Page 704 - Environment
UP to construct 100-room tourist complex in Haridwar
The Uttar Pradesh government will construct a 100-room tourist accommodation building in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district, officials said on Tuesday.
Several villages from Maha's Nanded want to be inducted in Tel
Several villages from Nanded district in Maharashtra have expressed desire to become part of neighbouring Telangana claiming "neglect" by successive governments of their home state for the "last 70 years". The villages have claimed that they are deprived of even basic amenities like roads and water. Baburao Kadam, a sarpanch of one of the villages in Dharmabad tehsil in Nanded, located 575 kms away from here, today visited Telangana's Nizamabad district and handed over a proposal of their demand to local TRS MLA Bajireddy Govardhan. When contacted, Nanded district Guardian Minister Ramdas Kadam said he would first look into the details before commenting on the issue. Baburao Kadam said, "There are some 40 villages out of 55 in Dharmabad tehsil of Nanded district that have been neglected for years. No state government in last 70 years has helped us or provided any infrastructure. Hence, we submitted our proposal for induction in Telangana to the TRS MLA". He said ...
Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Dev Board to sign 3 MoUs
The Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board and the state's irrigation and water resources department will sign three MoUs tomorrow to investigate the palaeo-channel, and study hydrological and geomorphological aspects relating to the mythical Sarasvati river. The Haryana government constituted the Board for the rejuvenation of Sarasvati river, a HSHDB spokesman said today. He said an MoU will be signed between the Board and the Indian Space Research Organisation, Hyderabad. Another MoU will be signed between the Board and the Irrigation and Water Resources Department and National Institute of Hydrology. The third MoU will be signed between the Board and the Geological Survey of India, he said.
IT dept raids farmhouses, unearths more than Rs. 250 cr
The Income Tax (I-T) Department has unearthed undisclosed cash transaction of more than Rs. 250 crore from the farmhouses located in Delhi and NCR.According to I-T sources, last week sleuths of the IT department searched 22 places under section 132 of IT Act.Eleven business premises were also searched under section 133A of IT Act.These searches were done on two business groups dealing in the farmhouses.These groups were developing and selling farmhouses in the vicinity of flood planes of Yamuna River.More details are awaited.
Fire breaks out at Okhla landfill site in south Delhi
A fire broke out at the Okhla landfill site in south Delhi today, a Delhi Fire Service official said. The incident was reported at 12.43 pm after which eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was doused by 5.15 pm, , the official said. The massive dump in south Delhi was commissioned in 1996. "In south Delhi, 3,500 MT of waste is generated daily. And, 56 per cent of the solid waste is processed. The Okhla site has not only become an eyesore but, many of the garbage truck drivers have lost lives, over the last few years," according to a senior SDMC official. The city has two other landfill sites, Ghazipur in east Delhi and Bhalswa in north Delhi, both commissioned in 1984. Environmentalist Anumita Roychowdhury said such landfill site are not only a threat from fire incidents but also from pollution perspective. "Spontaneous fire at these sites keep happening, small or big. But, the burning also produce noxious gases and therefore that is another health risk," she ...
Punjab, Haryana wheat procurement over 214 lakh tonnes
With a bumper crop, food grain states Punjab and Haryana have procured over 214 lakh tonnes of wheat in this season, food and supplies officials said here on Tuesday.
NGT seeks details on Char Dham project
The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday called upon the Centre to submit a detailed status report on the ongoing and planned work on Char Dham all-weather highway being constructed in Uttarakhand's Gharwal region.
Maha sets target of planting 13 cr saplings in July
The Maharashtra government has set an ambitious target of planting 13 crore saplings between July 1 and 31 and has appealed to various sections of the society to pitch in. In a statement issued here today, state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said 19,62,91,000 saplings have been kept ready for the purpose at 2,142 nurseries. "Saplings are available for all those interested to plant them. These include bamboo species, fruit trees, medicinal plants. Plants of religious significance are also available in nurseries. Also, rare species of trees are also available," the minister said.
10 deaths in Ker from Nipah; deaths of 2 others not yet
Ten persons have so far lost their lives to the Nipah virus in the northern Kerala districts of Kozhikode and Malappuram, health department sources said. They said two more persons, who are suspected to contracted got the virus, have died. However it was yet to be confirmed if their deaths were due to Nipah, they said. The condition of Moosa, whose two sons had died earlier, is very critical and he was on ventilator support, while another person, undergoing treatment for nipha, was responding to treatment as of now, the sources told PTI. Of Moosa's two sons, samples of only one could be sent for testing and it tested positive for the virus, they said. Another woman from the family had also died of the virus. A total of 116 persons, who had come in contact with the some of the infected persons, have been put under quarantine-- 94 in their homes and 22 in various hospitals, the sources said. A 21-year-old student hailing from Malappuram, who had gone to his hometown ...
PPCB launches compostable bags in Ludhiana
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) today launched "biodegradable" compostable bags here in its efforts to replace those made of plastic. Holding a meeting with representatives of various associations of plastic manufacturers and traders here, PPCB Chief Environmental Engineer Pradeep Gupta gave a detailed presentation about the compostable bags and its benefits. He appealed to them to shift towards compostable bags keeping in view the harmful effects of plastic on the environment. Gupta informed that compostable bags are durable and the strength of the bags has been found as good. The trial of the bags has been found to be successful, he said in the meeting. He stated that at present, five companies are manufacturing such compostable bags in India and raw material is being imported as these bags are being made of corn, potato and cane starch. The official also informed that an estimated 130-tonne plastic carry bags are being used daily in Ludhiana alone, out of the total ...
