JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on Jaipur Development Authority for allowing illegal constructions in the basin of Amanishah Nullah.

The high-rise buildings coming up in the basin of the nullah has forced one P L Mandola to file a PIL which was heard by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice N K Jain Senior on Tuesday.

Torrential rains continued to pound some parts of the state including Ajmer and Alwar on Tuesday, leaving at least nine people dead. Around two dozen villages in Alwar district faced a flood-like situation after a heavy downpour for the second day running. The Jaipur met office has forecasted heavy rainfall in 13 districts in the next 36 hours, including the capital.

ALWAR: Panic prevailed at a senior secondary school in Alwar's Mundawar area on Monday when over 250 students were taken ill after drinking water. Parents of some children have alleged that someone poisoned the water stored in a tank. The district administration has launched an inquiry and sent the samples of water for examination.

The incident took place at Vimal Senior Secondary School in Chiruki village around 9 am.

JAIPUR: Yet another river is dying, this time in the environment minister's constituency. Not long ago, river Bandi in Pali district was a seasonal river.

In absolute disregard to environment , three out of the four common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) don't have consent to operate since March 2011, he said. "Textile dyes are toxic, highly stable and do not degrade easily and are not removed by conventional wastewater treatment methods. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) staff took samples of water from several points, ranging from CETPs, drains from industries , wells and hand pumps in villages downstream.

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government's apathy towards upkeep and conservation of water bodies in the state continues as the draft plan for setting up of a Lake Development Authority is lying in cold storage.

The draft of the bill which was first prepared in 2009 is yet to be tabled before the cabinet. Despite a heavy rainfall, most of the lakes in the state are parched. To regulate and revive natural water bodies, especially lakes, the state government drafted a legislation which suggests instituting a monitoring body called Lake Development Authority.

40,000 Families Including 19,000 From Jaipur To Benefit

Jaipur: Altogether 4,000 families, who lost their houses in the recent heavy rains, would be the first batch of beneficiaries of the Rajasthan Special Housing Scheme, launched by chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday. Under the Special Housing Scheme, the state’s BPL families whose houses were destroyed completely will be provided with a financial assistance of Rs 50,000 while for partial destruction, the assistance would be Rs 25,000. The money would be provided in three installments along with an additional fund of Rs 5,000 for construction of toilets in urban areas and Rs 4,600 in rural areas.

Termed first of its kind in the country, it will make available Rs.50,000 in three instalments to the poor

Rajasthan has launched a special housing scheme for rehabilitation of both urban and rural poor affected by natural and manmade calamities. Termed first of its kind in the country the special housing scheme, named Rajasthan Vishesh Awas Yojna, comes in the wake of Congress president Sonia Gandhi suggesting permanent measures to rehabilitate the victims of recent spell of excess rains in Rajasthan during her visit the previous day.

Jaipur: Conservation with people's participation seems to be the salient feature of the eco-tourism guidelines released by the state government on Thursday. From seeking their help in the actual implementation of the guidelines to involving them with conservation work, the guidelines have paved way for community participation in a variety of ways.

As a first step, the guidelines seek the involvement of honourary wildlife wardens wildlife experts, NGOs and other independent stakeholders for assisting the Tiger Conservation Foundation and the forest department for the implementation of these guidelines in tiger reserves.

Jaipur: A day after the Supreme Court invited suggestions and objections for framing guidelines for conservation of tigers, Rajasthan on Thursday came up with its own guidelines, the first state to do so.

The guidelines, to be submitted to the court as an affidavit by Friday, seeks to promote tourism but disperses it over a wider area than just confine to the national park only. It also seeks to promote eco-tourism in lesser known areas, non-forest areas and even on private lands adjoining tiger reserves by developing them into alternative wildlife land use options. Currently tourism in the state has been confined to areas of government ownership and is managed solely by the forest department.

UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, will inaugurate the Rs 688.65 crore lift drinking water project in Rajasthan’s Barmer district on Thursday.