Rlys game for 2 of 3 proposals to minimise green damage

The Hubli-Ankola railway project has cleared another hurdle with the Railways accepting two of the three recommendations of a committee comprising engineers of the Indian Institute of Science. The committee had been set up to suggest alternative routes for the project in the wake of severe opposition from greens to the construction of the key railway line as it would harm the biodiversity of the Western Ghats. It had submitted its report on December 9, 2011 to the central empowered committee.

The Centre for Science and Environment, in a report, has tore apart the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)’s projection of facade of development with an unrealistic budge. The report brings out the City’s failure to manage its sewage and precious water. CSE director Sunita Narain aptly puts it, “Bangalore is drowning in its own excreta.”

Sunita was quick to emphasise that Bangaloreans were by no means “unique”. At the la­unch of the seventh edition of the CSE State of India’s Environment Report titled ‘Excr­eta Matters’, she said cities ac­ross the country were doing equ­ally bad.

The High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to appraise it about enforcement of the provisions of the Karnataka Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Act, 2011.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B.V. Nagarathna passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation plea by the Power Water Energy Auditor, an NGO.

The Delhi Jal Board, led by its chairperson Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, undertook a two-day programme this past week to highlight how a public-private partnership (PPP) programme being launched in Nangloi will bring round-the-clock water to each doorstep in the area and dismissed concerns that the water supply system was being privatised.

The water utility has proposed to outsource water distribution and revenue collection on a pilot basis in three areas based on a PPP model. Speaking to consumers on the concluding day of the programme this past week, Ms. Dikshit compared the proposed Nangloi project, wherein a private company will be made responsible for the distribution and supply of the Nangloi water system,

However, PPP model for effective utilisation of rivers, lakes will be encouraged

The government today said there was no proposal for privatisation of water resources, but would encourage public-private partnership (PPP) mode for effective utilisation of the scarce natural resource. "Privatisation is not being done and it cannot be done," Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said in the Rajya Sabha during the Question Hour and added that a river cannot be given to a private party.

The city is lending a helping hand to Hubli-Dharwad, the second-largest urban spread in Karnataka after Bangalore. The Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (Cept) University has shown the way to the aggregation, which is suffering because of overloaded public transport service, by designing a BRTS for the twin city.

A Rs 450-crore project has been proposed, including Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) between Hubli and Dharwad. Cept University has been roped in as a consultant for the project which covers a stretch of 22.2 km.

NGOs, villagers set up purification plant to provide clean water at 10paise/litre

Residents of Kadapathi Halliyal village in the taluk are a fortunate lot. They get purified drinking water at just 10 paise per litre, a study in contrast to people of other villages who cannot afford this luxury.The initiative of the K H Patil Foundation and Rural Medical Service Society (RMSS), in association with the Kadapathi Halliyal Gram Panchayat and the villagers - which have installed the ‘Shuddha Neeru’ water purification plant - has paid off.

Announcement comes at concluding session of ITS seminar

The Union Urban Development Ministry will fund 80 per cent of the cost of preparing master plan/ detailed project report for intelligent transport system (ITS) in important cities across the country, including those in Karnataka.

‘Outsourcing supply will see tariffs skyrocketing’

Day Two of the Bangalore World Water Summit saw a parallel summit being organised by Peoples Campaign for Right to Water, which sees a move to privatise water supply in the agenda of such meets.

Union Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa announced that the State government had agreed to provide land for the construction of three new lines, for which the survey has been completed.