Page 693 - Environment
Rana Sugars Pvt Ltd dares Khaira to prove any single charge of pollution
Rana Sugars Private Limited, owned by senior Congress leader Rana Gurjit, today accused AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira of trying to run a malicious campaign against it for partisan and personal reasons. The AAP leader was today stopped by the police from reaching a spot close to the factory of Rana Sugars Private Limited, with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh accusing him of trying "trespass" into the factory in Batala. The company challenged the AAP leader to prove even one of the several charges he has been levelling against it. Khaira alleged that Rana Sugar Mill has several large bores, each more than 500 feet, in the factory premises to dispose of toxic waste into the soil. By doing so the mill has contaminated the ground water and the water of surrounding villages to such extent that it cannot be used for drinking or even irrigation purposes, he claimed. The AAP leader said his battle to save the environment and the waters of Punjab will continue. The sugar mill, in a separate .
Pak says was forced to test nukes in 1998 due to 'hostile posturing' by India
Pakistan today claimed it was forced to test nuclear weapons two decades ago due to hostile posturing by India. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal issued a statement on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the May 28, 1998 nuclear tests, while insisting that the testing of atomic bombs by India eliminated chances of a nuclear weapons-free South Asia. Pakistan was forced to take that decision as a response, in self-defence, to the nuclear tests and accompanying hostile posturing by its neighbour. These developments unfortunately put an end to the prospect for keeping South Asia free of nuclear weapons - an objective which Pakistan had actively pursued, he said, hinting at India. India conducted a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions at the Pokhran in May, 1998, which was soon followed by Pakistan's tests. The spokesman said that despite the nuclear testing, Pakistan remained steadfast in its commitment to non-proliferation and global peace and strategic stability and ...
Strike against Bursar HEP called off by Marwah residents in JK
Residents of Marwah-Warwan in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir today called off their over one-and-a-half month strike against the construction of Bursar Hydroelectric power (HEP) project on the assurance of the government, an official spokesman said. The 800 MW Bursar Hydroelectric Project is planned to be constructed on Marusudar, a tributary of river Chenab, but the residents have been demanding its cancellation raising concerns about the submerging of villages due to accumulation of water to generate hydro-electricity. Minister for Power Development Sunil Kumar Sharma reached out to the agitating residents and assured that the government was willing to listen to their concerns and would come out with a solution taking into account the development of the area as a whole, the spokesman said. The minister assured that a delegation from Marwah-Warwan region will accompany him to New Delhi and raise their issues before the concerned committee since the project was governed by ...
HP CM launches 'Polythene Hatao, Paryavaran Bachao Campaign'
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today launched the week-long 'Polythene Hatao Paryavaran Bachao' campaign started by Environment, Science and Technology Department here. Addressing the students of various schools here, volunteers, representatives of NGOs, jawans of Home Guard and Fire Services, Thakur said that pollution caused by plastic was a matter of concern for the whole world and there is a dire need for environment conservation. He said that the situation in developed nations was more alarming as they use more plastic than the other countries, thereby making plastic waste management a big challenge for them. Plastic being a non-biodegradable waste is a health hazard for humans and animals, besides causing environmental degradation. Thakur said that the then BJP government had totally banned the use of polythene in the state on October 2, 2009, but still many products such as milk, chips, bread come in plastic packing, thus making it essential to launch special ...
Deer killed, poacher held in Bhitarkanika National Park
Forest personnel today seized deer hide, antlers and venison from a village near Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district and arrested a poacher in this connection, a forest official said. Kailash Das (45) was arrested from Pattaparia village with the venison and the deer hide besides nylon nets used for ensnaring wild animals. Das was a member of a poaching racket active in the area, the forest official said. Two motorcycles were also seized from the crime spot. Three other members of the racket are yet to be traced, he said. "They have been identified and search is on to arrest them shortly", he said. The wildlife offence was cracked acting on an information that poachers had hunted a spotted deer in the mangrove forest areas within the park, he said. The accused along with his accomplices had spread out nylon nets with loops to ensnare the deer and wild boar. The gang, active in wildlife poaching activity in the recent past, was adept in the poaching of wild ...
