Page 895 - Environment
VW faces inquiry call over diesel fumes test on monkeys
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen's supervisory board called for an immediate inquiry into who commissioned tests in which monkeys were exposed to toxic diesel fumes, while the German government said such studies were unjustifiable.
New power projects being set up at a cost of Rs 53890 Cr: CM
The Tamil Nadu government has taken steps for setting up new power projects with a total generation capacity of 9,300 MW, at a cost of Rs 53,890 crore, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said here today. After laying the foundation stone of Stage-I of Udangudi Super Critical Thermal Power Project, he said as the demand for electricity is expected to increase in the future, "constructive steps" are being taken by the government to increase generation. He said the Udangudi project was expected to come into operation by 2020-21. Palaniswami said that Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Ltd. (TANTRANSCO) has become the first agency in the country to set up high-voltage power transmission facility during the financial year 2016-17. The chief minister said the installed power capacity of the state had increased 16,873 MW in 2010 to 29,492 MW now. Due to various initiatives, Tamil Nadu has become a power surplus state, he said. Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said the foundation
Farmer death: NCP accuses Maha minister Rawal of murky land
Maharashtra Tourism Minister and BJP leader Jayakumar Rawal has become the target of the NCP's wrath, a day after the death of an 84-year-old farmer who had last week consumed a poisonous chemical at the Mantralaya here for better land compensation. The farmer, Dharma Patil, died while undergoing treatment at the J J Hospital here late last night, triggering a political firestorm against the ruling BJP. Accusing the minister of indulging in dubious land deals, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik today said Rawal had purchased a piece of land in his native Dhule district in the year 2012 even after the same land had been notified for acquisition for a thermal power project by the state government in the year 2009. The government later scrapped the multi-crore thermal project and instead proposed a solar power project. Patil had alleged that the government offered low returns while acquiring his land for the solar power plant in Dhule district. Making a sensational claim, Malik ..
Python crocodile rescued in Agra
A 12-foot-long python and a seven-foot-long crocodile were rescued by experts of the Wildlife SOS from different areas in Agra district, an official said on Monday.
SC asks Centre to publicise information on pollution
The Supreme Court on Monday told the Centre that efforts to prevent air pollution, including from stubble-burning, cannot be limited to National Capital Region (NCR) and asked it to publicise information on the issue.
Himachal gears up to stop illegal extraction of cedar oil
Himachal Pradesh Forest minister Govind Singh Thakur today announced the formation of a joint team of police and forest department officials to crack down on illegal extraction of cedar oil. The move follows the seizure of a huge quantity of illegally extracted cedar oil from the forests in Chopal area of Shimla district. The forest department has discovered furnaces installed deep inside the forest areas by miscreants for the extraction of cedar oil, the minister said. Cedar oil finds usage in the pharmaceutical industry and also in the production of aromatic oils, sources in the forest department said, adding that the value of the seized oil could be more than Rs 1.50 crore in the international market.
Efforts on to make renewable energy accessible for all: Min
Efforts are on to make renewable energy accessible for all in Jammu and Kashmir, the state's Minister for Science and Technology Sajad Gani Lone said today. "Governments endeavour is to harness the potential of science and technology as an instrument of socio-economic change and to shift dependence for our energy needs to renewable energy sources. "The department aims to, through its endeavours, increase reach, use of renewable means by making it accessible, efficient so as to integrate its use in every household," the minister said winding up discussions in the legislative assembly on demand for grants of the department under his charge. For this, the department is working on multiple fronts by providing subsidised products consuming renewable energy including solar cooker, stoves, lamps, geysers and promotion of these gadgets by way of creating awareness among people. Science and technology department has two important verticals -- the Jammu and Kashmir Energy ...
GAIL begins pipeline work in Bengal for fuel supply to Matix
State-owned gas utility GAIL India Ltd today said it has started pipeline construction work in West Bengal for providing fuel supply to Matix Fertilizers, Durgapur. The project is part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga pipeline project that spans from Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal and Bokaro in Jharkhand and Dhamra in Odisha. The Jagdishpur-Haldia & Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project is being executed on a fast track basis, the company said in a statement. "A total of 555-km long pipeline with an approved cost of Rs 2700 crore in West Bengal will pass through eight districts of Puruliya, Bankura, Burdwan, Nadia, Hooghly, Howrah, East Medinapur and 24 North Paragana," it said. Further project activities for execution of pipeline in West Bengal up to Haldia and City Gas Distribution in Kolkata are also expected to commence shortly, GAIL said. The prestigious 2,655-km JHBDPL project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ..
Air pollution affects at least 47 million Indian children: Report
At least 47 million children under the age of five live in areas facing severe air pollution with dangerous effluent density, a report said on Monday.
TN CM lays foundation stone of Udangudi power project
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday laid the foundation stone of the Phase I of a supercritical thermal power plant of two 660 MW each at Udangudi in Tuticorin district, around 610 km from here.
Bollywood's famous dialogues find place in Economic Survey
Bollywood actor Sunny Deol's iconic dialogue 'tarikh-par-tarikh' (dates after dates) is used in the Economic Survey 2017-18 to highlight the frequent delays in the judicial process. The survey, tabled in Parliament today, called for coordinated action between government and the judiciary to address the delays and boost economic activity. It said, the next frontier on the ease of doing business is addressing pendency, delays and backlogs in the appellate and judicial arenas as these are hampering dispute resolution and discouraging investments. "The now iconic scream of 'tarikh-par-tarikh, tarikh-par- tarikh' by Sunny Deol was Bollywood's counterpart to Shakespeare: two different expressional forms -- the one loud and melodramatic, the other brooding and self-reflective -- but both nevertheless united in forcefully articulating the frustrations of delayed and-hence-denied justice," it said. This famous dialogue appeared in Bollywood blockbuster 'Damini'. Another ...
