a central Empowered Committee- appointed expert panel has suggested reducing the size of the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary in Maharashtra to 122,200 hectares (ha). But the state government wants to reduce it further, to 35,000 ha. The sanctuary, a prime habitat of the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), is spread over 850,000 ha across Ahmednagar and Solapur districts. A few years
Consumers are often victims of poor quality water supplied by the civic authorities. Besides water-borne diseases in many districts of the country, consumers suffer the debilitating effects of high levels of toxic heavy metals and even pesticides and other chemicals in water. Now two recent orders of the apex body have opened the doors of the court to petitions from citizens on the poor quality of water. Both the orders give directions to the municipal bodies to ensure the safety of water supplied to the citizens.
Of 30 Seats Assigned To Course, Only 22 Were Filled In 2008-10 Batch
Kumar Anand AHMEDABAD
THIS might come as a surprise, but the agri-business management (PGP-ABM) course run by the country's premier Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has not found many takers. Of the total 30 seats that are assigned to the two-year management course, only 22 were filled in the 2008-10 batch.
A group of teenagers from USA has come visiting the state. And no, they are not sight-seeing or partying, they are giving lessons on hygiene to Amdavadis, villagers of Gujarat and building toilets for them too. And, how! Back home, the teenagers washed cars, mowed lawns and cleaned windows for their "service tour" to India. They are a group of nine enterprising students and three staff members of Yes Preparatory Schools, from Houston, USA.
Farmers along the Gujarat coast should have been rejoicing at the prospect of a timely monsoon. Instead, they have suddenly become gloomy after unnaturally aggressive high tides have filled their fields and ponds with saline seawater. Many fear a drinking water crisis as their ponds, meant to store fresh rain water, are now brimming over with saline water. Farmers say they may not be able to cultivate anything for years together as their fields have become saline.
Congestion over Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad is set to come down drastically with the minimum separation between flights being reduced from August 1. In the wake of spiralling fuel prices, this decision would bring relief not just for passengers who often have to spend close to an hour hovering over the destination but also for airlines who otherwise burn precious fuel in the process.
The problem of air and water pollution in the vicinity of Kharikat canal is so complex that even the committee formed by AUDA and AMC to resolve the issue in 2002 expressed helplessness before the Gujarat High Court then. A division bench headed by Justice BC Patel was surprised to know that the committee made a grievance before the court, as authorities rendered no assistance to it for carrying out court's directions. However, the issue continued to be debated in the High Court and directions were issued time and again.
