Page 885 - Environment

PWD starts repair works on Shahdara flyover; traffic to be hit

The Public Works Department of the Delhi government has started repair works on the Shahdara flyover, one of the longest and oldest flyovers in the city, after some gaps were detected on it. Due to the repair work, traffic movement may be affected on the stretch for the next two-and-a-half months. The 2-km-long flyover, constructed in early 2000s, witnesses heavy traffic movement every day as it is used by vehicles going towards Ghaziabad and vice-versa. "The PWD has started the repair work of Shahdara flyover. We have closed one carriage of the flyover from Seelampur to Dilshad Garden and traffic has been diverted under the flyover. "The repair work will continue for two and a half months," a senior official said. The official said that to ensure smooth driving on the Shahdara flyover, the department has also decided to remove existing expansion joints which are at every 20 meter- distance. "However, we will ensure that expansion joints are at every 40 meters. Removal ..

Chennai air quality consistently poor: Expert

Air quality in the coastal city of Chennai in the past two months was consistently poor with all the samples designated as at least 'unhealthy' as per US standards, an international expert said on Sunday.

Kachchrapur to Safaipur: The magical transformation of a historic Delhi neighbourhood (IANS Special Series)

Ten-year-old Chandni, living in the predominantly Muslim settlement of Hazrat Nizamuddin that grew around a venerated Sufi shrine, excitedly talks about the makeover of her once filthy neighbourhood that used to be disparagingly called "Kachrapur" (Garbageville) by outsiders.

Winter migratory birds flock Chhattisgarh's Jashpur forests

Chhattisgarh's tribal-dominated Jashpur district is turning into a paradise for winter migratory birds and the winged guests belonging to over 40 species have been spotted in sprawling forests in the area. As per a survey being conducted by the state's Forest department in association with the Bird Count India--a consortium of organisations and groups--as many as 158 species of birds, both migratory and resident, were spotted in the district, located around 400 kms away from the state capital in northern part of the state. "The dense forest and cold climate conditions of the district have contributed immensely in it becoming a destination for the migratory birds," Ravi Naidu, Project Assistant for Bird Count India, told PTI. He said the survey was undertaken in Chhattisgarh for the first time to ascertain the number and species of birds found in the state. "Twenty four districts have so far been covered under the drive and of them, Jashpur, has been the favourite in ...

Telangana CM for big push to crop production

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said that the district ministers should initiate measures to form farmers coordination committees to take responsibly of marketing the crops and getting minimum support price (MSP) on it.Speaking at the review meeting, Rao said, "The district-level farmers coordination committee members will find out what crop is cultivated to which extent and they will take responsibility of marketing the produce and getting the MSP.""Farmers should bring in their paddy in a regulated manner to the markets and they will be guided by the Coordination Committees in this regard. If the paddy is not being sold in the market, the Coordination Committees will buy it. Also, the Markfed responsibilities should be redefined against the backdrop of the Farmers Coordination Committees. The Coordination Committees should play a key role in eliminating all the problems of the farm sector," the Chief Minister added.The Chief Minister further noted that the need for ...

DPR for Nagpur Metro Phase 2 to be submitted by April

The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd conducted a stakeholders' consultation meet on the proposed Phase-2 of Nagpur Metro here today. MD of MMRC Brijesh Dixit told reporters that the Phase 2 will include corridors in all directions with a total length of about 48 km and 33 stations. Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Phase 2 corridors was in advanced stage of completion, he said. Field studies including traffic surveys, topographical surveys and geo-technical investigations will be completed shortly and the DPR will be submitted to the government in April, he said. The Phase 2 is estimated to cost about Rs 11,000 crore. "Phase 1 (work) is progressing well. Phase 1 has two corridors of about 41 km length with a total of 40 stations. Thus the city and district will have a total Metro network of about 89 km with 73 stations once the Phase 2 is sanctioned," Dixit said.

