Environmental News and Media Roundup for Week 38, 2012

Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for week 38 (starting September 17, 2012) 2012.

1. Delhi’s monuments will be lit by solar energy

More and more of the capital’s best known monuments may now be illuminated through solar energy. Building on the experience gained over the last three years and keen on promoting the use of environment-friendly solar energy, the Delhi government plans to light up more of the capital’s historical sites through cheap and plentiful energy from the sun.

2. Govt mulls subsidy for eco-friendly battery rickshaws

Commuting to a metro station will soon be a comfortable and environment-friendly affair with the introduction of new rickshaws that will run on battery or solar energy.

3. Clean river bed, green tribunal tells UP

Six months after it directed Delhi and UP governments to stop dumping solid waste on the Yamuna river bed, the National Green Tribunal on Monday issued fresh instructions to the UP irrigation department to immediately remove all the debris from the river bank.

4. We are trying to take over illegal parkings

The unified MCD was divided into three parts after which the East Delhi Municipal Corporation was formed. What we inherited was less than 20 legal parkings across the entire east Delhi which has a population of 17 lakh. Naturally, that space was woefully inadequate.

5. Saving Taj Mahal: Green activists want ‘clean air action plan’, cap on number of visitors

As threat to the Taj Mahal due to harmful gases emanating from nearby industries continue, green activists are now emphasising the need for implementation of a ‘clean air action plan’ to save the Mughal-era structure.

6. Conditional nod for project on River Beas

An Environment Ministry panel has recommended conditional nod for a hydro-electric power project located on River Beas in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh.

7. Petition in Supreme Court seeks fresh green assessment for Kudankulam N-plant

A petition field in the Supreme Court on Friday sought fresh environment impact assessment of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant  on the ground that the configuration and design of the plant had undergone several changes since 1989 when the earlier environment assessment was conducted.

8. National Green Tribunal chief’s appointment: MoEF sat on file for two months, show RTI papers

The environment ministry dragged its feet for two months over the appointment of National Green Tribunal chairperson, according to documents accessed under RTI. This gains significance in light of the Supreme Court’s observation that the government had failed to address the appointment process to important tribunals and provide infrastructure and manpower to these quasi-judicial bodies.

Aastha Kukreti

Aastha Kukreti holds a Master’s degree in Environment Management and her areas of expertise range from waste management, pollution ecology, green audits, ecofeminism, environmental equity and social justice.

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