The Forum for Sustainable Development, (FSD), engaged in advocating sustainable development, has asked the government to evaluate the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS), its impact on the society, environment and public safety before its launch, said forum convenor of the coastal areas, Mr S. Bhujanga Rao.

The incidence of waterborne diseases is on the rise in the state. In all, 917 cases of acute diarrhoea were reported from the city in the last four months, of which 80 were detected in the last one week. In this context, the task force of the health department held a meeting and decided to take steps to prevent contamination of water and food. In Anantapur district, 98 cases of acute diarrhoea were reported in the past one week. Waterborne diseases were also reported from Putlur of the same district.

Hyderabad has only 114 paid parking lots while the number required is over 500. This forces motorists to park their vehicles on roadsides. The situation is unlikely to be solved soon as Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has not yet finalised the tenders to outsource parking lots. But, of the 250 parking spaces identified by the GHMC, traffic police has given the green signal only to 100 parking lots.

The city would be made free from the nasty sight of dustbins and the garbage strewn around them in just four months, said the commissioner, Mr Mukesh Kumar Meena, who returned from Hyderabad after attending a workshop there on sanitation. Talking to the reporters here, Mr Meena said already a pilot project has been launched in Ward Nos 6, 8, 9, 11, 18 and 19 on experimental basis and as it proved to be a successful venture, the project will be implemented all over the city in four months.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court directed the government and the AP Pollution Control Board to pay compensation to farmers affected by pollution from industries in the Patancheru industrial area before the next hearing on June 9. A division bench comprising Justice B. Prakash Rao and Justice C.Y. Somayajulu observed: "It is better to pay the compensation before the next hearing of the writ, otherwise interest will be imposed on the princial amount of compensation.'

Reliance Industries is all set to acquire 78 per cent equity in the Krishna Godavari Gas Network Limited which will develop city gas distribution network across the state. In the first phase, the company would supply gas through pipelines to different categories including the domestic sector in 43 municipalities.