Seeking a report on the mushrooming of resorts and other activities in the reserve forests in five districts of the State, the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) issued notice to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) in Bangalore on Thursday.

The CEC has instructed the PCCF to provide details about the resorts (including Jungle Lodges), restaurants and other activities in the reserve forest regions of Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Madikeri and Hassan districts.

Tension prevailed at some places in Haveri district on Tuesday, due to protests and stampede during distribution of Bt cotton seeds.

Farmers break barricades in a bid to collect seeds from an outlet of Bt cotton seeds company in Haveri district on Tuesday. The increase in demand for the ‘Kanaka’ variety of seeds and shortage of supply led to the rush. In Haveri city, police resorted to mild lathicharge as around 12,000 farmers fell over each other to collect the seeds.

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 area under forest cover in Karnataka has increased by four square kilometres, according to a latest report of the Forest Survey of India. It says the change has been noticed in the assessment year of 2009, compared to the survey carried out in 2008. The report was put in the public domain recently.

Sources in the State government told The Hindu that the change for the better was being seen for the first time in about a decade. What was noteworthy was that at a time when forests were being “plundered in terms of their flora and fauna and conservationists facing a tough challenge,” the increase, though negligible, marks a refreshing change.”

Conservation effort

The State government has given its nod for the construction of an alternative road connecting Mysore and Mananthavadi, bypassing the Nagarahole National Park. The existing road had led to controversies, as it passes through critical tiger habitat. The government released Rs 18 crore for the alternative road last week. The problem began five years ago when it was proposed to construct a 28.5-km road between Mysore and Mananthavadi to connect Karnataka with Kerala. Fourteen kilometre of the proposed road was to pass through the Nagarahole Park.

Karnataka will implement modified National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in 20 taluks in five districts.

Jaipur, Mysore and Thane have come forward to do pilot projects for grid-connected rooftop solar, Mr Tarun Kapur, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, told Business Line.

Additional power of 75,000 MW to be generated in five years

Union Minister of State for Power K.C. Venugopal said here on Monday that work on the Mysore-Kozhikode transmission line would start soon as the project had secured the final environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment.

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.