The Bombay High Court has asked Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) not to permit manufacturing units within 750 metres of a river from September 1 if existing facilities are not maintained for discharge of effluents.

Under the rules, facilities such as pipelines or Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) are required to be maintained to achieve the stipulated discharge standards. The directive was given by Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar who also asked the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to constitute within a month a committee for five MIDC estates in the state to monitor functioning of CETPs and for industrial units within MIDC areas.

People carrying out illegal sand mining in Maharashtra will be booked under the stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), said Mr Prakash Solanke, Minister of

Mumbai The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Monday passed the Maharashtra Housing (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2012, which seeks to set up what will be the country’s first realty industry regulator. While the Bill is expected to be passed in the Legislative Council during the ongoing session, the law will come into force only following the President’s assent.

While the President’s assent could take up to six months, the government of Maharashtra will, in the meantime, draft rules and work towards finalising candidates to be appointed as members of the body.

Vinod Khobragade, the village official ( talathi ) of Baranj village in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra who imposed a fine of Rs. 32 crore on the Karnataka Emta Coal Mines Limited (KECML) for alleged illegal mining, was suspended on Monday.

He had also accused the top district officials, including the District Collector, of involvement in the scam. “I have been suspended from service without even a show cause notice. They have suspended me for providing information to the media about the illegal mining scam in Chandrapur,” Mr. Khobragade told The Hindu over phone.

Complaints that Mahyco is exploiting farmers, promoting black marketing and ignoring rules have led the Maharashtra government to call into question the agri biotechnology company’s licence to prod

A talathi (village official) of a village in Chandrapur district has accused top district administrative officers, including the District Collector, of alleged involvement in an illegal mining scam worth Rs. 587 crore.

Vinod Khobragade, the talathi of Baranj village has complained to the State Revenue Minister, accusing the District Collector Vijay Waghmare and three other officers of being involved in the scam illegal mining.

Agriculture seed major Mahyco, which has been accused of black marketing its seeds and distributing it without informing the State Government, could well stand to lose its license to sell seeds in

Wildlife activist Bandu Dhotre on Wednesday evening ended his hunger strike that he began on July 2, demanding effective steps for protection of tigers in the Vidarbha region, after the Maharashtra government agreed to accept almost all his demands.

“Chandrapur will be declared as a ‘tiger district’ and tigers in the non- protected areas will also be protected,” said Swanand Soni, who participated in the negotiations.

The state government is ready to spend as much as `2,625 crore to tackle the drought-like situation in the various talukas. Relief and rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam on Wednesday made this announcement in the legislative Assembly.

“The government is with the people of the state and will ensure that it helps people,” said the minister. Around 38 MLAs participated in the discussion and some of these MLAs made allegations that the government was biased toward Western Maharashtra while problems in Vidarbha, Marathwada and northern Maharashtra were being neglected. Mr Kadam, however, denied the allegations.

Of the deceased, seven were boys and six girls. “The clinical presentation of the cases suggest that these are cases of Chandipura virus. Encephalitis syndrome, sudden fever with convulsions and the affected age group of 1-15 years are strong indicators of Chandipura virus,” Assistant Director (Malaria), Health Services, V R Zare told The Indian Express. “Of course, we have sent about 75 serums for test to the National Institute of Virology, Pune and the results are expected soon,” he added.