Page 640 - Environment
About 17k trees to be felled in South Delhi for redevelopment of central govt accommodations
Nearly 17,000 grown trees would be chopped off for redevelopment of central government accommodations in south Delhi, according to an official. The trees would be cut in various areas, including Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar and Sarojini Nagar, an official with the Forest Department said on the condition of anonymity. Around 11,000 trees would be cut just in Sarojni Nagar, the official said. The Forest Department had given the permission to cut nearly 17,000 trees to make way for redevelopment of central government accommodations in the area, he said. According to the Environmental Impact Assessment report, around 1,454 trees would be felled in Nauraji area and 3,906 trees in Netaji Nagar. An official of the National Building Construction Corporation India Limited, a central public sector undertaking, said they planned to plant over 10 times of what had to be cut in the process. According to a NBCC report, the plantation would be done two weeks after the rain starts, as the trees ...
NHRC notice to Centre, Hry, Raj over 'massive deforestation' in Aravallis
The NHRC has issued notices to the Centre and the governments of Rajasthan and Haryana over reported "massive deforestation" in the Aravalli hills "causing dust storms" in the national capital region. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in a statement said, "Reportedly, the open forest cover in the Aravalli hills has decreased in the last three decades while the scrub has increased by 5.7 per cent, making it almost barren without any moisture in the air." The NHRC has issued notices to the chief secretaries of the governments of Rajasthan and Haryana as well as the secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and sought their response in six weeks. "The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that massive deforestation in Aravalli hills for business interests in Rajasthan and Haryana is the root cause behind the increasing dust storms and air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region during the past several days creating health concerns," the .
Untreated sewage won't be allowed into rivers: Pb environ minister
Punjab Environment Minister O P Soni today asserted untreated sewage of the cities will not be let into rivers and strict action will be taken against municipal corporations responsible for allowing polluted water into rivers. Soni presided over a meeting of the high-powered committee constituted by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to suggest measures for cleaning rivers in the state. He said major sources of the pollution in the rivers were municipal sewage and industrial effluent. The committee which has been entrusted with the task to suggest ways to ensure supply of clean potable water discussed the issue of sewerage and other toxic water to save rivers and other natural resources, according to an official release. Soni informed that 19 towns are located in the catchment area of the river Sutlej. In these towns, 33 sewage treatment plants are required to be installed, out of which 31 STPs have been installed and two are yet to be installed. He said result of 16 sampling points set ..
9 teams working at IIT-KGP in Smart India Hackathon programme
Nine teams are working hard to build their hardware solutions as a working prototype at the IIT Kharagpur, one of the 10 nodal centres hosting the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2018, an IIT-KGP statement said today. The team members are slogging it off at various laboratories and centres together with their mentors who are from the Institute, the statement said. The Hardware Edition, with 'Agriculture/ Agro-Electronics' as the theme, was inaugurated through video-conferencing on June 18 by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, simultaneously at 10 nodal centres of the country. Over 150 short-listed teams are working at the nodal centres for five days to build their hardware solutions as a working prototype, the statement said. The teams that come up with the best projects will be provided assistance to form start-ups and will have marketing support under this central government initiative that seeks to identify new technologies to solve real-time problems ...
Surat bags award for 'great momentum' in implementation of Smart City projects
Surat has been awarded for showcasing "great momentum" in the implementation of projects under the Smart Cities Mission, the Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry said today. Under India Smart Cities Award' 2018, Bhopal and Ahmedabad were selected in the Innovative Idea' category for their "transformative approach towards sustainable integrated development, while nine smart cities, including NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council), bagged Project' awards for innovative and successful projects in seven categories", it added. The city award is being given to Surat for showing great momentum in implementation of projects especially in the categories of urban environment, transport and mobility and sustainable integrated development, the HUA Ministry said in an official release. Joint winners in Innovative Idea' category were Bhopal for its Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and Ahmedabad for Safe and Secure Ahmedabad (SASA) Project, the release said. The Project' awards are being
Gujarat govt announces wind-solar hybrid power policy
In a bid to ensure optimal use of land and transmission infrastructure, the Gujarat government today announced a policy to promote setting up of wind as well as solar power projects at one location. The 'Wind-Solar Hybrid Power Policy-2018' will remain in force for five years. Projects approved under this policy can avail various benefits and rebates as mentioned in the policy document for a period of 25 years or till the life of the project, as per an official release. Under the policy, developers can set up wind energy units on the land currently in use for solar power units. Similarly, a solar power project can be set up on the land being used for wind farms, it said. The transmission lines meant for the existing power projects can be utilised for the proposed renewable energy project, as per the release. "The policy also allows setting up of new wind-solar hybrid power producing unit. The objective of the new policy is the optimum utilisation of land and grid lines. .
