The Comptroller and Auditor General has rapped the B S Yedyyurappa and H D Kumaraswamy governments for “rampant” illegal denotification of land benefiting builders and companies during the 2007-11 period. “During 2007-11, the government denotified 123 acres and 15.5 guntas (one gunta is about 1,086 sq ft) after taking possession and another 89 acres and 23.5 guntas of land after notifying the fact of taking possession,” the CAG report said.
The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) has intensified its efforts to dissipate the message over garbage disposal across the city. Besides initiating projects to convert waste into energy by adopting new technologies by tying up with a couple of industries and institutions, it has now taken up an intensive campaign to spread the message of segregation of garbage at its origin. Segregation is being done presently at its waste management plant where the civic agency’s woirkers are engaged in the onerous task. MCC is also facing an acute shortage of manpower at the plant.
Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) heaved a sigh of relief with the recent movement of coal from the mines of the Panem Coal Mines Limited in Pakur district of Jharkhand. The 22-day-long agitation in one of Jharkhand’s largest mines run by Panem Coal Mines Ltd was called off on December 9 after the company headed by its chairman and managing director (CMD) Ujwal Upadhyay agreed to implement the provisions of the agreement it signed with the Rajmahal Pahari Bachao Anndolan Samiti in 2006.
The progress of the Indo-Russian project has been hit by protests over safety concerns Controversy-embroiled Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project will once again miss the target as the time frame of commissioning of the first unit has now been revised to the new year. Commercial operation of the 1,000 MW first unit, where 99.65% of the physical progress has been completed, is expected to take place in January next, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said.
Though the work at 5-MTPA Kochi terminal is likely to be completed in the current fiscal (FY13), the non-availability of pipeline infrastructure will limit the benefits Petronet LNG has gained more than 32 per cent since the closing lows of Rs 122.77 in May 2012. The rise comes on the back of benefits accruing to the company from the steady rise in demand for gas. The supply, however, has been limited given the falling production from the Krishna Godavari (KG) basin. The company’s volumes have risen 6.3 per cent to 135 Trillion British Thermal Units (TBTU), or 2.6 MT (million tonnes), in the September 2012 quarter, as compared to 127 TBTU in the June 2012 quarter.
Directs NIPH to do a comprehensive study The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Union of India on an application from the Centre for Public Interest Litigation alleging that though 14 States had banned gutka, the ban was not being effectively implemented. A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and S.J. Mukhopadaya issued notice after hearing counsel Prashant Bhushan. He said that only gutka (mixture of pan masala and tobacco) was banned by 14 States. Neither pure tobacco nor pan masala (without tobacco) was banned and as a result manufacture was still going on.
Punjab Cabinet approved the ambitious Rs. 1,427-crore project which will link the city with its satellite town Mohali, on Wednesday. The decision to link S.A.S. Nagar Mohali with Chandigarh was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, an official spokesman said here.
Deploring the government for introducing a cap on subsidised LPG cylinders in an arbitrary manner, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas has asked the government to review the cap of six cylinders a household a year. It said such restrictions should not be placed on people having income below a threshold. The panel, headed by Aruna Kumar Vundavalli, said it recommended last year ending supply of LPG cylinders to the rich and affluent sections who, it described as, people having annual income more than Rs. 6 lakh and those holding constitutional posts and public representatives such as MPs and MLAs. It had asked the government to review and amend the decision in line with the panel's recommendations.
The human-elephant conflict has intensified in Sathyamangalam region as the number of crop raids has witnessed a sharp rise. In the last few weeks, the region saw more than 30 elephant raids that resulted in heavy economic loss to the farmers. A farmer in a remote village in Thalamalai had even attempted suicide on Monday after elephants damaged his ragi field. It was said the farmer, Puttunathan (55) of Thottapuram village in Thalamalai hills resorted to the act after elephants raided the crops in his field frequently.
