Discarded waste damages ecology of the hills

Long considered by many as the best time of the year to visit this hill station, summer is also viewed as the worst from the environment and pollution point of view. The reason: Many among the tourists coming to ‘enjoy’ the season here leave behind their mark — in one form or the other — on the ecology of the place and their vehicles considerably increase air pollution while many of hawkers from the plains trading in a variety of items including cheap musical instruments, add to the noise pollution.

When fully completed, the state is expected to become power-surplus from a deficit of 4,000 Mw a day at present

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday clarified the state government had proposed to implement new power projects totaling Rs 16,350 crore in the coming years. Under the proposed investments, the state is implementing the Sillahalla hydel power project at Nilgiris at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore besides setting up 56 sub-stations at an expenditure of Rs 8,000 crore.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday unveiled a slew of power and infrastructure projects, including a Rs. 7,000-crore underground power station with a capacity of 2,000 MW at Sillahalla in the Nilgiris district. Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, she said objective of unveiling these projects, totally worth around Rs. 20,000 crore, was to restore Tamil Nadu to its position as a power-surplus State.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said the Sillahalla project would be implemented in two phases and it would take eight to ten years for completion.

The Tamil Nadu Government has proposed a series of power generation and related infrastructure development projects worth around Rs 20,000 crore, including a Rs 7,000-crore underground hydel power

Since quarrying resumed after a ban, prices go up by 40%

Public protest is mounting against the sky-rocketing price of granite products and the increase in granite quarrying activities in Wayanad district. Though the district administration had banned the functioning of quarries on revenue land for nearly seven months following a Supreme Court directive, quarrying was resumed nearly a fortnight ago with the State government intervening in the issue on the ground that the ban had adversely affected the construction sector in the district.

Tiger Reserve status accorded for the 1.40 lakh hectares of Sathyamangalam with 90,000 hectares as core zone is a shot in the arm for conservation of rare flora and fauna besides combating the pressures of poaching as the Sathyamangalam valley is on the State border.

Welcoming the decision of the Union Government, president of Osai (an NGO involved in conservation) K. Kalidasan said that the status will go a long way in getting the required funds and undivided attention. Mr. Kalidasan pointed out that during 2007, eight to 12 tigers were found in the area. Organisations such as World Wide Fund for Nature, World Wildlife Fund and Wildlife Trust of India confirmed the tiger existence through various studies

Tiger Reserve status accorded for the 1.40 lakh hectares of Sathyamangalam with 90,000 hectares as core zone is a shot in the arm for conservation of rare flora and fauna besides combating the pressures of poaching as the Sathyamangalam valley is on the State border.

Welcoming the decision of the Union Government, president of Osai (an NGO involved in conservation) K. Kalidasan said that the status will go a long way in getting the required funds and undivided attention.

As part of a programme being implemented by the Aruvankadu-based non governmental organisation, the Rural Development Organisation (RDO), to enhance awareness about the benefits of individual toilets among people in the rural parts of The Nilgiris district, a book titled ‘A Revolution in Sanitation in The Nilgiris’ was released here on Monday.

Participating as the chief guest, Marie Larose, director, Recruitment and Awards, York University, Canada, released the book.

Sathyamangalam forest in Erode district has been declared a Tiger Reserve. It is the fourth such reserve in Tamil Nadu. The three other tiger reserves are at Mudumalai in the Nilgiris district, Anamalai in Coimbatore district and Kalakad-Mundanthurai in Tirunelveli district.

The Forest Department has received the Government Order declaring Sathyamangalam Forests as a tiger reserve, and the Union government has also notified it, Conservator of Forests, Erode circle, A. Venkatesh told The Hindu over the phone on Monday.

Thanks to the efforts of NGOs and State Forest Department

The population of vultures, a critically endangered species, is stabilising in the Moyar Valley in The Nilgiris North Forest Division in the State, thanks to the efforts of non-governmental organisations and the State Forest Department. S. Bharatidasan, Director, CareEarth Arulagam, the non-governmental organisation involved in the vulture conservation in the Moyar Valley, told The Hindu that through systematic protection measures the number of the forest scavengers’ nests had increased to 50 in January this year. Similarly, the number of vultures sighted also had also gone up.