Monday Feature: Green News and Media Roundup for Week 52, 2011
Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for week 52 (starting December 26), 2011. Delhi Greens wishes everyone a Happy New Year 2012 in this last week of 2011!
1. Personal cars account for 0.6% of India’s diesel consumption
They may be branded as villains by the environmental lobby, but personal cars consume a paltry 0.6% of the diesel consumed in the country, an internal Planning Commission note said.
2. CNG price hike: City pumps set to get Delhi customers
The serpentine queues at the four CNG filling stations in the city might just get longer with a substantial increase in the cost of fuel in neighbouring Delhi and a few other places in the National Capital Region.
3. From New Year, Mangu Singh to lead Delhi Metro
A decade after launching operations in the capital, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will get its second managing director, Mangu Singh, in the New Year. Singh will take over on January 1, 2012, from E Sreedharan, who spearheaded the setting up of DMRC in the capital from the beginning.
4. Anyone entitled to move Green panel on environmental issues: NGT
The National Green Tribunal has held that any citizen can approach it for protection of environment, regardless of whether he is directly affected by a developmental project or whether he is a resident of the affected area.
5. Open Delhi is better… I am not too keen on high-rises, says Sheila
Union urban development minister Kamal Nath may be keen on making Delhi grow vertically to meet the city’s increasing housing demands, but Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit is not too enthusiastic about the idea.
6. On the job: No choice but to breathe poison
Braving the extreme weather and inhaling all kinds of pollutants — vehicular and industrial — they stand on the road all day to ensure the smooth movement of traffic. The result is not surprising. Respiratory problems, heart diseases, cancer and musculoskeletal and neurological disorders are prevalent among Delhi Traffic Police personnel, according to the initial findings of a study conducted by Maulana Azad Medical College on the effects of environmental pollution on 5,000 personnel.
7. India against binding pact on emission cuts: Jayanthi
India will not accept any binding targets under a new post 2020 climate regime until the principle of differentiation based on equity is defined, Union environment and forests minister Jayanthi Natarajan told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
8. India against European Union’s move to slap carbon emission fee on airlines
India has strongly opposed the European Union’s move to slap carbon emission charges on airlines using its airspace, joining a growing global chorus against the move led by China and the United States.
