New Delhi Scientists, farmer bodies and industry associations alike have slammed the parliamentary panel on agriculture for suggesting a probe into the go-ahead for commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal, India's first genetically-modified food crop. They have also criticised its recommendation for a ban on the field trials of such crops,terming the report as “unscientific and partisan”.

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) had approved commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal in 2009, but the then environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, had put an indefinite moratorium on the decision following protests.

Rampant illegal mining conducted in Sandur taluk of Bellary district has caused an enormous damage to the environment, health of human beings and animals over the last decade, a recent study has revealed.

According to a study conducted by Cerana Foundation, a Hyderabad-based non-government organisation, air pollution had affected crop and milk yields significantly. “Yields of maize, a major crop in this area, dropped to one-third of what it was 10 years ago from 62-74 quintal per hectare 10 years ago to 20-25 quintals per hectare as on day.

Five non-government organisations representing victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster on Monday described the latest decision taken at the meeting of Group of Ministers to send 350 tonnes of hazardous waste from the abandoned Union Carbide pesticide plant to Germany for safe disposal was a vindication of their long-standing demand on the issue.

They described this as a “minor but significant victory” in their 22 year long battle. At a press conference here, the organisations pointed out that the GoM’s decision has highlighted the toxic nature of Union Carbide’s waste and the ongoing dangers posed by the thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste in and around the abandoned pesticide factory.

PANJIM: Environmentalists have termed the State Government’s decision to allow handling of dumps of 25 MMT, annually, in the draft mining policy as ‘a sin bigger than that of Digambar Kamat government.’

Environmentalists see red in the decision to allow handling of the dumps, which they say, could result in extensive illegal mining in the State. “The decision to allow handling of dumps is like allowing illegal mining in a legal format,” said Ramesh Gawas, who has been fighting battles against several illegalities in the mining sector, for last many years.

‘Probe how Bt brinjal seed was allowed to be commercialised’

In a major setback to the proponents of genetically modified technology in farm crops, the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture on Thursday asked the government to stop all field trials and sought a bar on GM food crops (such as Bt. brinjal). The committee report, tabled in the Lok Sabha, demanded a “thorough probe” into how permission was given to commercialise Bt. brinjal seed when all evaluation tests were not carried out.

'Public hearing organized by the Manipur Pollution Control Board to gauge the opinion of the people was a dismal show'

IMPHAL: The attempt of Indian government to explore oil at Jiribam sub-division of Imphal East district has started facing rough weather with all sections of people objecting to it. It did not come as a complete surprise that public hearing organized by the Manipur Pollution Control Board to gauge the opinion of the people was a dismal show. Except for the handful of protestors the hall was deserted much to the chagrin of the officials and oil exploration contractors.

The indiscriminate act of dumping hazardous solid waste on the roadsides has commenced once again in Erode town and its suburbs. More than 50 bags of sludge from the textile processing and tannery units have been dumped in Choolai, a thickly populated residential colony in Erode town on Wednesday.

Though the activity had been going on, on the sly, for years in different parts of the district, the units had stopped the dumping for a brief period as the officials in the revenue department and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) stepped up the vigilance.

Owing to mixing up of animal, human and industrial waste

Even as the first phase of encroachment eviction drive on the banks of the Tamirabharani has been completed and cleaning of the thorny bushes on the sloping land besides the water body has been going on for the past few Saturdays, a lot of things needs to be done to really save the river, as the pathological quality of this river has reached an alarming status.