Jaipur:The natural and manmade lakes in the state are at varying states of degradation and some have become history. Waking up to the crisis, the state government will now table the Rajasthan Lake Development Authority Bill, 2013 in the coming session of the assembly.

The proposed bill would provide for the establishment of an authority for the purposes of protection, conservation, restoration, regeneration and integrated development of the lakes of the state.

Jaipur: The higher level of fluoride content in water, causing dental and skeleton fluorosis, will be measured by fluoride ion meters in Jaipur. A state government report says that quality of water will further deteriorate with climate change.

The medical, health and family welfare department has purchased fluoride ion meter for door-to-door survey to test water, blood and urine to find out if the excessive exposure to high concentrations of fluoride causing dental and skeleton fluorosis among the people in Jaipur and 15 other districts of the state.

494 Cases Reported In North India

New Delhi: North India suddenly finds itself facing a sharp upsurge of swine flu cases, with the virus having claimed 95 lives in just four states of the region so far this year. As per health ministry data, 64 people have died due to H1N1 influenza in Rajasthan while 18 deaths have been reported from Haryana, 10 from Punjab and three in Delhi till Wednesday. As many as 494 cases have come to light in these states in the

Jaipur: The state government is mulling to impose fresh charges on developers for laying water pipelines in new residential colonies, housing societies and highrise buildings. The idea was proposed during a meeting of the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) and the Urban Development and Housing (UDH) on Wednesday.

Keeping in view the depleting groundwater level, the government is close to revising the guidelines for water distribution. “To resolve the water supply problem in new colonies and high-rise buildings, the UDH) and PHED will prepare a preliminarily report,” said N K Khare, chief town planner of Jaipur. Revising guidelines for water distribution are also on the cards.

Jaipur Zoo May Also Become Part Of Nahargarh Park

Jaipur: The Nahargarh hills in the city may soon become a destination for wildlife lovers coming to Jaipur if a proposal to start tiger safari in the sanctuary area is approved. The idea is to cash on tourists who visit Amber by creating an additional tourism facility. Besides the forts and the museums, Jaipur would also become a potential wildlife destination and a quick substitute to Ranthambore and Sariska Tiger Reserve.

The Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB) is all set to reach up to the sky with a 26-floor residential complex planned in the Mansarovar area.

The highrise will be the tallest to be built by any civic body in the history of Rajasthan. According to senior officials, planning for the building has been completed and it will be a high-end four BHK product. The height of the residential building will be approximately between 65 and 70 metres. Earlier , it was estimated the building would be 24 storied, however , after calculations it was learnt it can constructed upto 26 storied.

Jaipur: In an ambitious conservation plan, sloth bears may be introduced in the Sariska Tiger Reserve. Following the successful relocation of tigers, the initiative aims to re-introduce an animal that had disappeared from Sariska during the early twentieth century.

Bina Kak, minister of tourism for forests and environment, said, “Sloth bears would be re-introduced from Kota and Mount Abu. Sloth bear population in Mount Abu is beyond what the area can hold leading to man-animal conflict. The genetic stock of the sloth bears from Kota and Mount Abu areas and of Sariska is assumed to be similar as they are in semiarid areas in Aravalli hills.”

Jaipur: The Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB) is all set to expedite land acquisition process to launch another big housing scheme for the residents of the city.

According to officials, directions have been issued to acquire 990 bighas of land near Bassi, Agra road to launch a housing scheme in a recent meeting. “Directions were given by the commissioner to initiate the long-pending land acquisition so that RHB can plan to launch its housing scheme by the end of this year,” said an official.

Move May Break Deadlock With JDA & Agitating Farmers

Jaipur: The Union ministry of urban development’s suggestion to construct the ring road project on self-financing basis can solve the long-pending problems of the state government. As the deadlock over the construction of ring road on 360 meters continues between the state government and farmers, the suggestion of adopting self-finance model can act as tool to resolve the issue. In the ministry’s advisory for the state, it said Surat in neighbouring state of Gujarat, has planned a self-financing model for development of its ring road and has received positive results.

Jaipur: The environment report card is out and Rajasthan is among the worst performers in the country. A latest compendium of “Environment Statistics India 2012” released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MOSPI) indicates that Rajasthan’s environment situation is appalling.

The state has the fifth highest consumption for pesticides in the country. This despite Rajasthan’s contribution to agriculture being under 10% nationally. Moreover, agrarian states like Punjab and Haryana have witnessed a dip in usage of pesticides even as it goes up in Rajasthan. The report noted that the due to excess use of pesticides, organisms develop resistance and lead to major health issues.