Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday that proposals in the Solar Energy Policy of the government for use of tribal land for solar and other renewable energy projects would not lead t

People of Chakkittapara say they have lived as one with nature, seek people’s report

“If they touch us, it will be another Jallianwala Bagh here,” Chakkittapara grama panchayat president K. Sunil shouts over the anxious din of a grama sabha held at Muthukad Lower Primary School on the slopes of the Western Ghats on Wednesday.

Council urges Ministry to cancel clearance, send team

The State government and the KGS Group, a private company, managed to obtain environment clearance for the Aranmula airport project by furnishing totally misleading and false information to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council (AHVAC) has alleged.

Project to generate baseline data on ecology

Scientists of the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) will join hands with their counterparts in other research institutions for long- term monitoring of the Western Ghats ecology to understand the impact of climate change and develop strategies for conservation and restoration of tropical forests.

5 firms likely to ask for rethink on application to open new quarries

As many as five firms may ask for reconsideration of their application for opening new granite quarries in Western Ghats, invoking an order of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest.

The road was built without clearance under CRZ norms

The State government will tender an apology to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for constructing a road for the proposed Vizhinjam port without clearance under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations.

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Kerala Solar Energy Policy aimed at mainstreaming the use of solar energy in the energy mix of the State.

The policy proposes to increase the installed capacity in the solar sector to 500 MW by 2017 and 2,500 MW by 2030. Various incentives are proposed to promote the use of solar energy.

Report has permitted uncontrolled quarrying in most parts of ghats

The Kasturirangan report has thrown open the ecologically sensitive areas of Western Ghats to mindless exploitation which would seriously hazard ecology, according to its critics.

Madhav Gadgil, chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), has said that his report is far from “dead” and the unrest in the State is an aftermath of the “sabotage of democracy” cau

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy indicated here on Wednesday that mining of mineral sand by the private sector would be considered if there were projects with value addition.

Replying to questions from presspersons at his weekly Cabinet briefing, the Chief Minister said there were differences of opinion on granting mining rights to the private sector.