The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti, an environmental organisation, has urged the government to expedite steps to provide land to the landless tribal people in the wake of the ongoing land agitation by various tribal organisations in the district by encroaching upon forest land.

Speaking to media persons here, organisation president N. Badusha and secretary Thomas Ambalavayal said that the demand of the tribal organisations to provide land to the landless tribes people was quite reasonable and that the organisation supported their demand.

Pazhayar, the lifeline of Kanyakumari district, has lost its pristine glory owing to renovation work not having been carried out in the river for the past several years. The river is polluted and encroached, and the check-dams along with sluices are damaged in many parts owing to negligence by the authorities concerned.

The early Kings of Venad were conscious of the potential of Pazhayar which originates from the forested area of Surulacode, carries small streams from Mahendragiri peak and flows through Thovalai and Agastheeswaram taluks.

JAIPUR: Giving its final verdict in the Ramgarh dam case, the Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday ordered that encroachments from water bodies across the state be removed and the illegal land allotments made close to them since 1955 be cancelled.

The state government has been told to plan for a drive to remove encroachments in the water bodies' catchment areas after getting a survey done using remote sensing techniques or other mechanisms. The government has been directed to issue instructions to all municipalities and panchayat bodies to not let residential colonies come up in the water bodies' catchment areas.

The state seems to be stealthily moving to gift away government land in the upmarket Banjara Hills to private parties.

Rampant dumping of scrap into the Mithi at Kurla has undone all the effort to de-silt the river.

The cabinet yesterday approved a draft bill that aims to stop misuse of surface, ground and river water and preserve and manage water resources in an integrated manner.

Environmentalists yesterday demanded formulation and implementation of a specific land use policy and more budgetary allocation for environment conservation to tackle the effects of pollution.

Government agencies yet to take action to protect the 60-acre lake

Residents of Keelkattalai are shocked and angry over the dumping of construction rubble into the Keelkattalai lake over the past few days. The lake, one of the few precious water bodies that hasn't, until now, been damaged by encroachment and pollution, presents a serene view to people travelling on the Pallavaram – Thoraipakkam Radial Road, say residents of Gandhi Nagar. Spread over 60 acres,

The High Court yesterday directed the authorities concerned to stop encroachment on the river Turag at Gabtoli point in the capital, and remove illegal structures from the point within 24 hours.