Nipah claims one more life in Kerala, death toll climbs to 13
: The death toll due to Nipah rose to 13 in Kerala, with one more person succumbing to the deadly virus here today. Twenty six-year-old Abin, hailing from Palazhi in the district, died at a private hospital after battling for life for one week, official sources said. Kalyani, a septuagenarian woman who was undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College here, died yesterday. After the outbreak of Nipah at a hamlet in Perambra here last week, 16 people have tested positive, of whom 13 have died so far. Health Minister K K Shylaja told reporters that the authorities had collected details of people who had direct contact with the deceased persons and all of them are now under observation. However, the authorities are still clueless about the actual source of the spread of the virus. As samples of insectivores bats tested negative for the virus, the Kerala Animal Husbandry Department and the Pune based National Virology Institute (NVI) are jointly collecting samples .
DRI recovers 24 pieces of ivory in Guwahati
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has recovered 24 pieces of ivory weighing 5.8 kgs near Guwahati Railway station in Assam, the agency said in a release on Sunday.
Man killed in elephant attack in Chg's Korba district
A 60-year-old man died while his wife was injured when an elephant attacked them after entering their house in a village in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, a Forest official said today. The incident occurred late last night when a herd of elephants stormed into Madai village, located around 250 kms away from the state capital. "A tusker entered the house of Bodhan Singh (60) and his wife Pipariya Bai (54) who were asleep and attacked them," Divisional Forest Officer (Katghora) S Jagdishan said, adding that while Singh died immediately, his wife was severely injured. He said a team of Forest personnel reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and chased away the jumbos. "They rushed the injured woman to local primary health centre, where her condition was stated to be critical," the DFO said. An instant relief amount of Rs 25,000 was given to the kin of the deceased while the remaining compensation of Rs 3.75 lakh will be disbursed within 15 days, he
PM inaugurates Digital Art Gallery of NHAI in Jakhauli
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Digital Art Gallery of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at the toll plaza in Jakhauli village in this district of Haryana. At the main entrance of Gallery, Modi viewed the map of Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) Expressway (Eastern Peripheral Expressway) and saw how the KGP and Kundli-Manesar-Palwal would change the picture of national capital Delhi and National Capita Region (NCR) area, an official release said. Later, he went around the Digital Art Gallery where he was informed in detail about the journey right from the beginning of construction work of KGP Express way till its completion by using 3D technique. These included acquisition of land for the Expressway, redressal of grievances related to farmers, beginning of ground work on the Expressway, strategy for the timely completion of work, technique used in the construction work, use of solar energy, plantation and benefits of the Expressway for the people of ...
Nipah Virus: one more death reported, death toll rises to 14
One more death was reported in Kerala's Calicut due to Nipah Virus on Sunday.With the latest casualty, the death toll has to 14.Earlier in the week, following the rising cases of the virus, the state's health department issued an advisory for people traveling to the state and urged travelers to be extra cautious while visiting Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur districts.A similar note of caution has also been issued by the Himachal Pradesh health ministry on Thursday after over 18 dead bats were discovered a day prior to that in the premises of a government school in Nahan, triggering a panic among locals.For those unversed, Nipah virus, spread by fruit bats, causes communicable disease and is fatal for both animals and humans.The symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, drowsiness, respiratory illness, disorientation and mental confusion.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), these signs and symptoms can progress to coma within 24-48 hours.
Modi asks people to shun plastic, imbibe environmental responsibility
Citing the adverse effects of plastic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to the people not to use things made by using low grade materials.
Butterfly that went extinct in UK makes comeback
A butterfly that went extinct in Britain more than 40 years ago has been reintroduced in the country as part of an 8-million-pound initiative to save the most endangered species.
Himachal CM launches polythene removal campaign
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday launched a week-long state-wide polythene removal campaign from the state capital by involving school students, volunteers and Home Guard personnel.
BCCI goes 'green' by joining hands with UN
The BCCI and UN Environment today signed an agreement to promote green' cricket in India. BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and Erik Solheim, Executive Director of UN Environment, signed a letter of intent at the BCCI headquarters here ahead of the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. "The partnership aims to spread greater awareness about key environmental challenges facing the country, and highlight alternate and more sustainable solutions. The BCCI will endeavor to reduce its environmental impact by greening operations and engaging cricketers and fans in green initiatives," said the BCCI in a statement. Commenting on the initiative, Choudhary said: We will help make cricket green and sensitize spectators towards minimizing waste generation during matches. The partnership will also focus on phasing out single-use plastic across stadiums in the country. Even during the course of IPL, a film with messages from captains of various franchises was created .