Decomposed tigress carcass found in Maha's Chandrapur district

The decomposed body of a full grown tigress was found today afternoon near Gangasagar Heti village in Talodhi forest range under Brahmapuri division here. Chief Conservator of Forests (Chandrapur Division), Vijay Shelke, said it was found in Compartment number 90 of the Talodhi forest range. He said that a team of forest officials including Deputy Conservator of Forests, Kulraj Singh, reached the spot but could not conduct an autopsy as it was getting dark. "The carcass of the tigress was in a putrified state and all its body parts, like claws, canines etc, were found intact. The post mortem would be conducted on Sunday to ascertain the cause of death," Shelke said. This is the second instance of a tiger death in the district in the past fortnight, officials said. Earlier, a tigress was killed in a territorial fight with another big cat in the Sindewahi range here and its carcass was found on January 23.

Four killed in chemical factory blast in China

An explosion ripped through a chemical factory in east China's Shandong Province today, killing four people and injuring six others, officials said. The blast occurred in the morning at the Jinshan Chemical Plant Co Ltd in an economic development zone in Linshu County while maintenance work was underway, according to the county government. Four people were killed and six others wounded in the blast, local authorities said, adding that two persons were severely injured. Owner of the chemical plant is in police custody, state- run Xinhua news agency reported. Two persons were killed and eight others injured in a chemical factory blast in China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region last year.

DBTE will not be forced on farmers: Amarinder Singh

Under fire from opposition over the Direct Benefit Transfer for Electricity scheme, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today said farmers will not have to make any payment nor will they be forced to join this pilot project for agriculture consumers. The direct benefit scheme was mooted as a solution to the worsening groundwater problem, he said in a statement here. Singh claimed that contrary to the falsehoods being spread by the opposition, farmers would not be charged for power consumption. He also announced farm debt waiver for another three lakh farmers before the Budget Session which is likely to be held in the second week of March. He said under the scheme, farmers will be paid money, in advance, directly into their bank accounts, from which they can pay their electricity bills. Whatever they save will go into their pockets, he said, adding that the move aimed to encourage farmers to save groundwater by minimising its use. If the groundwater crisis was ...

Brazil court suspends export of live animals for slaughter

A Brazilian judge has suspended export of live animals for slaughter, citing concerns that they are transported in cruel conditions. Exports can only restart when guarantees of adequate treatment are provided, Judge Djalma Moreira Gomes in Sao Paulo wrote in his decision yesterday, published in the local media. The injunction was in response to a case brought by an animal rights group, National Forum for the Defense and Protection of Animals. The forum's civil suit cited conditions aboard the ship "Nada," currently docked in Sao Paulo's Porto de Santos with about 27,000 heads of cattle owned by Minerva Foods and bound for Turkey. A veterinary report found that the animals were held in tiny and unhygenic spaces. Gomes wrote he was accepting the petition "to prevent the export for slaughter of live animals, from throughout the national territory, until the destination country adopts slaughter practices in line with those of the Brazilian legal system." Animals currently ..

Verandah brings Ranthambore tiger out of the woods

The majestic Indian tiger found in the jungles of Ranthambore underscored the collection by label Verandah at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018. The clothing line, which was dedicated to the national animal, by Anjali Patel Mehta was inspired by the designer's travels to the Ranthambore National Park, where a tiger named T 91, now a renegade, caught her eye. On a lazy summer morning, it took a group of dhol players to wake the people up and draw their attention to the cause of tiger conservation and rehabilitation of the poachers. The animal prints, especially the tiger, have continued to remain in vogue, but here in the 'Cruise Collection T 91', the animal was present in its entirety - the face and the whole body. To raise more awareness about the cause, Mehta collaborated with NGO TigerWatch and pledged to donate 10 per cent profits globally from her collection next year to the organisation. "We do live in the glamour world. It's a huge business in India. But .

JICA asks Assam to remove impediments in project completion

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) today urged the Assam government to sort out the problematic areas that are hindering the timely completion of projects funded by it in the state. "There are problems in entry permission procedures. The security situation is also a cause of concern. Availability of land, preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment and counterpart funds are matters of concern in Assam," JICA India Office Chief Representative Takema Sakamoto said on the first day of the two-day global investors summit Advantage Assam. Sakamoto said that the Assam government has to work to overcome these challenges, so that JICA can maintain its good track ecord and return value for the investments made in the state. JICA has a long presence in Assam. We had been working in the state since 1981 and we are keen to expand our cooperation with the state, Sakamoto said. JICA has committed projects worth over Rs 6,000 crore in Assam at the moment, including the ..