PANJIM: Peeved at the lack of visible results on the garbage management front, the Indo German Friendship Society questioned chairman of Goa State Pollution Board Jose Manuel Noronha on the issue of garbage
The residents of Mandur remained indoors as ban orders under Section 144 of the CrPC remained in force for the fourth consecutive day in the village in the wake of protests against dumping of garbage at the landfill site. Amid tight security, nearly 200 truckloads of garbage from the City were dumped at the landfill site. Strong protests had broken out against what the villagers call deception by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
Members in the Legislative Council on Wednesday demanded a foolproof policy for controlling illegal sand mining in the State and conserving rivers for future generations. Illegal sand mining and use of mechanised boats for extracting sand from river basins posed a threat to the existence of rivers, they contended. JD(S) member M Srinivas said that sand mafia was active in the State and more than 90 per cent of sand in the State was mined illegally, like iron ore in Bellary. But, the government had failed to take action against those involved in the illegal activity.
Officials used to hide casualty numbers, says health minister Minister for Health and Family Welfare Aravind Limbavali on Wednesday admitted in the Assembly that officials of his department used to hide the truth about the dengue deaths, prior to his taking over as minister. Replying to a question by Bandepppa Kashempur (JD-S), the minister said, “It is a fact that officials used to conceal information regarding the deaths. But, once I took over as the minister, I instructed officials to give correct information. Details are now hosted on the department’s website also,” he said.
PANJIM: The quarterly meeting of TB forum of the Voluntary Health Association of Goa on Monday identified five villages where steps would be taken to create awareness about tuberculosis and help villagers to move towards elimination of the disease. The villages are Parra, Karapur-Sarvan, Pariyem-Sanquelim, Betki and Carambolim. Executive Director VHAG Dr Cynthia Pinto said these villages have been identified under Axshya project, which was implemented in Goa in 2011 to improve the reach, visibility and effectiveness of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) through civil society.
Rs.15 for a unit for those exceeding 300-unit monthly limit The Kerala State Regulatory Commission has ordered to levy Rs.15 per unit from domestic consumers who exceed the 300-unit monthly limit set for them. The current power tariff for the consumers in the 300 to 500 unit slab is Rs.7.50 per unit. On crossing the 300 unit consumption limit, the consumers now will have to pay a penalty of Rs.15 per unit. The new rate will come into force from December 15 to May 31, 2013.
Alarmed by this year’s scanty rainfall and the drying up of water reserves in several parts of the State, the office of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has forwarded a recommendation to the State government to this effect. The scarce northeast monsoon has failed to make up for the shortfall in the southwest spell during the past two years. The southwest monsoon’s share of rainfall this year was the lowest in the last seven years.
Councillors of Eloor municipality on Tuesday laid siege to the environment surveillance centre of the State Pollution Control Board at Eloor. The protest was to press for their demands including action against the public-sector Hindustan Insecticides Ltd. (HIL) for allegedly dumping chemical effluents in to the Kuzhikandam creek. Municipal authorities had issued a notice to the HIL management on Monday directing them to remove the outlet carrying effluents into the creek. The notice was issued after residents complained that the dumping had triggered a foul smell in the region.
Giving a push to the much-delayed Pedder Road flyover, the union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has recommended the project for green clearance after being satisfied with the project proponent’s plans surrounding mitigation of noise and air pollution. The project has been stuck for over a decade for want of an environmental clearance and opposition from residents along the alignment, including personalities such as Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Now, with the environmental clearance in the bag, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is implementing the project, can call for bids for the flyover after soil investigation and traffic permission is received.
SHILLONG: As many as 60 land owners including farmers staged a protest on Wednesday near Mawryngkneng demanding compensation for the land used for constructing the Shillong By pass. The villagers from Diengpasoh, Thangshalai and Mawryngkneng together with KSU also stopped the construction work in the area between Mawryngkneng and Diengpasoh.
JAIPUR: Despite receiving appreciation from the Central government for its flagship programme of affordable housing scheme, in ground reality, the state government is nowhere close to meeting its target. Last week, Union ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation recommended Rajasthan's affordable housing policy to other states to address the problems of rising number of homeless persons and slums in the country.
