For the Millennium city, which is located between two rivers Kathajodi and Mahanadi, rising pollution level in both rivers has been a major cause of concern. But this issue has failed to attract politicians.

Elections come and go but the deteriorating condition of both rivers, which are considered the lifelines of Cuttack, has never caught the attention of politicians, nor it has ever become a poll plank. This thousands of years old city depends on both rivers for its basic needs like drinking water and irrigating, but with direct discharge of untreated waste and industrial effluents, the condition of the rivers has turned critical.

Basic Facilities Have Been Denied To 100-Odd Families In Wayanad's Chettiyalathur Village

Kozhikode: For the residents of Chettiyalathur village in Wayanad, voting has remained a valuable right even if they have not received anything much in return over six decades since independence.

The Kerala Paristhithi Aikyavedi, an umbrella organisation of different environmental groups, has urged voters to take a strict stand against those who showed a callous attitude towards the protection of environment and compromised on important issues, including the protection of drinking water, paddy fields, and ecologically sensitive areas, in the Lok Sabha election on Thursday.

Pollution in Yamuna or Ganga do not figure in the manifestos of the capital’s three major political parties nor does any focused plan on addressing the crisis of rivers.

Despite having its roots in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party doesn’t talk about its plans for the extremely polluted Yamuna. With little progress made on the Ganga and Yamuna action plans, the Congress merely aims to “clean rivers on a large scale”. The BJP, meanwhile, continues to pitch its controversial pet project—interlinking of rivers. Environmentalists say little thought has gone into addressing urgent ecological concerns like the state of rivers or their position on dams.

AGRA: Around 20,000 residents of the Yadav-dominated Budhana village, 15km from Agra, have decided to boycott polls over the lack of development in their area.

Gangtok: Endowed with rich natural resources, Sikkim is among the few places in India where ecological issues are at the forefront of the political debate during elections.

Congress harps on benefits from FDI in retail

For Punjab's sagging agrarian economy, here is some good news. The meek voices of the farmers, agri economists and farmer unions seem to have been heard by at least two of the main political parties in the state which are now promising to ensure 50 per cent profit over cost of production to the farmers.

Even as candidates belonging to major national parties woo voters with last minute promises of all-round development, issues related to wildlife, environment and animal welfare are not on agenda.

Ahead of elections, all major political parties have made tall promises to eradicate poverty and make Odsiha a developed State.

Sunny side up. That’s how the BJP plans to serve its menu to satisfy India’s hunger for energy, along with incentives for ramping up domestic production of coal, oil and gas.