Punjab to expedite work on Swachh Bharat Mission

Punjab was asked to expedite the work on becoming an open defecation-free (ODF) state in a review meeting of the Centre's flagship urban development schemes here today. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri reviewed the progress of the Centre's flagship schemes -- AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart Cities Mission, Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission -- in Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh. Talking to reporters, Puri said urbanisation posed a formidable challenge. "As per the 2011 Census, 31 per cent of India lived in urban spaces which come at about 337 millions. The kind of urban challenge we have that by 2031, the number of people living in urban areas will be in the order of 600 millions. It will involve urban development and re-development," said Puri, flanked by Punjab local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and Haryana local bodies minister Kavita Jain. He said the ...

Patanjali aims to increase farmers' income tenfold: Acharya Balkrishna

Patanjali is moving forward with an aim to increase the income of farmers tenfold, said company CEO Acharya Balkrishna on Saturday.Speaking at Advantage Assam-Global Investors Summit'18 in Guwahati, Balkrishna said, "Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a target of doubling the income of farmers, if businessmen and industrialists take a pledge to not let waste products of farmers then their income can be increased by ten times within three to four years."He added that Patanjali is marching ahead with the aim of increasing the income of farmers by tenfold.Balkrishna highlighted the low rate of food processing in India."Whereas USA process 90 percent of its food, China 40 percent, Thailand 30 percent but India processes only six to eight percent of its food," Balkrishna said.Under the guidance of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Patanjali has been doing remarkable work in the food processing sector."India currently processes 7 crore tonnes food, and out of it, Patanjali processes around 20 lakh

Patanjali aims to increase farmers' income ten times: Acharya Balkrishna

Under the guidance of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Patanjali has been doing remarkable work in the food processing sector

Canadian PM heckled over pipeline issue

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was today heckled by protesters during a townhall as he defended his governments decision to support the expansion of a trans-mountain pipeline through British Columbia (BC). The prime minister was greeted by a chorus of boos amidst cheers by another section of people as he walked into the Vancouver Island University hall at Nanaimo town in British Columbia during the last lap of his cross country tour, according to CBC. The reports said Trudeau defended his decision to approve the Kinder Morgan pipeline by justifying his ideas about protecting the environment while ensuring the balanced development of the growing economy. "We wanted a national carbon reduction plan, a national emissions plan that is going to allow us to reach our climate goals, to reach our Paris [climate accord] commitments," he said. "But in order to do that, part of moving forward is approving the Kinder Morgan pipeline," Trudeau said. "It is something many ...

Department of Space tasked to deliver 3 earth observation, 2 communication satellites next fiscal

The Department of Space has been allocated Rs 8,936.97 crore in the Budget for various space-related projects. It has also been tasked to achieve certain targets - deliver three earth observation, two communication satellites - next fiscal.

Join campaign to sensitise people on climate change: Vardhan

Union minister Harsh Vardhan today said people in Delhi are facing the problem of air pollution and asked the teaching community to join a campaign to sensitise all about climate change and global warming, which he termed was a matter of "concern" for the world. He said the Department of Science and Technology would launch a mission on cyber physical systems to support setting up centres of excellence in areas of robotics, artificial intelligence, digital manufacturing, big data analysis, quantum communication and Internet. Referring to the crucial role played by 'Polio Sainiks' from municipal corporation schools in the Pulse Polio campaign, the Union environment minister underlined the need for 'Green Sainiks' to broaden the 'Green Good Deeds' campaign and take it to the grassroots level. Addressing around 700 principals of all government schools from North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Vardhan said environment is a matter of global concern like never before, and asked .

Japan launches micro-satellite rocket

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched on Saturday the world's smallest rocket with the ability to put a micro-satellite into orbit, following a failed attempt and several postponements over the last year.

Power Minister calls the Budget 2018 as path breaking, as it facilitates 'Ease of Living' and 'Ease of Doing Business' in the country

Shri Singh specifically cited steps like ensuring one and half times the cost of cultivation for the farmers through MSP fixing and bringing over 10 crore poor families under Health cover net by the Government, and termed the Budget 2018 as path breaking in many ways.