Cub found dead in Kanha reserve, MP's Jan tiger toll now seven
A tiger cub was today found dead in the Mukki range of the famous Kanha Tiger Reserve in Mandla district, taking the death toll of the endangered striped cats to seven in Madhya Pradesh in January. The cub, around 6 to 7 months old, had been killed by an adult tiger last night in the core area of the park, KTR field director Sanjay Shukla told PTI from Mandla over phone. "The deceased cub was one of the four offsprings of a tigress. Two other cubs of the tigress are missing. We had spotted the tigress with just one cub today," he added. According to a National Tiger Conservation Authority figure, 26 tiger deaths had taken place in Madhya Pradesh in 2017, the highest for any state in the country. The tiger death toll stood at 33 tigers for the last 13 months, officials said, in MP.
Crocodile creats panic among residents near Amaravati Dam
A crocodile from the Amaravathi dam slithered into human habitats in Tirupur district, triggering panic, police said today. According to police, the dam, near Udumalpet, has a large number of crocodiles and one of them climbed up and strayed into the area last evening. Forest department officials tried to catch it, but in vain due to pitch-black conditions, they said. However, they managed to capture it with ropes this morning and released it into the dam.
Give publicity to task force's report on pollution: SC to govt
The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to give publicity to the report of a high-level task force on prevention of stubble burning in states like Punjab and Haryana to make people aware that "something is being done". A bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta told the Centre that the programme related to prevention of air pollution, including stubble burning, cannot be limited to the National Capital Region (NCR). "Everybody should be aware that something is being done. There can be changes and improvements. You cannot have a programme for Delhi-NCR only. All the information has to be disseminated," the bench told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A N S Nadkarni, representing the Centre. It said that the authorities must have the willingness to change and referred to a newspaper report about pollution from dust arising out of construction activities. "The problem may be much more than what is anticipated. Flexibility has to be there," the bench ...
CMFRI kickstarts major project to boost open sea cage farming
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has kick-started a major project to boost open sea cage farming in Indian waters, setting a stage for it termed would be the 'Blue Revolution.' In a bid to bolster mariculture activities in the country in the wake of a stagnation in the capture fishery, CMFRI started the first phase of the project to train fishermen in all maritime States on open sea cage farming. The project envisages accelerating the process to usher in the 'Blue Revolution' by providing effective training to 5000 fishermen across the country with financial support of nearly Rs one crore from National Fisheries Development Board under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, a CMFRI press release said today. In the first phase of the project, a three-day training programme began at the CMFRI in Kochi today. As many as 50 fishermen from Ernakulam and Thrissur districts, who have registered with the Kerala Fishermens Welfare Fund Board, are ...
Volkswagen faces inquiry call over diesel fumes test on monkeys
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen's supervisory board called for an immediate inquiry into who commissioned tests in which monkeys were exposed to toxic diesel fumes, while the German government said such studies were unjustifiable.
Toxic air pollutants alarmingly high in Chennai: Survey
The residents of Chennai are breathing unhealthy air most of the time, claims a real-time, first of its kind citizen-led air quality monitoring network on Monday.
Economic Survey flags concern over pollution in Delhi
The Economic Survey 2017-18 which was tabled in the Lok Sabha today flagged concern over rising air pollution in Delhi-NCR.The survey ascribes four main reasons for Delhi's worsening air quality:1. crop residue, biomass burning, vehicular emissions2. redestributed road dust, industries, power plants3. winter temperature inversion, humidity4. absence of windThe survey suggests that the solution is to address each source problem systematically through coordination between agencies, central and state governments, and sustained civic engagement.It further states a short-term emergency plan and medium and long-range actions, to deal with the issue.The short-term emergency plan is to be implemented when 24-hourly Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 exceeds 300-400µg/m3, including imposing heavy penalties on burning of agricultural waste, using satellite-based tools to detect fires, payment of incentives to farmers.The medium and long-range actions include implementing congestion pricing for ...
NGT convenes meeting to identify landfill sites
The National Green Tribunal has convened a meeting of stakeholders for identifying alternative landfill sites and setting up waste-to-energy plants in the national capital. A bench headed by acting Chairperson Justice U D Salvi said there was "disagreement" among the AAP government, municipal corporations and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on the allotment of land for landfill sites which are needed urgently in Delhi. The meeting, to be held on February 3 in the NGT premises, will be attended by the chief secretary, principal secretary of urban development, commissioners of all the corporations, CEO of the Delhi Cantonment Board, managing director of the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC), vice chairman of the DDA, hairman of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and managing sirector of the NTPC. "The counsel appearing on behalf of the Delhi government submits that there have been detailed deliberations between the ..
Panel visits Mullaperiyar Dam
The Mullaperiyar sub-committee, under the Supreme Court-appointed supervisory panel, today visited the dam and carried out inspections. The team, headed by V Rajesh, Executive Engineer, Central Water Commission, inspected the main dam,Baby Dam,spillway and leakage in the structures as the part of the routine visit. The panel comprises two members each from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, besides the Chairman. The officials of both states were also present during the visit of the sub-committee. The panel last visited the dam area on December 2. There is a dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the storage level of the Mullaperyiar Dam.
