over northwest Bay of Bengal, the IMD said today. India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heavy to very heavy rainfall likely to occur at one or two places in the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsingpur, Kendrapara while heavy rainfall very likely in the districts of Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Angul, Rayagada, Boudh and Kandhamal. A low pressure area lies over northwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood with associated cyclonic circulation up to 9.5 km above mean sea level tilting southwestwards with height. The system is likely to become a well marked low pressure area during next 24 hours, the IMD said in its bulletin. The extremely heavy rainfall is predicted at one or two places in Sambalpur, Sonepur, Bargarh, ...
Sulabh to make available safe drinking water out of
An innovative project that aims at making contaminated water from rivers and ponds safe for drinking and promises to make the same available to the people at 50 paisa per litre was launched here today by social organisation Sulabh International. "The Sulabh Jal, which will become fully functional by December this year, would have the capacity to produce up to 8,000 litres of potable water every day. The safe drinking water will be made available to consumers at a nominal cost of Rs 50 per litre", NGO Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak said. This project will be first of its kind in Bihar. He said before launching the project in Darbhanga, which houses a very large number of ponds, Sulabh had undertaken a similar drive in the neighboring state of West Bengal in collaboration with French organization "1001 Fontaines". "Our pilot project, launched three years ago, in the districts of Nadia, Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas was a success. Villages in these ...
Forest dept not prepared to handle fire, says report on Kurangani hills tragedy
Ill-preparedness of the Forest Department to tackle the fire in Kurangani hills in Theni district was one of the reasons which led to the death of 22 trekkers on March 11, a report submitted to the chief minister said. Loopholes in surveillance by officials concerned and absence of a standard procedure to handle such incidents were other reasons, it said. Moreover, there was no proper mechanism to monitor the organisations which claim experience in taking people for trekking in forest areas, the report added. The Tamil Nadu government had appointed Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, Atulya Misra as the inquiry officer to probe the wildfire, asking him to look into the circumstances leading to the incident, review the procedure in the Forest Department for regulation and permission for trekking in reserved forest areas. Misra had submitted the report to Chief Minister K Palaniswami yesterday. The tragedy occurred on March 11 when two groups of people -- 24 from ...
Old public health building in Patiala declared protected monument
Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today ordered that the old public health building in Patiala be declared as a protected monument. Besides the building, its surrounding areas will also be brought under under Section 4 of the Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1964, (Punjab Act 20 of 1964). The order has been issued to preserve the rich historical and cultural heritage of the state. The minister, in a release issued here, said some people had met him and complained about the proposal to construct showrooms outside the building's wall facing the main road. They also said that it could pose grave danger to the building, according to the release. Sidhu said that earlier, the government had issued a preliminary notification and now the same had been ordered to be the final notification without any alteration. He assured that the restoration of the building would be started at the earliest. Sidhu reiterated that ..
Not just fish, contaminated fruit also causes cancer: Goa Minister
Under fire for his alleged support to a trader of carcinogenic formalin-laced fish from neighbouring states, Goa Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai on Saturday said not just fish but eating contaminated fruit also causes cancer.
Is the government in a pre-election haste to revamp green laws?
New Delhi, July 14 (IANS/Mongabay) It is the final leg of the current Indian governments tenure, which began in 2014. As the general elections loom, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has gone into hyperactive mode over the past year, proposing a major overhaul of the countrys environmental laws that govern its forests, fragile coasts, precious wildlife and manage the toxic levels of air pollution.
China's new world heritage site limits visitors
Mount Fanjingshan, China's latest entry on the Unesco World Heritage List, has been asked to limit visitors in an effort to protect the site.
120 trucks entering Delhi fined for overloading
In a drive conducted earlier this month against overloaded commercial vehicles entering the city, the Delhi Transport department and the NHAI imposed fines on 120 trucks, an official said today. The drive was carried out between July 2 and 7, and the trucks were charged with overloading at the Badarpur border toll plaza, he said. Depending on their size, commercial vehicles are allowed to carry loads ranging between 16-35 tonnes. The weigh-in machine at the Badarpur border toll plaza on the National Highway-2 help catch overloaded trucks. On other toll plazas, enforcement teams of the transport department have to do this based on estimates, the transport department official said. Action against overloaded vehicles that cause pollution and pose threats of accidents has been resumed, he said. The trucks were fined Rs 2,000 for the first one ton above the prescribed weight limit. Thereafter, Rs 1,000 was charged for every additional ton of cargo they were carrying, the official added. An
CPWD makes 168 govt buildings accessible for differently-abled persons so far
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has so far made 168 government buildings approachable for differently-abled persons in the country under the Accessible India Campaign', an initiative of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD). According to the infrastructure building agency, the work of making all the central government buildings accessible-friendly for differently-abled persons will be completed by August this year. Out of 219 central government buildings, 168 buildings have been made differently-abled friendly. Remaining 51 buildings will be made fully accessible by August this year. We have given estimates to concerned departments to carry out an exercise for making their buildings full accessible, CPWD Director General Prabhakar Singh told PTI. He said, as part of making buildings differently-abled friendly, facilities such as installation of ramps, panels on Braille script, are undertaken. Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) also recently ...
Tainted water exhibition roves around Beijing after initial shutdown
At first glance, it may seem like just a black truck filled with bottles of water, but a closer look reveals a darker -- or rather murkier -- side to what's sloshing around inside. Its cargo of more than 500 bottles of Nongfu Spring, a ubiquitous Chinese brand, filled with contaminated drinking water from the village of Xiaohaotu in China's northwest Shaanxi province is being driven around Beijing as a reminder of the costs of the country's rapid economic development. The mobile exhibition, created by "Nut Brother" -- an artist known for advocacy work on environmental and social issues -- was created in defiance after his initial show was shut down. Shocked by Shaanxi's dirty drinking water during a work trip to the province in May, the 37-year-old enlisted the help of villagers to fill 9,000 empty Nongfu bottles and brought them back to Beijing, where they were installed in a museum. The exhibition caught the attention of Nongfu Spring Company and two weeks later, authorities from ...
China spying on military exercises: Pentagon
The Pentagon has said that a Chinese spy ship is currently spying on a major US-led military exercise off the coast of Hawaii, the same exercise it was disinvited due to Washington's opposition to Beijing's militarisation in the South China Sea.
Sonowal warns contractors for delaying Majuli protection works
Irked by the slow pace of implementation of Majuli protection project, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday warned of taking legal action against erring contractor organisation if they fail to complete the project within stipulated time frame.
Rs 6,688 cr highway, port connectivity projects launched in AP
Several national highway and port connectivity development projects totally worth Rs 6,688 crore were today launched in Andhra Pradesh by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Gadkari, the minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, also dedicated to the nation a connectivity road from Visakhapatnam Port to NH-16, executed at a cost of Rs 100 crore. The projects for which foundation stone was laid included capacity augmentation and six-laning of the NH-16 stretches from Icchapuram to Anakapalli at a total cost of Rs 4,989 crore. These projects will improve connectivity between Chennai and Kolkata, reduce travel time between the two cities and also lower traffic congestion in Vishakhapatnam, officials said. The Port Connectivity projects for which foundation stone was laid included 12.7 km long 4-lane connectivity from NH-16 to Vishakhapatnam Port at a cost of Rs 549 crore under Bharatmala scheme. In addition, Gadkari also ...
