Following is a Gap Analysis of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report of the Central Secretariat to Badarpur Corridor available on the Delhi Metro’s Website (here) at this link.
GAP ANALYSIS, Delhi Metro’s EIA Report of Central Secretariat to Badarpur Corridor
The key gaps identified are in valuing the ecosystem services provided by the trees and the unthoughtful Positive Environmental Impacts that are listed.
Finally, the Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh has realized that Economic Growth – in the absence of the concept of sustainable development may do wonders for India but it cannot and will not work for Bharat.
His speech to the Captains of Industry at the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) last week talked of a ten-fold path for corporate India which included offering jobs to the less -privileged, resist excessive remuneration to promoters and senior executives and discourage conspicuous consumption, invest in environment-friendly technologies, desist from anti-competitive behaviour, promote enterprise and innovation, fight corruption, etc.
We hope the speech will be followed by some form of policy intervention which will ensure that his vision is adopted by the entire corporate sector.
Summers in Delhi have been unusual this year. While some claim it may be the signs of a larger climate change that will follow, others are just considering it ‘normal’ weather fluctuations.
Things are however, far from normal. Two-three days of continuous heat wave is abruptly changed to heavy downpour the very next day. Even before we can wipe the sweat off our foreheads – the surroudings become cooler. We may be enjoying this ‘broken’ summer but it is something that requires urgent investigation.
CNN-IBN covered a story on this which can be read here and/or viewed online by clicking here.
This has been around for some time now. An ePaper is the digital version of your daily newspaper such that you can view it over the internet exactly as it is published. A simple one time registration lets you read each and every article, advertisement, etc. on the paper in real time.
Here is a list of some of the Indian newspapers that are available as ePapers:
Aandhra Bhoomi
Andhrajothy
Asomiya Pratidin
Daily Thanthi
Dainik Bhaskar
Dainik Jagran
Deccan Chronicle
Deccan Herald
Dinamalar
Divya Bhaskar
DNA (Daily News & Analysis)
Economic Times
Financial Express
Hindustan Hindi
Hindustan Times
Indian Express
Lokmat
Mid day
Mumbai Mirror
Prabhat Khabar
Rajasthan Patrika
Sandesh
Sanmarg
Tamilmurasu
The Asian Age
The Financial Express
The Hindu
The Kashmir Times
The New Indian Express
The Pioneer
The Siasat Daily
The Telegraph
The Times of India
Vijya Karnataka
Vijya Times
What has this got to do with the Environmemt? A lot actually. First, if the ePaper concept catches on, we may need to publish (‘on paper’) less of newspapers.
Second and more importantly, several organisations, institutes, etc. keep track of news/events by cutting articles from the newspaper and maintaining a scrapbook. With the ePapers in vogue, we can now think of having digital scrapbooks and the entire newspaper can be returned to be recycled thus minimising the cutting of trees.
As already mentioned, Mr. Yashpal Singh Negi of Kakdagad (District Rudraprayag) has been running the Mandakini Magpie Bird Watchers Camp for quite some time now. His efforts towards ‘ecotourism’ were appreciated by many through this Blog.
Another visit was made to his camp to inform him about this and also present him with a printed copy of the DelhiGreens Blog page in which he was featured (along with all the comments).
Unfortunately, at the time of the visit, Mr. Negi was away to Ukhimath on a bird watching expedition.
The printed copy was left at his camp, along with lots of encouraging wishes that he continues this good work.
Previously on DelhiGreens:
Shivani Kapoor
shivani@delhigreens.org
The Government is coming up with plans to increase the use of cycles in the city to tackle the overcrowding of roads and its consequent manifestations. Well intentioned. But where will those cycles run? Can the cycle survive between the private bus, which, is perpetually in a hurry, and the luxury cars which ply on the roads of Delhi?
Well, they say that separate cycle tracks would be constructed for this purpose. Perhaps that will happen, just as the HCBS (High Capacity Bus Service) corridor is being “constructed” while the city is being “de-constructed”.
Firstly will people be willing to leave their cars and move on a cycle? The haves will continue to snub the concept and the under privileged will bear the brunt of the government’s expectations. Secondly, who will actually end up using the cycling tracks? Autowallahs who want to beat the city rush? Car drivers who want to top the speed of 70 km/hr they are currently at?
And of course our very own cattle who have been forced off the main road by the above mentioned. Seems far-fetched? Go have a look at who is using the HCBS corridor near Sheikh Sarai. The corridor has to be used in the future for the high capacity bus. But till the buses actually arrive on the road, it is used as a by-lane by those who find the main road quite ‘congested’.
The main Sheikh Sarai – Chirag Dilli road has many feeder lanes, which open onto it from the neighbouring residential areas. Now this corridor has come up between the lanes and the main road. Thus, these new intersections have formed where the lane meets the corridor and further the corridor meets the main road. During peak hours this usually translates into cars, buses, cycles, auto rickshaws, pedestrians, hawkers and cattle all vying for that small intersection in order to reach under the Chirag Dilli flyover. What ensues is anybody’s guess.
One can hardly expect that once the buses are on track, the others will vacate the space. Have we ever vacated a space? EVER. In all probability the poor cyclist will again have nowhere to go.
Previously on DelhiGreens:
SAVE 40,000 TREES PER YEAR The Department of Environment (Delhi Government), through an advertisement issued in public interest has given the following five bullets in order to save 40,000 trees per year. The emphasis is on saving paper, using it efficiently and recycling it in such a way so at to minimise the need to cut more trees.
In order to setup Paper Recycling Units, M/S Development Alternatives can be contacted at 011 – 26134103.
Even though the pride of Delhi – the elevated Metro tracks seem to find no takers. Earlier it was the Metro next to the Qutab Minar, now it is the elevated Metro line coming up in the residential areas of South Delhi that is being opposed.
While the Qutab line (that would take Metro to Gurgaon) was taken about half-a-kilometer away from the monument, the residents of South Delhi want the Metro to stay underground even after the railway line at Defence Colony from where it is slated to move out.
Residents fear that the elevated track will commercialize the area, eat into the green cover and make the area unsuitable for residential purpose.
People objecting to the Delhi Metro’s elevated corridor in South Delhi have asked the Delhi Government as to why can’t the Metro remain underground, as it would from Central Secretariat till Defence Colony while passing through the VIP areas and the Lutyen’s Zone.
A meeting was held at the Delhi Secretariat yesterday (May 25th, 2007) discussing the feasibility of keeping the Metro underground.
Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) and Development & Research Organization for Nature, Arts & Heritage (DRONAH) invite all to attend a public meeting in Gurgaon to discuss approaches towards cleaning of rivers. The evening will also feature the release of CSE’s publication, ‘Sewage canal: How to clean the Yamuna’. This will be followed by a screening of its acclaimed film, ‘Faecal attraction: Political economy of defecation’.
Date: May 23, 2007
Venue: Unitech Country Club, South City I, Gurgaon, Haryana
Time: 6:45 PM Onwards
Previously on DelhiGreens:
Chat on 18th May 2007
Log in to IndianWildlifeclub.com for an online chat on “Role of Captive Elephants in Wildlife Conservation“ between 7.30 PM (IST) and 8.30 PM (IST)* on 18th May 2007.
The chat will be moderated by Dr.P.S Easa, who is the Director-Conservation at the Wildlife Trust of India. Click Here to reach the chat room on the said day and time, after registering as a member.
You can also click HERE to see transcripts of the earlier chat sessions.
Previously on DelhiGreens:
|
Send your social media/ press releases to |
|
|
