Environmental Issues

District Collector B. Lakshmikantham said on Thursday the stage had been set for the India leg of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) F1H2O World Championship Grand Prix of Amaravati, the fifth round of powerboat racing from Friday in the Krishna river. Mr. Lakshmikantham told the media here that all arrangements …

Punjab govt. fined Rs. 50 crore for pollution The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday ordered the Punjab government to submit a fine of Rs. 50 crore as environmental compensation for polluting rivers Sutlej and Beas due to industrial discharge. The Bench has asked the Punjab government to recover the fine …

Will bring widespread rain, 80-90 kmph gale-force winds Parts of coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will begin to get widespread rainfall from Thursday as Cyclone Gaja comes closer to the Tamil Nadu coast. According to officials of the meteorological department, Gaja now lies over the Bay of Bengal, about 510 …

Forest official wrote on Sept. 20 about lack of coordination Even as this month’s shooting of Avni, the tigress that is said to have killed 13 villagers, remains a subject of intense debate, a letter written by a forest department official to Maharashtra’s Chief Wildlife Warden reveals the disquiet over …

Cyclone Gaja gathers strength over Bay of Bengal The weather office has issued an yellow alert indicating isolated heavy rainfall for Kottayam, Idukki, and Palakkad districts on November 15 and 16 under the influence of cyclonic storm Gaja gathering strength over the Bay of Bengal. An orange alert indicating isolated …

After human deaths continued, the order was to tranquillise the tigress and shoot-at-sight only as a last resort, says A.K. Misra, who sanctioned the kill Avni, the tigress of Pandharkwada, was shot dead by sharp-shooter Asghar Ali Khan on the spur of the moment, said A.K. Misra, the Principal Chief …

System may intensify into severe storm in the next 24 hours The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclone ‘Gaja’ on Sunday. North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are likely to get good rain on November 14 and 15, India Meteorological Department officials said. Named ‘Gaja’ by Sri …

Opposition parties in Maharashtra demand arrest of Sudhir Mungantiwar and investigation by CBI Opposition parties today demanded the arrest of Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who has been under pressure for allegedly ordering the killing of tigress Avni. The Congress, Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded his dismissal …

Opposition parties in Maharashtra on Saturday demanded the arrest of Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who has been under pressure for allegedly ordering the killing of tigress Avni on November 3. The Congress, Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded his dismissal or, they said, protests would be held …

The National Health Mission has said the recent Zika virus outbreak in Rajasthan was under control after the detection of over 150 cases of infection, including those among pregnant women. Source  :  https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/zika-outbreak-in-rajasthan-under-control-nhm/article25459232.ece

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has constituted a three-member team of independent wildlife experts to probe how the man-eating tiger Avni (T1) was killed. After animal activist and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi criticised the killing of Avni (which was legally sanctioned by Maharashtra’s wildlife authorities) last Sunday, the NTCA …

Mamallapuram and Bommayarpalayam among sites chosen for study to provide solutions In the past two decades, Tamil Nadu has reportedly lost 41% of its shoreline to erosion. As an effort to protect the coastline, National Centre for Coastal Research is preparing a report to identify vulnerable areas and propose solutions …

Whitewash, single-use, vegan, plogging among key words “Single-use” was named the Collins Dictionary word of the year on Wednesday, following a four-fold increase in its usage since 2013, in a reflection of increased concerns about sustainability. It edged out “MeToo” and “whitewash” to top the list of 10 new and …

Centre’s efforts have been on cleaning the river, while neglecting steps to ensure its natural flow: activists The government has banned the construction of jetties, ports or “permanent hydraulic structures” in the Ganga, unless permitted by the National Ganga Rejuvenation Authority, according to a proposed ‘Ganga Act’, viewed by The …

On Tuesday, the city breathed easy, with residents bursting fewer crackers than usual during Deepavali. However, the Supreme Court order on bursting crackers for only two hours seemed to have been flouted by many residents, who enjoyed the festive spirit the entire evening. Thoraipakkam resident Prabhakar said that children in …

Reform agenda bearing fruit,says World Bank India jumped 23 ranks in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index 2018 to 77. In the 2017 report, the country was ranked 100. The Index ranks 190 countries based on 10 indicators across the life-cycle of a business, from “starting a business” …

‘Other States can use existing stocks this year’ The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed States other than Delhi to use their existing stocks of crackers for Diwali next week. However, the Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan directed that only green crackers can be manufactured henceforth across the …

Action taken for not covering construction material The Noida Authority on Sunday fined a developer Rs. 5,000 for not adhering to the National Green Tribunal norms regarding construction. The developer was fined for not covering construction material at a site in Sector 63. The developer was warned of stricter action …

Caught in a four-decade, inter-State wrangle, the villagers of Umru come together to ensure a safe stopover for a flock of Amur falcons Umru village on the Assam-Meghalaya border lacks a road but that doesn’t stop its famous winter visitors — a flock of Amur falcons, the world’s longest travelling …

Air quality turns ‘very poor’ ashaze engulfs city The Capital continues to battle dangerous levels of pollution and on Sunday recorded its worst score on the Air Quality Index (AQI) for the season. The city registered an average AQI of 366, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category, based on …