The committee is expected to give its report in mid-October

Ahead of the B K Chaturvedi committee's assessment on the impact of hydel projects on the Ganga river, the Uttarakhand government is expecting a positive report on the issue. It has also started lobbying for the allocation of coal blocks. During the past three years, a series of hydel projects had either been scrapped or suspended on environmental and religious grounds in the hill state, with the Centre setting up the Chaturvedi Committee to examine the impact of hydel projects on the biodiversity in the state. The committee is expected to give its report in mid-October.

Adviser to MoEF visits Sasthamcotta, Ashtamudi lakes

Siddharth Kaul, adviser on wetland conservation to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), has said that a comprehensive management action plan (MAP) is vital for the effective conservation of the Sasthamcotta and Ashtamudi lakes, both Ramsar sites, in Kollam district. Interacting with officials, environment activists and representatives of the people here on Tuesday after assessing the condition of the lakes earlier in the day, Dr. Kaul said he was particularly shocked to see the Ashtamudi lake. “But it is not late; the lakes can definitely be saved.”

Manufacturing units and other industries may have to pay penalties if they don’t manage solid waste generated by them at source.

The government plans to introduce legislation that will mandate manufacturers to segregate waste at source, said Urban Development Minister S Suresh Kumar. Kumar made the announcement on Tuesday, while addressing commissioners of city and town municipal councils from across Karnataka. He was speaking at a workshop organised by the Municipal Administration department on garbage disposal and management.

Goa has five wildlife sanctuaries and a national park

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has suggested inclusion of Goa as a part of the Tiger Reserve complex complimenting the sanctuaries in Maharashtra and Karnataka, which would help the coastal state in conserving wild cats. The Dehradun-based Institute, which submitted its report on the status of wildlife in Goa to the state forest department has established that tiger occupancy in Goa is about 322 square kilometres.

PANJIM: Environmental activists, who for last several years had been crying foul over illegal mining in Goa, have welcomed the Government’s historic move to suspend mining operations in all 90 mining leases with effect from Tuesday.

The activists, who had gathered under the banner ‘Citizens Action Group’ on Monday in Panjim, had demanded suspension of all mining leases termed illegal in the Justice M B Shah Commission report.

PANJIM: Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar on Monday alleged that inspite of Union Ministry pressing for a proposal to declare Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as ‘tiger reserve’, Goa government is reluctant in moving the proposal, which will lead to the closure of several mines, operating around the sanctuary.

Addressing a meeting called by Citizen Action Group over Justice M B Shah Commission report on illegal mining, Kerkar said that State government, for years, has been giving several reasons for not declaring the sanctuary as tiger reserve.

Growing public outcry over illegalities in leases cited in Commission report

The Goa government on Monday suspended the operation of all existing mining leases with effect from Tuesday. This has been done to scrutinise clearances obtained by the leaseholders and not to allow continuation of operations without verification of requisite approvals in the coming mining season. The action comes in the wake of the growing public outcry over the illegalities in the mining sector as brought out by the Justice M. B. Shah Commission of Inquiry in its report, which was tabled in Parliament last week.

Environment minister caught between India Inc pushing for green nods and environmentalists accusing her of not doing enough to save India’s forests

It probably wasn’t only in jest that a few months ago Jayanthi Natarajan likened herself to a mridangam, a percussion instrument that can be played from both sides. The minister for environment and forests revealed she felt caught between India Inc, pushing aggressively for environmental and forest clearances that will give it the land and resources to expand, and environmentalists who are accusing her of not doing enough to save India’s shrinking forests.

PANJIM: Tightening the screws on illegal mining operations, Union Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoEF) has ordered an inspection to ascertain whether dumps mining is taking place in Goa without obtaining environment clearances (ECs), in the wake of complaints that dump handling activity is being carried out without obtaining ECs.

Goa Foundation and environmentalist Ramesh Gawas had lodged two different complaints with Directorate of Mines and Geology and Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) stating that Sesa Goa is involved in handling of dumps at its mining sites at Sankhalim and Sattari.

Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran has accused the government of using the Emerging Kerala summit to make a backdoor attempt to promote mineral sand-mining.

Inaugurating the Kerala Environment Convention organised by the Paristhithi Aikya Vedi, a group of environmental activists, he alleged that the government was trying to hoodwink detractors of mineral sand-mining by pushing a proposal under the name of sand processing.