Concerned official circles in Madhya Pradesh are now in the action mode and have started defining the strategy to “leave behind the grim legacy of Union Carbide gas disaster of 1984 and carve out a future and build Bhopal as a global environment city” as emphasised by Prime Minister’s advisor Sam Pitroda during his visit to the state capital earlier this month.

Mr Pitroda, who has agreed to be a mentor for the state government for achieving this objective, has also told the state government that the goal of developing Bhopal as an “environment-friendly global city” should be achieved within five years.

A five-year-old tiger spotted moving on a couple of occasions recently in the forest belt between Kathotia and Kerwan, touching the southern tip of Bhopal, whose first clear picture was taken by the camera trapping method last November, has been killed by poachers.

State principal chief conservator of forest and chief wildlife warden Pramod Kumar Shukla told this newspaper that after recovering the tiger’s body on Tuesday, the forest authorities had rounded up and interrogated a few persons from Kathotia village.

A two-judge bench of Jabalpur high court on Friday admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding allotment of land to the private Chirayu Hospital in the state capital and served notices on the Madhya Pradesh government asking for a reply within four weeks.

The high court bench comprising Justice Rakesh Saxena and Justice S.C. Sinho on Friday responded to the PIL by Mr Tarun Gupta, secretary Parishram Samaj Kalyan Samiti by issueing notices to six state departments — these are departments of revenue, housing and environment, capital project administration, Medical Council of India and Chirayu Charitable Society.

A large population, especially children, in 27 of the 50 Madhya Pradesh districts are threatened by the fluorosis menace as people in these districts are being forced to drink water with excessive

After the Supreme Court’s nod to the authorities on April 4 to go ahead with a test incineration of the toxic waste of Bhopal’s abandoned Union Carbide factory at Pithampur near Indore, there is new twist to the toxic waste disposal issue as Union minister for rural development, drinking water and sanitation Jairam Ramesh has written a fresh letter to home minister and chairman, group of ministers on Bhopal, Mr P. Chidamabaram asking that the proposal by GIZ, a German government agency, for incinerating the toxic waste at Hamburg in Germany should be considered.

“Illegal mining has become a huge problem in Madhya Pradesh as the stakes are too high and those involved get huge monetary returns by indulging in this activity.” This was pointed out by state chief secretary Avani Vaish during an informal interaction with a group of media-persons at the State Academy of Administration here on Sunday afternoon.

The chief secretary, who retires at the end of April, stressed the need for joint operation against the illegal miners and said there should be a coordinated initiative by revenue, police and forest department officers whenever any raid is required to be conducted to stop illegal mining.

Extreme biotic pressure has taken the man-animal conflict to alarming levels in the forested area stretching across Raisen, Hoshangabad and Sehore districts adjoining the state capital.

Over the last several months there have been a number of tiger sightings not only on the periphery of Bhopal but on a particular occasion recently a tiger was even sighted climbing the boundary wall of the National Judicial Academy at the southern tip of the state capital.

Many questions on tiger conservation have sprung up with the first clear pictures taken by “camera trapping” of a tiger moving in the forest track between Kerwan dam and Kathotia on Bhopal’s southe