Monday Feature: Green News and Media Roundup for Week 41, 2011

Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for week 41 (starting October 10), 2011.

1. Confiscated Bullock torture devices to go on public display

Seized during the Chinchali Animal Fair and at sugarcane factories, dozens of cruel devices used to whip and painfully restrain bullocks will be on display near the office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in Delhi on Wednesday.

2. Powerless festive season

The festival season has been marred by a spate of power cuts in the city. As the situation stands, the present power crisis in the city is unlikely to improve in the coming few days. The power department officials said that load-shedding will continue till the supply of coal is resumed.

3. Metro’s heritage corridor delay may hit 2016 deadline

Even before work started on Phase III of the Delhi Metro, the project could be heading for delay. The controversial heritage corridor, which will go from Janpath to Mandi House, ITO, Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid, Red Fort and on to Kashmere Gate, looks set to miss its 2016 deadline as it awaits the green signal from the heritage body, National Monuments Authority.

4. Four-day project to explore the river-city dyad takes off today

The ‘disconnect’ between the people of Delhi and its very own river Yamuna, the problem of pollution plaguing the river which once used to be city’s lifeline, the state of affairs of its various banks and also the lifestyle of people inhabiting its banks, all this and more. A group of people from diverse backgrounds and connected directly or indirectly with the Yamuna would be exchanging their views on such topics during a four-day event, starting Wednesday.

5. Mobile towers hurting biological systems of birds: Study

Electromagnetic radiation ( EMR) from mobile towers was interfering with the biological systems of birds, a study released by the environment ministry said and called for a law for the protection of flora and fauna.

6. Ragpickers to help collect city’s e-waste

With e-waste from households and small offices posing threats to the soil and health of the city, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee is planning to involve rag-pickers and kabadiwallahs for their proper disposal.

7. Legal reforms to streamline water management

Delhi’s water sector is likely to undergo massive changes with the introduction of several legal reforms. Delhi Jal Board CEO Ramesh Negi on Friday said if the city’s water demands are to be met, preservation and reuse of water are a must and “effective legislation could be used after suitably amending it to suit Delhi’s environment”.

8. Govt to revive city’s dying water bodies

To revive dying water bodies in the city, Delhi government has decided to conduct a survey and carry out field visits to find out the status of each of the water bodies.

9. Why National Green Tribunal not given space in Delhi, asks SC

Why is the National Green Tribunal adjudicating environment and forest related disputes pushed to function from a small office in south Delhi when Central Administrative Tribunal and National Human Rights Commission have sprawling buildings in New Delhi, the Supreme Court asked on Friday.

10. Nod to Lavasa Project only after terms met, and final HC order: Environment Ministry

The environment ministry has said that it can grant final environmental clearance to Lavasa’s Hill City near Pune only after all five pre-conditions recommended by its expert appraisal committee were met and after the final orders of the Bombay High Court.

11. Relief for India as China says no Brahmaputra diversion

In a rare admission which will be welcomed in India, China has stated that it will not divert the Brahmaputra river.