In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
Centre, States agree that illegal sand mining affecting infrastructure development Agreeing that illegal sand mining was adversely affecting development work and social fabric in villages, the Centre and the states have decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking clarification on the rules. They will plea to the court to clarify …
The National Green Tribunal today sought a response from the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government on a plea seeking directions to prevent pollution and contamination of water in rivers of Western UP. A bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, issued the notice to the Ministry of Environment and …
The Peruvian environmental activist had appealed to his government for help after receiving death threats from the illegal loggers that plagued the area around his village, deep in the Amazon rainforest. And yet, in September, he and three other prominent members of the Peruvian Ashéninka community were ambushed and shot …
It has already registered separate cases on the basis of the FIRs The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money has asked the Enforcement Directorate to track down the unaccounted money generated in cases of illegal mining unearthed by the M.B. Shah Commission of Enquiry. The Commission had earlier submitted …
Does growth in Left-wing extremism have a bearing on the increase in elephant deaths in Odisha? Yes, if senior IPS officer Binay Kumar Behera's research on the issue is to be believed. "Possibly, militancy and poaching in Odisha are two sides of the same coin," says Behera, who in his …
Illegal mining is going on in slate mines of Khaniara as the state government has failed to deposit ~1.6 crore with the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests for mining. Due to the failure of the state government to deposit the said amount, the residents of Khaniara have lost the …
Haryana mining cases are likely to get priority hearing in the Supreme Court as senior advocate Harish Salve, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in matters relating to projects in forest areas, today pleaded for fast-tracking their disposal. Appearing before the SC’s new Forest Bench headed by Chief …
At least seven permissions for sand mining, many of them given last year, were found to be in violation of norms laid down by the Union ministry of environment and forests. Not only district magistrate, but even the Uttarakhand state government, is now facing heat in the matter. Of the …
State govt will have to finalise leases within 3 to 6 months, but allowed say on time frame The Union Mines Ministry has issued fresh guidelines for giving mineral concession under which the State government has to clear (sign) the mining leases within a period of three to six months …
One of the members of the now defunct Team Anna, Mufti Shamoon Qasmi has addressed a memorandum to Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi accusing the State -Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) of trying to legitimise the illegal mining activities currently underway in the Doon Valley and within 10 kilometres of …
Mufti Shamoon Qasmi, a founder member of India Against Corruption and close associate of Anna Hazare, has said a delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee and demand a CBI probe into illegal mining on riverbeds going on in Uttarakhand. Qasmi told mediapersons here today that despite a ban on mining …
Meet likely to take stock of action on Shah panel report The state task force on mining to meet tomorrow is likely to take a call on the fate of 18 iron ore and manganese mines awaiting express orders to restart operations. These mine leases are off operations since the …
State demand of Rs 61,705 crore from errant miners was contested by scores of lessees in the Revision Authority The report of the Supreme Court appointed central empowered committee (CEC) has dashed Odisha’s hopes of recovering a hefty penalty from miners embroiled in excess mining of iron ore and manganese …
alarming: Illegal sand mining is rampant in villagers bordering Shidlaghatta and Chikkaballapur taluks. The rapidly-growing construction industry in Bangalore has fuelled an active ‘night life’ for villages in the surrounding districts. As the night falls, tens of trucks line up transporting illegally mined sand to Bangalore from the districts, taking …
Seeks report from Rohtak Divisional Commissioner, Karnal DC Just a month after the Haryana Government was told to look into land grab and illegal mining along the banks of the Yamuna in Karnal district, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asserted that collusion between authorities concerned and “affluent persons” …
With collection of riverbed materials and mining starting in the district from November 1, 2014, the Nainital district administration has asked the officials concerned to take necessary steps to stop illegal mining. An FIR will be registered against those who are found indulging in illegal mining activities, asserted the district …
Javier Gomez sucks the last morsels of meat from the leg bone of an agouti, a large Amazonian rodent, his creased face belying his 44 years. ‘We’re just happy to have the work,” he shrugs wearily. “Here the only work is timber, that’s it. It’s heavy work but we’re used …
Covert GPS surveillance of timber trucks by Amazon campaigners has revealed how loggers are defeating attempts to halt deforestation in the world’s greatest rainforest. Raids by law enforcement officers are expected early on Wednesday morning, acting on the evidence handed to them by Greenpeace Brazil. The activists went undercover in …
A new research project led by the University of Melbourne aims to make Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) forestry industry financially sustainable and bring social and environmental benefits to the developing nation. The project – Enhancing value added wood processing in Papua New Guinea – will investigate how improvements to the …
Panaji: RTI activist Sudip Tamankar has moved the high court of Bombay at Goa challenging the state government's recently-announced mining lease renewal policy. In his writ petition, Tamankar has alleged that the state government is trying to allow mining companies, which were found by the Shah Commission of Inquiry to …