Int'l Day for Biodiversity celebrated across country
Cautioning that protecting the environment was of "utmost importance", Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor E S L Narasimhan today said the only inheritance the children sought was a clean environment. He was speaking at the national-level celebrations of the International Day for Biodiversity (IBD) 2018 at the Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University auditorium in Hyderabad. The IBD 2018 was celebrated all over the country today under the theme of "Celebrating 25 years of action on biodiversity". The celebrations were organised to mark the 25th year of the Convention on Biological Diversity coming into force. An official statement said Narasimhan highlighted that India had been conserving its rich biodiversity for ages. "We worship trees, animals and rivers, because we want to protect them. The celebration today reminds us to go back to our roots to conserve the nature in our traditional ways. For us in India, it is not the 25th year of conservation, as we ...
Nipah: 10 die in Kerala, death of 2 others not yet confirmed
The Nipah virus has so far claimed 10 lives in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in north Kerala while the deaths of two others, who are suspected to have contracted it, has not been confirmed to be due to the virus, health department sources said. The condition of Moosa, whose two sons had died earlier, is very critical and he was on ventilator support, while another person, undergoing treatment for nipha, was responding to treatment as of now, the sources told PTI. A total of 116 persons, who had come in contact with some of the infected persons, have been put under quarantine-- 94 in their homes and 22 in various hospitals, the sources said. A 21-year-old student hailing from Malappuram, who had gone to his hometown Kozhikode recently, is under observation at Thiruvananthapuram Medical college hospital. One person is under observation in Waynad. Kerala Health minister K K Shylaja had told reporters earlier in the day that 10 deaths were due to nipha virus. The World ...
UAE marks International Day for Biological Diversity
Dubai, May 22 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined the world in celebrating World Biodiversity Day on Tuesday.
Kolkata to get its first-ever women traffic constables soon
Kolkata will soon see women traffic constables managing the roads and its unruly vehicles for the first time.
Major scam in water conservation plans: Gujarat Congress
Paresh Dhanani, the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, on Tuesday alleged a major scam by the BJP government in the water conservation schemes carried out in the state since 2006 until recently.
Nipah: 12 die in Kerala, 10 deaths confirmed to be from Nipah
Twelve persons have so far lost their lives in Kerala since the outbreak of Nipah a fortnight ago in the northern kerala districts of Kozhikode and Malappuram, with 10 of them testing positive for the virus. Health department sources said two persons suspected to have contracted the virus have died, but it was yet to be confirmed if these were due to Nipah. The condition of Moosa, whose two sons had died earlier, is very critical and he was on ventilator support, while another person, undergoing treatment for nipha, was responding to treatment as of now, the sources told PTI. A total of 116 persons, who had come in contact with some of the infected persons, have been put under quarantine-- 94 in their homes and 22 in various hospitals, the sources said. A 21-year-old student hailing from Malappuram, who had gone to his hometown Kozhikode recently, is under observation at Thiruvananthapuram Medical college hospital. One person is under observation in Waynad. Kerala Health ..
Bodies of labourers found buried in Jhansi power plant
The bodies of two labourers have been found buried in the coal yard of Paricha Power Plant in Jhansi on Tuesday.After the bodies were recovered, workers gathered outside the plant and staged a demonstration demanding jobs for the families of the deceased.Later, a compensation of Rs 5 Lakh each was announced for the family of the deceased.More details awaited.
HC asks Centre to plan how to record nature & quantity of e-waste in Delhi
The Delhi High Court today directed the Centre to prepare an action plan in two months for recording the quantity and nature of electronic waste (e-waste) generated in the national capital. The direction by a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar came after Sunita Narain, who heads the Centre for Science and Environment, submitted a report which said there was no inventorisation of the e-waste of the city. The report said a proper record of the quantity and nature of e-waste would help to manage it better. The court had earlier dubbed e-waste as a "critical area" that has so far escaped attention. Taking note of the submissions, the court directed the Environment Ministry to examine the report and come out with an action plan on the mode and manner in which inventorisation would be effected. The bench said that the plan and the steps therein have to be time bound and directed the ministry to also indicate how e-waste was being managed and disposed of at .
Leopard's paw seized in MP, use in sorcery suspected: Official
A leopard's paw, possibly used for "tantra mantra" (sorcery), was seized from a tractor agency located in Lakhnadon town in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district, a senior forest department official said. Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) of the Forest department D L Bhagat said, "Acting on a tip-off, a forest department team raided a tractor agency located on National Highway 7 in Lakhandon yesterday evening. We found a bag containing a leopard's paw, along with bangles and other materials, used in tantra-mantra (sorcery)." He said that a minor, who was at the agency at the time, has been detained. His father, Netram Jharia, who works at the tractor agency, has been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, Bhagat informed. The owner of the tractor agency, Pawan Shrivastava, was let off after being questioned, he added. "Investigations have found that one Kamal Yadav had brought this bag and left it at the tractor agency. Efforts are on to nab him," Bhagat said. He added that the .
Dondaicha solar park row: Mahagenco identifies sites to match
State-run power generation firm Mahagenco has identified locations in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions to set up 250 mw of solar projects, after its 500-mw Dondaicha solar park project faced resistance from locals in surrendering their lands, a top official said. "We have not been able to acquire the land required and so we are not going ahead with the project for the time being. But we are in talks with the locals. In the meantime, we are exploring opportunities in other locations where Mahagenco owns certain land parcels to match capacity," a Mahagenco official told PTI on condition of anonymity. He said the company has land parcels in Latur (Marathwada), Washim and Yavatmal (Vidarbha) where nearly 250 mw of solar capacity is likely to be installed. In June last year, Mahagenco had invited bids for the first 500 mw solar park in Maharashtra. However, the project got embroiled in a controversy after a 84-year old Dhule farmer Dharma Patil, who had come to Mantralay ..
