Maharashtra government's plan of increasing the percentage of forest land cover will cost the citizens dear. The plan will levy carbon cess on motorists for the carbon dioxide exhaled and green cess on municipal corporations for using forest resources for drinking water.

Water, Water, everywhere

JAYANTA BASU
Airports, railway stations, malls and fast food outlets have to take an active role in plastic waste management, the state environment department has decided.

The department has asked all municipalities and municipal corporations to issue directives to malls, airports, railway stations and fast food centres to make arrangements for delivery of their plastic waste to authorised recycling units within August 31.

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 8

Leader of the house in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Subhash Arya and Standing Committee chairperson Vijender Gupta have said that the MCD has appointed a high power co-ordination committee under the chairmanship of Mayor Arti Mehra to monitor waterlogging on the city's roads.

All departments of the Delhi government and other government agencies are members of the committee.

CHECKOUT - PUSHPA GIRIMAJI
Consumers are often victims of poor quality water supplied by civic authorities. Besides water borne diseases, in many districts of the country, consumers suffer the debilitating effects of high levels of toxic heavy metals and even pesticides and other chemicals in water. Now two recent orders of the apex consumer court have opened the doors of the consumer court to petitions from citizens on the poor quality of water. Both the orders give directions to the municipal bodies to ensure the safety of water supplied to citizens.

With the effects of global warming already being felt worldwide, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has jumped on the bandwagon to save the environment and to earn a few carbon credits while they are at it.

The civic body now plans to replace the bulbs on street lamps to light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. These new bulbs not only help conserve power but are also eco-friendly.
In a letter to the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), BMC explained the benefits of the LED bulbs as compared to the sodium vapour ones being used now.

Pandurang Mhaske

Municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak shot down Shiv Sena executive chief Uddhav Thackeray's appeal to cut the water connection in highrises and construction sites in the city.

In view of the water cut in the city, Thackeray had recently appealed to the state government asking them to cut the water connection in highrises as well as the construction sites. This came in response to minister Ajit Pawar's demand that the water supply for agricultural purposes should be stopped.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi launched "Van Mahotsav-2008' with the Leader of the MCD House Subhash Arya planting a sapling at a sanitary landfill site at Hastsal in West Delhi on Sunday.

The total area of landfill is about 16 acre and while the civic body has developed a park on two acres at the site, the remaining land would be developed into a children park and herbal garden in a phased manner.

The Chairman Garden Committee, Ved Prakash Gupta, was also present on the occasion along with several local residents.

Three months into the academic year, students in some of the Capital's government and MCD schools are still waiting for textbooks. Since 2007, the government has been providing free textbooks to all students from Classes I to VIII in Government, MCD, Delhi Cantonment Board and New Delhi Municipal Council schools. Prior to this move, free textbooks were only available for girls, and boys from the SC/ST category, in Classes VI to VIII under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme.

MCD chief warns junior officials of strict disciplinary action if they fail The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has ordered disciplinary action against negligent junior officials, who fail to act on complaints of potholes on roads within 24 hours of getting them. The move comes in the wake of potholes becoming a major concern following numerous complaints and criticism, and a standing committee meeting today. MCD chief K S Mehra specified that Junior Engineers in each ward will attend to complaints filed by residents within 24 hours.