PANJIM: Goa’s 16 major private and public sector companies in the field of power generation, steel production, liquor, fertilizers and pharmaceuticals were issued show cause notices on Thursday by Goa State Pollution Control Board for failing to install online stack emission, effluent and ambient air quality monitoring system.

GSPCB Member Secretary Levinson Martin who issued the notices, has asked the companies to reply within 15 days, failing which action would be taken to close the units. The Board has said that in letters dated April 21, 2011, August 8, 2011 and January 10, 2012 the companies were directed to take immediate measures for installation of the system by June 2012, but they failed to act.

ANGUL: The construction of the gas-based Talcher Fertiliser Revival project will start in six months.

IIM-Ahmedabad study favours continuation of fertilizer subsidy with better targeting and rationing

Even as the union government has estimated country's subsidy burden touching 2.4 per cent of the GDP this financial year, a recent study by management experts believe that removal of fertilizer subsidy would make farming unprofitable in many states and therefore its removal would not be in the interest of farming community.

The state government, which is contemplating to offload 74 per cent stake in Odisha Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (OTPCL), a 50:50 joint venture between Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), is keen to emulate the steps of Chhattisgarh to go about it.

The Chhattisgarh government recently selected India Bulls and Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative Ltd (Iffco) as strategic partners for its two different power projects.

We Indians have got so used to seeing garbage spilling over from municipal dustbins at street corners and often even strewn around in open public spaces, that we accept this phenomenon as inevitable. We look the other way with what seems like futile hope that some day, someone will find a solution to our problem and rid us of this major health hazard of urban living in India.

The integrated solid waste management project in Kanpur offers hope. Located on the western bank of the Ganga, Kanpur is an important industrial city of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India. With a population of 36 lakh (3.6 million) and a total area of 260 sq kilometres,

Bhopal: Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s demand to the Union Government for reduction in fertiliser prices in the larger interests of farmers has drawn support of even non-BJP ruled stat

The oil ministry has forwarded the contentious issue of pricing methane gas produced from coal seams by Essar Oil and Reliance Industries to an empowered panel of secretaries after raising objectio

The government last week allowed private companies to import urea for preparation of complex fertilisers used in agriculture. Till now, such companies could only import urea for industrial use, in preparation of chemicals.

For agricultural purposes, private companies used to source urea from imports made by government canalising agents, such as Indian Potash Ltd and state trading houses MMTC and STC. Two Indian companies, Coromondal International and Zuari Industries, are allowed to import urea for agricultural purposes. Now, these companies can directly import without involving canalising agents, official sources said.

Decision on paddy procurement price soon

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday expressed the State’s strong protest against the Central policies that lead to high fertilizer prices. Replying to a calling attention motion moved by former Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran, he said it was wrong for the Union government to surrender its powers to fix fair and affordable prices for fertilizers. Farmers were already in dire straits.

In what may be termed as a clear indication of imminent slowdown in the economy, the growth rate of eight infrastructure decelerated sharply to 2.2 per cent in April as against 4.2 per cent growth