On not being satisfied with the present arrangement on disposal of bio-medical waste, the High Court has asked the government to file an affidavit on the matter.

bombay High Court in Goa has asked the state government to initiate immediate action against owners and operators of all illegal basalt quarries in the state and against government officials

Affidavit says HMT not legally bound to get sanction HMT Limited is legally entitled to deal with its 100 acres of land at Kalamassery in Ernakulam and the assignment of 70 acres of the land to a Mumbai-based company would not be invalid or illegal either for want of consent from the government or for non-utilisation of the land for industrial purpose, according to an affidavit filed by the State government before the Kerala High Court. The affidavit was filed before the court on Tuesday in response to a writ petition seeking a CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] probe into the HMT land deal and to resume the 100 acres in HMT's possession. The affidavit contended that the 70 acres sold by HMT formed part of the 100 acres of land for which permanent exemption had been granted by the government under Section 81(1) (a) of the Kerala Land Reforms Act. As such, HMT was not legally bound to obtain sanction or consent from the State government before selling the land. The allegation that Industries Minister Elamaram Karim had supported the sale of land at a meeting convened on June 6, 2007 was absolutely incorrect, the affidavit said. The meeting was convened to sort out a labour problem which had been pending for long in HMT. Mr. Karim had been trying his best, in his capacity as Minister, to augment the development of industries in the State and to see that infrastructure facilities were provided for entrepreneurs. All actions taken by the Minister in this regard were in compliance with the guidelines prescribed in the industrial and commercial policy of 2007. For creating a very good industrial climate and sending out a message that the situation in the State was very conducive for investment, the Minster had initiated steps for sorting out the labour problem in the company. The affidavit said the 70 acres sold by HMT did not come within the area of land ordered to be surrendered by HMT as per an order of the Kanayannur taluk land board. The affidavit said that HMT had absolute right, title and ownership of the land. HMT was fully competent to transfer the 100 acres or part of it to any person without the permission of the government. Therefore, the sale was perfectly in accordance with the law.

A month and half after a court-appointed deadline to shut down the Gorai dumping ground, it continues to be used by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. In fact, though the BMC had assured the Bombay High Court that the dump would be closed in December 2007, the civic administration is now seeking additional time. "The BMC has given an application to the Bombay High Court stating that the closure of Gorai will take more time,'' said Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) R A Rajeev.

Illegal mining in Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kutch, reserved for chinkaras, has come under the High Court's scanner. Acting on a petition, Gujarat HC has directed authorities to take "harsh preventive actions' against all those who have been illegally mining lignite from the 657.79-sq km area of the sanctuary.

The BMC has informed the Bombay High Court that the authorities concerned are keeping the beaches of the city clean on a daily basis. An affidavit filed in response to a public interest litigation filed by a NGO Janhit Manch states that "the corporation has also made arrangement for cleaning the beaches by the beach cleaning machine daily'. The petitioner had moved court seeking to restrain immersion of idols and Nirmalya or Pooja materials during festivals which pollute the waters.

: Ignoring the state finance minister's suggestion to increase state forest coverage to 33 per cent from the existing 27 per cent earlier this month, a CPI-M-run Bural gram panchayat in Sabang block in Midnapore West has aimed to increase their revenue by felling trees reared by a group of tree-huggers. Mr Asim Dasgupta, the state finance minister, had made this suggestion while discussing the environmental impact of degrading trees at a function in Kolkata.

It could be a bitter end to a sweet, juicy story. Maharashtra is planning mega power plants in Ratnagiri district, a horticulture zone known for its finest Alphonso mangoes, which are exported to

The Goa State Pollution Control Board has directed Jain Udyog Pvt Ltd, a sponge iron plant operating at Sanvordem in south Goa, to shift its unit after taking appropriate consent from the board.

Sugarcane growers in Uttar Pradesh feel sold out to mills Frustration is growing among sugarcane growers in Uttar Pradesh. First private sugar mills refused to begin crushing and now the Lucknow