It is based on ‘direct-transect count’ methodology

A two-day census operation to enumerate wildlife commenced at Point Calimere wildlife sanctuary to coincide with the all-India tiger census in tiger habitats across the country.

The district administration will soon chalk out recommendations on royalty for farm land use by the ONGC for its oil pipelines in the district.

This was among the significant agreements chalked out at ‘peace talks’ held between the stakeholders, in the presence of the Revenue Divisional Officer here late on Tuesday, ringing in a closure to the long-drawn struggle by farmers seeking damages for oil spill from the ONGC pipeline at Keezhvelur. “Provision for royalty to farmers will be in line with the policy of payment of royalty to the government for pipelines laid below a certain depth, and which was denied to farmers until now,” said Kaveri Danapalan of the Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, after the meeting.

“Direct sowing is the way out in times of delayed water release and scarcity’’

As acres and acres of untilled land dot the tail-end of the Delta this year, there lays a tilled stretch of some 20 acres in Madapuram in Thiruthuraipoondi, bordering Nagapattinam, in the first and the only rains that lashed a few days ago. Seventy-six-year-old Oysul Karunai awaits the second spell to re-till his fields and broadcast the seeds through direct sowing.

Illegal mining of silica-rich sand goes unabated in the interiors of Chettipulam village, allegedly under the gaze of revenue administration, here in Vedaranyam. At least 10 mining sites operate illegally in the village, which is one of the few isolated pockets rich of silica sand. Silica sand falls under the category of rare earth minerals, considered critical for high-end technologies, and its mining is subject to ancillary riders.

It envisages setting up of demo plots on farmers' lands to start organic farming
KARAIKAL: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has initiated a village development programme (VDP) for community-based capacity building at Agalangal village here in Karaikal.