The encroachment, unauthorized construction and pollution of the ponds in Darbhanga pose a serious health hazard to its residents.

In an order issued on Friday, the Taluk Land Board of Kozhencherry has declared 132 hectares of land originally owned by K.J. Abraham of Kozhencherry as excess land and has directed the Revenue officials concerned to take possession of the excess land, invoking the relevant provisions in the Kerala Land Reforms Act.

The 132 ha of excess include 232 acres of land in Aranmula, Kidangannur, and Mallappuzhasserry villages that had been sold to the Chennai-based KGS Group for construction of a private airport by Mr. Abraham.

Plan for sewage treatment plant takes shape, but mafia may pose hurdles

Government officials who were apathetic towards the historic Sarakki lake for long seem to have woken up to the need to save the water body. On Friday, they visited the lake for a reality check on its status. The officials are believed to have realised that a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed last month in the High Court of Karnataka over the plight of the water body by People's Campaign for Water (PCW), an NGO.

PUNE: Water expert Rajendra Singh on Tuesday said that the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic administrations need to draft a policy to restore rivers passing through city areas.

He also stressed on the need to restrict encroachments on river beds which hamper flow of water and said that many rivers in Maharashtra were in a pathetic condition and the government needs to take steps to restore them.

Acting upon allegations that various state government officials have connived with the land mafia to help usurp large tracts of the floodplains of Yamuna and Hindon rivers and the failure of develo

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday expressed its displeasure at the apathy of the authorities in protecting the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar lakes —the main drinking water sources for the state

A large number of people participated in a protest chain organised by the Matsya Thozhilali Federation (AITUC) demanding abandoning of the sea plane project, in Muhamma near here on Wednesday.

The participants included fishermen and other workers and people's representatives. AITUC State general secretary Kanam Rajendran inaugurated the protest. He said that the government was trying to hand over wet lands and lakes to private companies by arranging infrastructure there by spending money from public exchequer.

A six-member joint team of Indian and Nepali officials was on Saturday constituted to look into encroachment of land to be used for construction of a new road on Indo-Nepal border.

The High Court yesterday directed deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of all districts to take effective steps within seven days to protect canals from encroachment.

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Assembly on Friday has found that the state government has, between 2000 and 2012, allotted 464.479 acres of government land in Bhubanes