Page 927 - Environment
Over 6 mln motorists booked by Delhi Traffic Police in 2017
More than six million motorists were booked by Delhi Traffic Police last year and a whopping Rs 94.25 crore was collected as fines for violation of traffic rules, according to an official report. Improper parking and not using seat belts were biggest offences that invited 10.37 and 5.93 lakh challans. Although the number of vehicles on Delhi roads has increased by approximately 50 times between 1971 and 2017, the road length increased only by four times, according to the annual report of Delhi Traffic Police. "The differential rate of increase in the vehicle numbers and road length has resulted in very high vehicle density, Dependra Pathak, special commissioner (Traffic) of Delhi Police, said. "In this scenario, traffic management and smooth flow of traffic in Delhi is a challenge as regards enforcement, regulation and sustainable traffic management," Pathak told reporters. In 2016, a total of 40,25,243 people were prosecuted for traffic violations. The number went up to
R-Infra bids lowest for NTPC unit flue gas de-sulphurisation: Sources
Reliance Infrastructure (R-Infra) has emerged as lowest bidder in a state-run power generator NTPC tender for the flue gas de-sulphurisation (FGD) works of its 3x500 MW coal-fired thermal plant in Haryana's Jhajjar, informed sources said on Thursday.
Pb asks Centre to rename NH-344A as Mata Gujri Marg
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today wrote to Union minister Nitin Gadkari asking him to rename National Highway-344A as Mata Gujri Marg. In Fatehgarh Sahib last month, the chief minister had said that the proposal to declare the new national highway from Patiala to Panyali (on Ropar-Phagwara road) via Sirhind- Fatehgarh Sahib-Bassi Pathana-Morinda as Mata Gujri Marg was submitted to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). In his letter to Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Singh said that the feasibility report and detailed project report (DPR) of the road was already in the process of preparation and would soon be submitted to him. The historic towns of Sirhind, Fatehgarh Sahib and Chamkaur Sahib, where the four Sahibzadas of the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh attained martyrdom, are located on this road. Mata Gujri, the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, is an iconic figure in the Sikh history and is remembered for her ...
Valiant Organics gets provisional consent order from GPCB
Receives environmental clearance for enhanced production capacity
NHPC paid Rs 52 cr to J-K as value of free power: Dy CM
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today said NHPC has paid Rs 51.94 crore to State Power Development Corporation as the value of1 per cent free power since 2008. "Since 2008 NHPC has paid Rs 51.94 crore to State Power Development Corporation as the value of one per cent free power(110.50 MUs) it owes from its various power projects in thestate," Singh said while replying to a question of legislator Jeevan Lal in the Legislative Assembly today. The deputy chief minister said that it includes Rs 19 crore for Uri-II, Rs 16.33 crore for Sewa-II, Rs 8.85 crore for Nimo-Bazgo and Rs 7.76 crore for Chutak. He said that the funds received are used for local area development. Singh further said that as a mandatory requirement, the Power Development Department is in the process of framing a roadmap for effecting implementation of scheme in affected of Basholi Tehsil.
Analysis: So close yet so far - China deal elusive for France's Areva
SHANGHAI/PARIS (Reuters) - A deal long sought by French company Areva to build a $12-billion nuclear waste reprocessing plant in China looks increasingly unlikely to go ahead despite a visit to Beijing by President Emmanuel Macron meant to drum up business.
Largest volcanic eruption in the ocean uncovered in New Zealand
Researchers have found that the world's largest deep ocean volcanic eruption happened in New Zealand.
'Ker needs to take more initiative in implementing projects'
The Union government has asked Kerala to take more initiative in implementing the Centre Sponsored infrastructure Projects (CSPs) to avoid cost over runs that it said now stands at over Rs 6,000 crore. "There is a total cost overrun to the tune of Rs 6,097.57 crore in 21 ongoing central sector projects costing Rs 150 crore and above in the state," Union Minister D V Sadanandana Gowda said here today. He said the Kerala government was not taking much initiative in implementing the CSPs in a time-bound manner and sought its co-operation and support to complete the projects. Gowda, the Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, was speaking to reporters after a review of the progress of CSPs. He said the total original cost of the 21 projects was Rs 21,774.25 crore. Due to delay in implementing them, the anticipated cost was now Rs 27,871.82 crore, he said. Stating that the Centre was ready to extend full support to the state, he said if there was any issue such ..