Expressway inauguration is not a publicity stunt: Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday clarified that the inauguration of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway is not a publicity stunt but an achievement.Continuing his tirade against the Congress, the chief minister said the party was useless when it was in power.Adityanath said, "This expressway is an achievement for us and not a publicity stunt. This shows that Congress was useless when they were in power. Unhe janta ke vikaas se koi lena dena nahi hai (They (Congress) have nothing to do with the development of people)."Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) expressway, also known as the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) at the District Sports stadium in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.The 135 km long expressway is India's first smart and green highway, built between Kundli on NH 1 to Palwal on NH 2.Built at a cost of Rs. 11,000 crore, the expressway is country's first highway to have solar-powered lights. It also has provision for ..
Leopard beaten up, burnt alive in UP
A two-year-old leopard was allegedly beaten up and burnt alive by a group of enraged villagers after it attacked over a dozen people in three villages this morning, an official said. The leopard had attacked three people each in Nakhi and Dhobia villages this morning and two more people in Khalerpur, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) RP Singh said. The agitated villagers then allegedly beat up the leopard and when the carnivore hid behind a bush they set the bush afire, the DFO said. Fire tenders were later rushed to the spot to douse the flames, he said, adding that the carcass of the leopard was sent for postmortem. In a separate incident, an elderly woman was killed in a leopard attack in forest area near Ramgaon village in Bardia area, forest officials said. Kaushalya (70) was yesterday attacked when she went in the forest area to collect woods, Divisional Forest officer GP Singh said, adding that the woman died on the spot. The forest area lies in Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctury, he
IIT-Kanpur to develop VTOL aircraft prototypes
The Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur has signed a Rs 15 crore-Memorandum of Understanding to develop prototypes for self-piloted vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. These prototypes will be used as air taxis for civilians, said Ajay Ghosh, head of IIT-Kanpur's Aerospace Engineering and Flight Lab. The deal was signed a couple of months ago with the VTOL Aviation Pvt Ltd, he said, adding the project will be completed within a span of five years. Ghosh said the project will be a milestone under the 'Make In India' project. A couple of instalments have already been allotted to IIT-Kanpur researchers to conduct a pre-feasibility study before embarking on the project, he said. The official said the project was challenging, but at the same time offered several advantages. "We have hopes that the development of such prototypes would be revolutionary and help ease traffic congestion, owing to the flexibility of aircraft to take off from and land on any terrain," the IIT ...
Modi inaugurates first phase of Delhi-Meerut Expressway
Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled in an open jeep on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway after inaugurating its first phase here on Sunday.
Cleanliness drive organised at Dimapur railway station
The Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) in collaboration with local NGOs organised a cleanliness drive in and around the Dimapur railway station in Nagaland as part of the 'Himalayan Cleanup Campaign'.The drive was organised on Saturday across 12 mountain states."In Dimapur station, we are trying to identify those areas which are dirty. With 'nukkad nataks' and posters, we are trying to convey the message to the passengers that they shouldn't litter the station area," cleanliness in-charge of Dimapur railway station, Dr Mathew Vashum, said.The campaign was organised keeping in mind the global World Environment Day 2018 theme of 'Beat Plastic Pollution'.Besides Dimapur, it also took place in Kohima, Mon, Mokokchung, Phek and Zunheboto districts.
Farmer leaders of warn of 'violent' protests in Guj over lignite mining
After Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat may witness a "violent confrontation" between the state administration and villagers over the issue of lignite mining by the Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL) at Bhavnagar, warn farmer leaders. Since April 1, when the GPCL claimed possession of around 1,414 hectares of land in 12 villages of Ghogha and Bhavnagar talukas, protests are taking place in the area. "Gujarat is sitting on a live volcano. Not only the farmers, but the entire rural Gujarat is crying. We are part of the ongoing movement in Bhavnagar. The Kheru samaj of farmers is very strong. They are the ones spearheading the struggle and we are with them," All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) leader Atul Anjan said. "The state government should realise that the situation in Gujarat is not very different from the one in Tuticorin. If the government handles the situation like Tuticorin, then the state would have to face the fire," he added. According to a state government notification, GPCL
