Himachal today earned the distinction of becoming the first state in the country to be declared smoke-free with a compliance of 84.52 per cent, based on a scientific technical survey conducted as p

Muck generated by hundreds of hydro power projects in Himachal Pradesh is being dumped along river beds, which has disturbed the natural course of major rivers in the state.

Heavy rain continued to lash several parts of Himachal Pradesh for the third day on Wednesday, triggering landslips in Chamba district and causing a sharp fall in temperature.

The government does it purely on the strength of a certificate issued by the district administration

Even as the recent affidavit submitted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) before the Supreme Court in the Vedanta case has caused dismay among tribal communities and activists for the dilution of its stand on diverting forest lands of tribal communities, the Ministry has gone a step further and allowed diversion of forest land in Himachal Pradesh purely on the strength of a certificate issued by the district administration.

The Forest Department will launch a special drive to increase green cover and eradicate lantana weed in the hill state. Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmauri today said the drive would initially start from Rampur and Chamba forest circles and later be extended to other parts of the state.

The department would also work on war-footing to remove lantana and other obnoxious weeds and plant fodder species for the benefit of sheep breeders and farming community.

JSW Energy has received forest clearance for its planned 240 MW hydropower project in Himachal Pradesh, making way for the company to start construction of the project. The project, being set up at an estimated cost of about . 2,000 crore, was awarded to the company in 2007 but has not taken off due to lack of clearances. This would be the maiden hydropower venture of the Sajjan Jindal-led company which has an operational capacity of 2,600 MW and aims to scale up capacity to 11,770 MW.

The cold wave in the hill State worsened on Thursday with the sky remaining overcast for the second consecutive day. A sharp decrease in the day temperatures was felt all over the State with the mercury plummeting to minus 0.7 degrees Celsius in Keylong, the headquarters of tribal Lahaul-Spiti.

The Meteorological Department said the State witnessed complete to partially cloudy weather for the second day on Thursday owing to westerly winds. The night temperatures have remained almost stationary. The maximum temperatures are likely to dip further. A plunge of three to four degrees has been observed in past couple of days.

Dharamsala: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has formed a committee under Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, RS Gupta, to submit a report on the impact of illegal mining on two railway bridges over the Ch