India to have 10,000 seaplanes in next 2 years: Gadkari
Urging the state governments to adopt new modes of transport like waterways, Union minister Nitin Gadkari today announced that 10,000 seaplanes would be brought into operation in the country over the next two years. He also said that in the next three months, rules and regulations would be put in place for operating seaplanes in the country. "The state governments should take to new modes of transportation, including inland waterways to avoid pollution and related issues arising out of road transport," the minister said. He was speaking at the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the new bridge on Versova creek that will connect Mumbai to Ahmedabad. The project is worth Rs 3,000 crore. "Around 10,000 seaplanes would be brought into the country in the next two years. Within the next three months, rules and regulations would be put in place for (operating) seaplanes. Trials were recently taken in the sea in Mumbai. This will bring a new method of transport," Gadkari said. The Road ..
New turkey-sized dinosaur species found in Australia
The partial skeleton of a new species of turkey-sized herbivorous dinosaur has been discovered in 113 million year old rocks in southeastern Australia. The fossilised tail and foot bones give new insight into the diversity of the small, bipedal herbivorous dinosaurs called ornithopods that roamed the great rift valley that once existed between Australia and Antarctica. The new dinosaur has been named Diluvicursor pickeringi, which means Pickering's Flood-Running dinosaur. The species name honours the late David Pickering, who was Collection Manager, Vertebrate Palaeontology at Museums Victoria in Australia. The skeleton of Diluvicursor pickeringi was discovered in 2005 by volunteer prospector George Caspar. "Diluvicursor shows for the first time that there were at least two distinct body-types among closely related ornithopods in this part of Australia," Matt Herne, lead author of the study published in the journal PeerJ. "One was lightly built with an extraordinarily ...
Japan protests as Chinese frigate sails close to disputed islands
Japan lodged a formal protest with China on Thursday after detecting a Chinese frigate and an unidentified foreign submarine in waters close to the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
India rice rates gain as Bangladesh keeps up purchases; Vietnam ends flat run
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice prices gained this week in India as Bangladesh continued to lap up the staple grain from its neighbour, while prospects of deals with the Philippines saw rates climb for the first time in three weeks in a relatively quiet Vietnamese market.
Butterflies, moths evolved millions of years before flowers
Butterflies and moths may have evolved during the Jurassic era - millions of years before the first flowers bloomed on the Earth, a study has found. Researchers examined soil samples for pollen, spores, pieces of plants and insect legs - organic debris that might otherwise have been considered "pond scum" when it was trapped in sediment during cataclysmic earth events 200 million years ago. The slides of rock samples drilled in the German countryside included some material that looked similar to features found in insect wings. However, these types of moths and butterflies - known as Lepidoptera - were long posited to have evolved 50 to 70 million years later, during the Cretaceous period when the first flowering plants emerged as their prime food source. "The consensus has been that insects followed flowers," said Paul K Strother, from Boston College in the US. "But that would be 50 million years later than what the wings were saying. It was odd to say the least, that ...
Domestic biomass burning deadliest air pollution source: Study
Emissions from domestic biomass burning has emerged as the deadliest air pollution source in India with it being responsible for around a quarter of the deaths caused by PM2.5, a global study has found. And this may only be the tip of the iceberg as the study does not take into account indoor exposure to biomass burning, especially in rural areas where charcoal, firewood and animal dung are used for cooking in the absence of cleaner fuels. According to the latest Global Burden of Diseases (GBD MAPS) report by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute, residential biomass burning was behind 2,67,700 deaths or nearly 25 per cent of the deaths attributable to PM2.5 in 2015. The report, which was released today, builds on the GBD report, which was launched in November last year. That report had attributed over 1.1 million deaths recorded in 2015 to outdoor exposure to PM2.5, which are ultrafine air-borne particulates as tiny as 30 times the width of a human hair. The latest .
