Union Minister of State for Labour Kodikunnil Suresh has said the lack of coordination between various departments of the State government had led to the delay in taking up projects to protect the Sasthamcotta Lake.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the Union Minister said the Centre had told the State government several times that it was ready to provide the necessary funds for the protection of the lake. The lack of coordination among the departments was the main problem. Mr. Suresh said there was a delay in setting up a steering committee in Kerala and in submitting the report to the Ministry.

A committee set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to probe the death of five elephants in Orissa's Ganjam district due to a speeding train has recommended that the Railways should restrict the speed of trains passing through identified vulnerable tracks in forests to a maximum 40 km per hour to prevent elephant deaths.

On the intervening night of December 29 and 30 last year, five elephants were mowed down by Coromondel Express, speeding at 110 km/hr near Subalaya in Ganjam district, when the herd was crossing the track. Incidentally, the accident occurred at the spot where the Railways had put up a warning signage of elephants crossing.

Environment ministry does not evaluate cumulative environmental impact of multiple dams in a region. Funded by the project proponent, the EIA report of a project too downplays the environmental costs, reports M Rajshekhar

Housed in the ministry of environment and forests is a quasi-independent body whose job is to scrutinise every hydel-power project for environmental damage. In its six years, the hydel environmental assessment committee (EAC) has evaluated 262 hydropower plants and irrigation projects, according to a February 2013 study by the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, a Delhi-based antidam organisation; it hasn’t rejected a single one.

With the clock ticking, the tribal affairs ministry has set the ball rolling for village assemblies or gram sabhas to decide on allowing Vedanta to source bauxite from the Niyamgiri hills, consider

The state government on Friday proposed a buffer zone of up to 1 km around wildlife sanctuaries (WLS) and national parks (NP) in the state.

Once commissioned, the plant will add 1,600 Megawatt to the company's portfolio

Following its move to shift its flagship Gadarwara project from Odisha to Madhya Pradesh, power generator NTPC has crossed a major hurdle by securing the environment ministry’s approval for the Rs 11,640-crore power plant. Once commissioned, the project would add 1,600 Mw to the company’s portfolio.
As the ministry’s environment clearance was on the condition that the project be set up as a role model, NTPC has quickly moved to source equipment and fuel for the project.

The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has called for suggestions and comments from various stakeholders on the Kasturirangan review committee report that has classified 122 villages in the state as ecosensitive areas along the Western Ghats.

A high-level working group (HLWG) on Western Ghats, chaired by K Kasturirangan, had reviewed the Madhav Gadgil-chaired Western Ghats Experts Ecology Panel (WGEEP) report as all the five states along the Western Ghats had raised objections against the Gadgil report.

PANJIM: Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has constituted 11 members Expert Appraisal Committee to examine issues relating to both, environment clearances of iron ore mining leases and illegal handling of dumps in Goa.

The Appraisal Committee, chaired by ex-secretary MoEF, Vishwanath Anand, has been directed to submit its report within three months by making case to case recommendations to MoEF.

PANJIM: The Goa government after partially objecting to Prof Madhav Gadgil committee report on the Western Ghats, Thursday claimed it will have no money in its treasury to pay salaries if all recommendations in the report are accepted.

“I was saying the other day that if we had to accept all the recommendations of Prof Gadgil committee report, then we will have no money to pay for salaries, even the salaries of Judges,” Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the House on the concluding day of the Budget Session of the State Legislative Assembly Thursday.

With rising incidents of death of wildlife, particularly elephants, by speeding trains, the Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) has identified vulnerable stretches of railway tracks across