National panel needed to save Ganga: Govt.

Amid growing clamour to protect the Ganga, Union Minister Jayanthi Natarajan on Sunday said the Centre was committed to saving the river and has sanctioned projects worth more than Rs. 2,500 crore for the purpose.

"The Centre is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a clean Ganga. Projects worth Rs. 2,677 crore have already been sanctioned for the purpose. Of these projects, Rs. 1,342 crore has been earmarked for setting up of sewage treatment plants and other related works in Uttar Pradesh," Natarajan said.

Consultants have submitted report to Pollution Control Committee

The Puducherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC) will shortly take a decision on clearance for setting up a sewage treatment plant near ‘Kanaganeri' at Kadirgamam. The consultants — Green Chem Solutions Private Limited and Creative Environmental Consultants — appointed by Public Health Division of the Public Works Department have submitted a Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment (REIA) report to the PPCC.

New Delhi Punjab, the grain bowl of India, is in danger of losing the coveted tag as depleting groundwater levels force the state to seriously consider reducing the planting of water-intensive paddy crop in the medium-to-long term to avoid a disaster.

After a recent meeting with Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, the Planning Commission has decided to send a team of experts to the state to review the problem and suggest ways to tackle it, official sources told FE.

The Annual Plan for Punjab for the current fiscal has been finalised at Rs.14,000 crore at a meeting here between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Initiating the discussions on Punjab's Plan performance, Mr. Ahluwalia lauded the State Government's efforts towards improving the health of the State's economy as also initiatives targeted at providing a boost to sectors such as health and education.

Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company, has joined hands with Rajasthan Government to build a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Udaipur with an investment of Rs 170 crore.

Two major residential projects being planned under the slum rehabilitation scheme, with a combined value of over Rs330crore, were recently granted clearance by the State Expert Appraisal Committee

LUCKNOW: City infrastructure projects are set to take off with the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) passing the nearly Rs 2,000 crore budget through circulation method.

The City’s biggest water body, Bellandur lake, faces the threat of extinction finds a study by the Energy and Wetland Research Centre (EWRC) and Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

slow death A view of the Bellandur lake. The lake is being dried up to pave the way for concrete structures (residential complexes). The day is not far when nearly one fourth of the people in the City are forced to consume highly contaminated water. A study by Dr T V Ramachandra - senior scientist, EWRC,