Govt to bring out single solar bid of 1 lakh MW: Min
Union Minister RK Singh today said the government will bring single solar bid of 1 lakh MW, which would also include storage and solar equipment manufacturing components. "The biggest (renewable energy) tender was floated in Spain. We brought out single tender of 10,000 MW which would be opened in July. Now (we) will bring out a bid (tender) of one lakh MW which would also include solar manufacturing and storage (output)," Singh said while addressing at a function here. Talking about India's renewable energy programme, he said the country will overachieve the renewable energy target of 175 GW by 2022 and eventually have 225 GW. He said that India has already set up 70 GW of renewable energy capacity and about 12.5 GW is under implementation whereas bids have been received for 25.5 GW of clean energy capacities. India is making rapid strides in the field of renewable energy and we will overshoot the target of 175 GW renewable energy by 2022. Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister .
KoPT transloading gets a boost with capesize vessels
Transloading at Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) today got a boost after successful handling of a smaller capesize vessel at Sagar. Capesize vessels are large dry cargo ships and have a capacity to handle 90,000 to 1,30,000 tonnes. "For the first time, KoPT has entered the league to handle a capesize vessel. So far, it was handling Panamax vessels," KoPT chairman Vinit Kumar said here at the transloading site on sea. Kolkata Dock's Deputy chairman S Balaji Arun kumar also accompanied him along with other senior officials. Panamax ships have cargo capacity of up to 75,000 tonnes. Today's operation has enabled the riverine port to handle almost double the cargo from a single ship compared to unloading through normal port operations. In addition, this would ensure continuous carrying large volume of transloading activity round the year at the sagar point, which is about 25 nautical miles from Haldia. The baby cape vessel has brought 54,000 tonnes of coal from Indonesia for two ...
Instruct CWMA to convene meeting: TN CM tells Modi
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today urged the Centre to direct the Water Resources Ministry to instruct the Cauvery Water Management Authority to convene its meeting on sharing of Cauvery water with Karnataka. Palaniswami, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, quoting reports, said the Karnataka government had requested the Centre to 'defer' the operation of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee. The Chief Minister of Karnataka is also reported to have stated that it was also advisable to place the "scheme" before the two Houses of Parliament and raised other issues for consideration, he said. "It is evident that Karnataka has scant regard for the orders of Supreme Court and seeks to re-open the adjudicated dispute which attained finality by the judgement of apex court," he said. Palaniswami said the concerns raised by Karnataka were already settled by the apex court in its order on February 16 and May
Translocation of MP tigers to Odisha begins
The process to translocate three pairs of tigers from Madhya Pradesh to Odisha began today with a tiger from Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) being shifted to the eastern state, an official said. The translocation is carried out under a project to shift three pairs of tigers from the state to the Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha. This is for the first time in the country when big cats are being shifted from one state to another, according to KTR field director Sanjay Shukla. "Under the guidance of the doctors of KTR and Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), a tiger was tranquilised in Mukki area of KTR. The wild cat started its journey for Odisha's STR at around 3 pm today under the observation of doctors," he said. Shukla said the 500 km journey from Mukki to STR would be completed in the next 72 hours. Madhya Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Shahbaz Ahmed said, "A team of forest officials from Odisha is accompanying the tiger to STR". He said the number of tigers in ..
Solarisation launched for Delhi gurdwaras with 1.5 MW plant
In a novel initiative by a religious institution, a 1.5 mega watt peak (MWp) rooftop solar plant was inaugurated at the Gurdwara Rakab Ganj in the heart of the capital by Union Power Minister R.K. Singh on Wednesday.
Punjab Forest Department to provide weapons to staff
A day after a Punjab Forest Department officer was critically injured and five others also received serious injuries in an attack by goons of the illegal sand mafia, state Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot said on Wednesday that department officials would be provided weapons.
Get approvals for big projects at the earliest, Khattar to officials
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today asked officials to get administrative approvals for big projects in the state at the earliest so that work is not delayed. "If any project needs approval of the Cabinet then get it done approved," Khattar told the officers in a meeting to review the progress of 12 mega projects in the state. Khattar said that the next Cabinet meeting would be held on June 26. The projects reviewed in the meeting included-- ethanol plant in Shahabad, Skill Development University, Construction Workers Training Academy, Sanskrit University, Rakhi Garhi Museum, Hisar Airport and Herbal Park, an official release said. Courses for skill development of construction workers in all districts of Haryana would begin in September, officials said. While, training in Haryana Vishwakarma Skill University at village Dudhola would also begin in July.
