Environment ministry's affidavit on Dhamra contrary to
own findings: Greenpeace
Published: Friday, Sep 24, 2010, 15:41 IST
By Sreejiraj Eluvangal | Place:New
Delhi
By Sreejiraj Eluvangal | Place:
Friendships can only take you so far, at least in
environment activism. After emerging as the darling of environmental groups in
the last year and half, environment minister Jairam Ramesh has fallen out of
favor with the world's most active environmental lobby group -- allegedly over
his complicity in whitewashing the sins of his predecessors.
"It is a matter of fairness, if you are applying one
law for Vedanta, you must apply the same to other groups also," says
Ashish Fernandes, the 'oceans campaigner' for Greenpeace India.What has got
Greenpeace's goat is the environment ministry's recent affidavit to the Supreme
Court's Central Empowered Committee (CEC) that Orissa's Dhamra port project, a
joint venture between Larsen & Toubro and Tata Steel, was not built on
forest land.
According to documents extracted by Greenpeace from the
ministry, its Supreme Court affidavit was directly contrary to its actual
findings on the ground."It is clear that Dhamra Port project site was
never developed as a Port and is a part of the protected forest under the
Kanika Protected Forest [Orissa]," concludes the report by JK Tewari,
chief conservator of forests with the ministry's Eastern Regional Office…………………
Mamata regrets mowing down of elephants by train
New Delhi, Sep 24 – Regretting the mowing down of seven
elephants by a goods train near Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, Railway
Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday said a proposal by her ministry to protect
elephants from being run over by trains in the area is awaiting clearance by
the state forest department.In a statement, Banerjee said Indian Railways have
already forwarded a proposal worth Rs.7.27 crore to the West Bengal forest department suggesting measures such as
fencing of tracks and making ramps along it to prevent elephants coming on
the track, and providing underpasses at select places for elephants to cross
over to the other side of the track.
‘The proposal was sent by Northeast Frontier Railway in June
2010 to West Bengal’sprincipal chief conservator of forests to give
his consent for the works to be carried out by railways. The consent of the
Forest Department, West Bengal , is
awaited,’ she said in a statement here………………………
Date: 24-Sep-10
Country:SINGAPORE
Author: David Fogarty
Country:
Author: David Fogarty
A Tanzanian reforestation project has become the first
forestry investment to be issued carbon offsets under an industry-backed
standard that assures investors the emission reductions are credible and
long-term.The Voluntary Carbon Standard said on Thursday the first batch of
credits had been issued this week and placed in the VCS registry.London-based
The CarbonNeutral Company, which helps firms cut their carbon emissions, is
marketing the credits.
The project in the southern highlands of Tanzania involves
converting degraded grassland into sustainably harvested eucalypt and pine
forests that soak up carbon dioxide from the air as they grow, earning CO2
offsets.The forests cover 7,250 hectares (18,125 acres) in Uchindile district
and 3,560 hectares at Mapanda district, the VCS and The CarbonNeutral Company
said in a statement.To protect investors, 40 percent of the initial batch of
232,264 credits would be placed in a special buffer account, they said. This is
to guarantee delivery of the credits going forward in case the trees are
destroyed by fire or other reasons……………
NHAI officials to visit NH-6 today
Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN, Sep 24, 2010, 05.13am IST
Chief conservators of forests (CCF) AK Saxena and Nandkishore, wildlife expert Kishor Rithe, assistant conservator of forest (ACF) Kishore Kishrikotkar, NHAI project director Naresh Wadetwar and other officials will be part of the team visiting NH-6. In the 80-km patch between Sirpur and Lakhni, work in three forest patches - Mohghata, Sasakuran and Maramjob - comprising 10km, has been stopped for want of forest clearance. Rest of the four-laning work has already been completed............……
First Published : 24 Sep 2010 01:28:38 AM IST
Last Updated : 24 Sep 2010 10:51:41 AM IST
MANANTHAVADI: Putting an end to her four-decade-long life in
the forest, Lakshmi Amma, alias Avva, 68, finally moved to Panavalli near
Kattikkulam. Avva, who had been living alone in the forest in the Begur range
of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary for the past 17 years, took the crucial
decision to cooperate with the rehabilitation project being implemented by the
Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), an NGO, aiming to restore the elephant passages
in South Indian forests………………….
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