Surat: Pristine beaches of Umargam and Nargol are raising a stink once again. Oil slick, which coagulated as black balls, has once again hit the coast, leaving fisher folk jittery.

The beaches affected in the past four days include Nargol, Tadgam, Maroli, Saronda, Umargam and Daman. “The slick has kept us away from the beach. This will be equally hazardous for us and the marine life,” said Jitu Tandel, a fisherman of Nargol village. The presence of oil particles has also pushed fish into deep waters. “Now we will have to go into deep sea to find fish, which is possible only for fishermen who have bigger vessels,” he said.

Six Months After Govt Nod, PSU Looks At Financial Viability

Gandhinagar: Just six months after the Gujarat government reluctantly decided to give a go ahead to Egyptian operations of the PSU, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) has called for a complete review of whether it is worth continuing. Well-placed Sachivalaya sources informed TOI on Monday that a high-level team, led by a senior financial expert working with the Gujarat government, Manish Verma, and a few technocrats, has been rushed to Egypt to make a spot assessment.

Ahmedabad: Pollution control vessel, a dedicated oil spill recovery vessel, second of its class in Asia-Pacific region, will be commissioned by Indian Coast Guard in Surat on July 20. The 94-metre-long vessel with displacement of 3,300 tonnes is a highly specialized ship fitted with top-of-shelf technologically advance pollution response equipment and is capable of recovering and neutralizing different kinds of oil spills in the sea.

The vessel boasts of an integrated platform management system, a perfect example of human machine interface. It interfaces the main machinery, sensors and equipment onboard the ship, which can be operated and monitored from a remote location. Automation is the keyword for this system.

Forty-seven students of a government primary school at Brahmanvasi village in Gujarat were allegedly beaten up by their teacher for raising their voice against the delay in getting mid-day meals, the police said on Sunday.

The incident came to light on Saturday after Jayantibhai Somabhai, the guardian of one student, lodged a complaint against teacher Bela Patel. Ms. Patel has been removed following a hue and cry over the incident. District Development Officer Rakesh Shankar asked the District Education Officer to submit a report on the incident.

AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) was felicitated by the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize during the World Cities Summit 2012 on 2nd July in Singapore for its early success in implementing a city development plan which aims to transform India's seventh largest city into a more liveable, equitable and sustainable metropolis with a dynamic multi-sector economy and an emerging auto-hub.

The award was given to Ahmedabad's Mayor Shri Hasit Vora and municipal commissioner Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra. It was awarded by Dr. Cheong Koon Hean, CEO, Housing & Development Board of Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew, a World City Prize nominating committee member.

Gandhinagar:In an oblique attempt to keep its vegetarian banner high, the Gujarat government is meandering into a so far unexplored area to fight higher malnutrition levels.

Well-placed Sachivalaya sources said the government is working out a complete plan of seaweed cultivation. Small farmers living next to the sea shore can venture into this cultivation in a big way, not just to earn highvalue-added incomes the produce can give, but also to improve nutrition. A top state official said the move comes close on the heels of a meeting chief minister Narendra Modi took some time back,

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Thursday issued notice to the National Aids Control Organization (NACO) over a PIL demanding a change in standard testing method for detection of HIV prior to blood transfusion. It demanded adoption of a faster method of detection.

One Babulal Thakkar filed the PIL citing a TOI report on the new method of testing. Thakkar has identified himself as a lecturer from Ahmedabad. He requested the court to direct the authorities including NACO to do away with the present method of detecting HIV in India, which through the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test or the anti body test.

New Delhi The Supreme Court has rejected a salt manufacturer's plea, thus paving the way for its eviction from over 16,000 acre of the Kandla Port Tust (KPT) land in the Kutch region of Gujarat.

A bench headed by Justice DK Jain dismissed as withdrawn the Shree Krishna Salt Industries' (SKSI) plea seeking stay on the Delhi High Court's May order that directed the Estate Officer as well as a trial court in Gujarat to complete eviction proceedings against the firm and others within three months. However, it asked the HC to consider the firm's plea on merits.

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi today expressed his resolve to provide housing to all safai kamdars ( sanitation workers), contrary to canards spread by elements spreading lies that his government does not care about the poor.

Dedicating 1,024 houses to safai kamdars at a function here, he said that Gujarat Safai Kamdar Vikas Nigam and Ahmedabad Mahanagar Seva Sadan have jointly undertaken the job of constructing 1,924 houses for Valmiki Samaj in Ahmedabad under Dr Ambedkar Safai Kamdar Awas Yojna.

“Serious social and environmental violations,” says group

An independent fact-finding team has called for suspension of work related to the upcoming 4,000 MW Tata Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) in Gujarat, citing “serious social and environmental violations”. The team, led by former Chief Justice of Sikkim S.N. Bhargava, released a report –‘The Real Cost of Power’- and presented the findings from the ground. “The project has disproportionately high social, environmental, and economic costs.