Jharkhand govt seeks to double farmers' income by 2022: Das
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said the goal of his government is to double the income of the farmers by 2022. Work is going on to provide better road, irrigation and power facilities to the villagers, Das said at a programme in Gagi village on the outskirts of Ranchi. "Our goal is to bring prosperity in the lives of farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to double the income of farmers by 2022. The Jharkhand government is working towards achieving this goal," an official release quoted Das as saying. "A loan of Rs 1500 crore has been taken for the purpose of constructing road to connect villages. This will create 15,000 km of roads," he said. Similarly, 2000 ponds are being renovated this year to increase irrigation facilities, Das said adding that 6 lakh small ponds were dug in the state last year. He also said work is underway to improve the power system and by December, there will be electricity in every household of Jharkhand. Stating ...
On Yoga Day, people to do asanas wearing masks
On the occasion of International Day of Yoga, an initiative is being made wherein people will be performing asanas wearing air pollution masks across five cities in the country to bring to focus the need for clean air. The initiative will be launched by Clean Air Collective in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Varanasi. Noting that yoga is an important exercise which can help expand the size of lungs, Arvind Kumar, Chairman at the Centre for Chest Surgery, said that yoga cannot, however, clean the air that goes inside. The Clean Air Collective is mobilising a movement in five cities across the country -- Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Varanasi -- tomorrow when people will be doing their asanas wearing air pollution masks to focus on the need for clean air, according to the NGO. "So, therefore, even if we are practising yoga and we are in a poor air quality city, the damage to the lungs will happen nonetheless. So while I strongly recommend people to practise yoga and yogic .
Connectivity, trade, energy cooperation to mutually benefit Bangladesh, India: Envoy
With a UN body elevating Bangladesh from being a least developed country (LDC) to that of a developing country earlier this year, Bangladeshi High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali on Wednesday said that cooperation between his country and India in the areas of connectivity, trade and commerce, and energy will mutually benefit both sides.
3 elephants fall into abandoned farm well in TN; rescued
Three elephants were rescued from an abandoned farm well today, hours after they fell into it in a forest fringe village in the district, officials said. The elephants, two of them appeared to be calves, fell into the well, which originally had a depth of around 35-feet but shrunk to 17-feet over a period of time. There was water to a depth of five feet when the elephants fell into the well around 4 am, they said. On hearing their trumpeting, residents of the village in Kadambur forest area noticed the elephants in the well and informed the forest personnel. Forest officials along with a rescue team reached the spot. They dug up the land around the well using earth movers and created a slope, enabling the elephants to climb out of the well, the officials said. The rescue operation lasted six hours, they added.
Telangana gvt will set up steel plant, says state Minister
The Telangana government would set up a steel plant in the state, a project which has been mentioned in the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act, even if the Centre did not cooperate, state Industries Minister K T Rama Rao said today. "Even if the Centre does not cooperate, 100 per cent the Telangana government will build the steel plant under Singareni (state-run miner Singareni Collieries) and TSMDC. We will give 10,000-15,000 jobs there. That is our commitment," he told reporters here. The state government on June 18 constituted a committee of officials to examine the issue of setting up an Integrated Steel Plant in Khammam district. The establishment of a steel plant in Telangana is an issue mentioned in the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act. The main opposition Congress and others have recently held protests in support of setting up of the steel plant in the Khammam region following reports that the Centre was not favourably inclined to execute it. The minister was ..
'Project Rise' food assistance programme launched
Dawoodi Bohra community today launched Project Rise, an ambitious food assistance programme undertaken in partnership with Fight Hunger Foundation, which is a part of the Action Against Hunger global network. A statement issued by Dawoodi Bohra community here said the project aims to contribute towards alleviating hunger in some of the poorest parts of India and significantly raise health and nutrition levels of children suffering from severe malnutrition. "Project Rise will begin by supporting families in Mokhada in Palghar district of Maharashtra and suburban Govandi, immediately impacting the lives of impoverished families and creating healthier future," the statement said. "Both the areas- Mokhada and Govandi- are known to be impoverished and mainly dominated by the people suffering from very low level of living standards," it added. Sadiq Jamaludin of the Project Rise said the project will focus resources on combating malnutrition, with the primary aim of ensuring ..
Mumbai traffic police mulling odd-even parking in market areas
The Mumbai traffic police department is planning to implement an "odd-even" style of parking for vehicles in congested market areas, the Bombay High Court was told today. The department has filed an affidavit in the HC on behalf of the Joint Commissioner, Traffic. The department told a bench of Justices Naresh Patil and GS Kulkarni that to begin with, the odd-even system will be allowed on a pilot basis, for vehicles in the Kalbadevi market area in South Mumbai. The traders and the public visiting the market will be allowed to "park their vehicles on one side of roads in the Kalbadevi area on an odd and even basis," reads the affidavit signed by Amitesh Kumar,Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic. As per the affidavit, a meeting was conducted earlier last week between the traffic department and stake-holders of various markets. In the meeting, the parties realised that lack of adequate parking space was one of the major reasons for traffic chaos in the area. "Most of the
