Industrialists planning to start polluting units in four districts of the State are unable to get the Consent to Establish (CTE) from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) as the government is not willing to relax norms.

According to TNPCB sources, the board has not taken any decision on the demand from industrialists to set up new units, including dyeing and fabric units, in Karur, Tirupur, Erode and Namakkal towns where water pollution has been a problem for a decade and more.

The mapping of core and buffer zones for the creation of a tiger reserve in Sathyamangalam forest has reached the final stage and a revised proposal is likely to be submitted to the State Government in a few weeks.

The previous proposal submitted by the Forest Department did not include a buffer zone in the 1.41 lakh hectares in Sathyamangalam forest that have been earmarked for the tiger reserve and missed a few vital aspects. “Creation of a buffer zone is very important for carrying out various development activities. So we have carried out the mapping exercise once again and completed the task recently.

Arulagam, an NGO involved in the conservation of nature and wildlife, is planning a workshop and human chain in Udhagamandalam next week in a bid to generate awareness of the need to conserve the Indian Vulture (Gyps Indicus) population, on the verge of becoming extinct.

S. Bharathidasan, secretary of Arulagam told The Hindu that the event will be organised to mark the just- concluded World Vulture Day celebrations. Arulagam had already organised awareness programmes at Masinagudi in the Nilgiris, where a considerable number of vultures continue to exist in the Moyar Valley that extends to Thengumarahada in Sathyamangalam of Erode district. Subsequently, a similar programme was held to put an end to the use of Diclofenac at Vayyampalayam in Coimbatore, which has a sizeable cattle population.

A total of 192 star tortoises that were seized while being smuggled out of the country have found a new home in the Sathyamangalam forests.

A total of 497 tortoises were confiscated in different incidents and handed over to Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur near Chennai for rehabilitation. The Forest Department, in association with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), carried out the rehabilitation process at the zoological park for a few months.

State government steps in to assuage distressed investors as ‘ponzi’ scheme goes bust

In a bid to ensure food security, India and Norway are working on a four-year project to improve climate change adaptive capacity of agriculture and water sectors in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The main objective is to map vulnerability, gaps and preparedness to address impacts of climate change on agriculture and water sectors besides selecting and applying suitable climate and hydrology scenarios.

When the first flock of emus — flightless birds native to Australia — landed at Perundurai in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district in 2006, they drew the attention of only curious onlookers. Then they drew the attention of investors, enabling firms and businessmen offering schemes on the birds to rake in huge money. Six years on, the emus and the investors have been left in the lurch and the businessmen have allegedly taken flight with the invested money as emu contract farming joined the list of dubious investment schemes after a few years of roaring business.

The Lower Bhavani Farmers Association claimed that the yagam conducted by Public Works Department at Bhavanisagar dam seeking divine intervention to bring rain was primarily a tactic to divert the attention of the people from the ineffective water management practices that took place in the dam this year.

The authorities in the district had let out a large amount of water to the old ayacuts of Bhavani river violating the government orders and without considering the requirements of the farmers in LBP ayacut, association president S. Nallasamy told media persons on Monday.

The Government which had planned measures to conserve water bodies and rivers was said to be actively considering the proposal.

A proposal submitted by Siruthuli for restoration of Noyyal river, its canals and tanks are under active consideration of the Government, official sources said. Chairman of Siruthuli S.V. Balasubramanian and Project Co-ordinator K. Mayilsamy submitted a proposal to the Minister for Public Works Department K.V. Ramalingam.

The farmers of Salem district have urged the State and Central governments to provide them ‘adequate’ compensation since they fear that farming activities would come to a standstill in their lands once the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) completes the ambitious Kochin – Bangalore natural gas pipeline project.

Of the 310 kilometre-long underground pipeline that passes through the districts of Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem and Krishnagiri, as many as 70 km of pipeline traverses through 28 villages in Salem district, mainly through Sankagiri and Omalur taluks.

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