Farmers should get cost of their paddy within 24 hours: Naveen
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has asked officials to pay cost of paddy to farmers within 24 hours through cooperative banks and within 72 hours through other banks. He also directed the officials to ensure that all mandis remain open during paddy procurement. Patnaik's directions were issued yesterday during a review meeting of the ongoing paddy procurement programme. He said more farmers, especially small and marginal ones, should register their names for selling paddy at mandis this year. At least 11.05 lakh farmers have registered their till January 9 against 9.76 farmers enrolled during the corresponding time during the last Kharif season. A total of 17.90 lakh tonne of paddy worth Rs 2,736 crore has been procured from 3 lakh farmers till January 9 and a total of Rs 2,356.75 crore has been disbursed to farmers. By this time last year, 14.11 lakh metric tonne of paddy had been procured, officials said.
Louis Berger bags Rs 109 cr order from MSRDC
Engineering and construction management firm Louis Berger today said it has won a Rs 109 crore contract from Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation for project management of Versova-Bandra Sea Link. "Louis Berger was...awarded a Rs 109 crore (17 million USD) contract by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to provide project management services for the Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL)," the company said in a statement. Construction is estimated to cost Rs 6,000 crore and will take 54 months to complete, the statement said. VBSL, a northward extension of the existing Bandra-Worli Sea Link running along the western coast of the island of Mumbai, will be an eight-lane highway, approximately 10 kms in length, connecting the western suburbs of Versova and Bandra. The main sea link will include a cable-stayed bridge section and a balanced-cantilever section for navigational purposes. It will also include two intermediate connectors, which will ...
Increase investments in R&D for energy storage: Prabhu
Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu today made a case for increasing investments in research and development activities in the area of energy storage. Addressing the Energy Storage India 2018 meet, organised by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), the minister said it is a critical component in global energy strategy. "We should be the leaders, we should invest in R&D," IESA said in a statement, quoting Prabhu. The storage process involves capturing of energy produced for using it later through an accumulator or battery. It converts energy into conveniently storable forms. About 1,000 industry experts, 100 speakers, 50 exhibitors and partners are participating from over 25 countries in the event, IESA said.
WB govt to double power supply to Sagar Island for annual fair
The West Bengal government has decided to double the power supply to Sagar Island in the South 24 Parganas district for the next few days in view of the annual Ganga Sagar Mela, which began today. A senior official at the state power department said power supply to the Sagar Island will be increased from 8.9 million units (MU) to 16 MU per day. "This has been decided keeping in mind the interests of millions of people visiting the Sagar Island. We will be supplying 16 MU every day for the next few days," the official told PTI today. Lakhs of Hindu pilgrims gather at the Sagar Island every year during Makar Sankranti to take a dip at the confluence of the Ganga and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers at Kapil Muni Ashram. "We want to make power cuts a history. Doubling the load capacity will assist in a smooth power situation during the Mela," he said. Six power generators have also been set up at the venue to address any emergency situation, the official said. "At least 10 ..
Origin of mysterious fast radio bursts unveiled
Mysterious repeated fast radio bursts possibly originate from near a massive black hole or within a nebula of unprecedented power, say scientists - including one of Indian origin. New detections of radio waves from a repeating fast radio burst have revealed an astonishingly potent magnetic field in the source's environment. A year ago, the astronomers pinpointed the location of the enigmatic fast radio burst (FRB) source named FRB 121102 and reported that it lies in a star-forming region of a dwarf galaxy more than three billion light years from Earth. The vast distance to the source implies that it releases an enormous amount of energy in each burst - roughly as much energy in a single millisecond as the Sun releases in an entire day. Using data from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the researchers including Shriharsh Tendulkar of McGill University in Canada have shown that the radio bursts from FRB121102 are highly .
Giant extinct burrowing bat discovered in New Zealand
The fossilised remains of a giant burrowing bat that lived in New Zealand millions of years ago have been discovered by an international team of scientists. Teeth and bones of the extinct bat - which was about three times the size of an average bat today - were recovered from 16 to 19-million-year-old sediments near the town of St Bathans in Central Otago on the South Island. Burrowing bats are only found now in New Zealand, but they once also lived in Australia, according to researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Burrowing bats are peculiar because they not only fly; they also scurry about on all fours, over the forest floor, under leaf litter and along tree branches, while foraging for both animal and plant food. With an estimated weight of about 40 grammes, the newly found fossil bat named Vulcanops jennyworthyae was the biggest burrowing bat yet known, researchers said. It also represents the first new bat genus to be added to New Zealand's fauna in .
