Tag Archives: EIA 2020

Rising Bharat National News Feed: October 29th 2020

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  1. Remove oil storage facility in ecologically sensitive coastal area, says green tribunal

(india mongabay, 29 October 2020) News Link

  • NGT asks AP not to go ahead with RLS without green nod

(The Hindu, 29 October 2020) News Link

  • No intimation on Centre giving ear to views on EIA: EM

Key points:

  1. Executive Member in charge of Forest, Macdalyn Sawkmie Mawlong, said that no intimation has been received till date on whether the Centre has accepted the views and comments of the Council on Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2020.
  2. She said the EC is following up on the matter and a letter was also sent on August 7.
  3. Replying to a supplementary question by Congress MDC, Charles Marngar, she said that a 12-point proposal was sent to the ministry wherein the Council has opposed the reduction in number of days allotted to the public to furnish their responses from 30 to 20 and completion of the public hearing process within 40 days instead of the 45 days allotted earlier. She added that the ownership of land should not be affected.
  4. Congress MDC, Ronnie Lyngdoh, said areas falling under Sixth Schedule should be exempted from the purview of the EIA. In reply, Mawlong said the Forest department has a committee to revamp the functioning of the department.
    (The Shillong Times, 29 October 2020) News Link
  • NGT forms joint panel to evaluate ECR integrated stormwater drain project

Key points:

  1. All is not well at Banganga, the ancient talao or freshwater tank that rests at the southwest corner of Malabar Hill and survived for centuries as a living heritage precinct in the city where pilgrims have found their way since the 12th century Shilahara period.
  2. Regarded as sacred, the tank also owes its origin to the legend that a thirsty Lord Rama on his way to Lanka had shot a ‘ban’ or an arrow into the ground that caused this fresh water spring to burst forth from the Bhagwati River, an offshoot of the Ganga believed to be running underground. Over the years, around 118 temples dedicated to various gods have come up around this only stepwell in the city whose natural aquifers continue to spout potable water.
  3. That ancient structures are susceptible to stress from development is no surprise but the 1000-year-old structure is facing a “first of its kind” threat, warn locals and members of the Goud Saraswat Brahman (GSB) Temple Trust that owns and manages the Banganga complex after the clear waters of the tank turned murky brown last month, which they believe is a result of heavy piling work for a new multi-storeyed residential project coming up 100 metres northeast from the historic tank. Rutvik Aurangabadkar, executive administrator of the GSB Temple Trust says, “We saw that the water was getting muddy every time piling work was on. We are worried that the construction activity has hindered the underground route and poses a threat of permanent damage to the natural aquifer that might render the tank redundant.”
  4. Although the BMC officials had issued temporary stop-work orders in September following a geotechnical investigation of the site and despite the Trust’s letters to the project developers voicing their concerns over the contamination of the water that has never seen any cause for complaint in the past — construction work resumed a fortnight ago prompting the GSB Trust to reach out to the Maharashtra Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. The 143×57 metre tank was listed as a protected monument by the state archaeological department in 1991 and in 1995 the site was notified as a heritage precinct.
  5. “Our team of engineers observed that the construction site, located at a higher ground than the water tank, could be the source of the natural water spring from where water flows into the tank. We wrote to the Geological Survey of India last week requesting technical support to locate the underground water source of Banganga and to confirm whether piling work for building construction is threatening the natural water source of the tank. We’ve been asked to consult the Groundwater Survey and Development Agency, which should help us investigate and take proper remedial measures,” explained Tejas Garge, director of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra adding that the source had never been scanned in the past “because a problem like this had never been encountered.”
    (The Hindu, 29 October 2020) News Link
  • Ram Mandir vyavastha
  1. मंदिर निर्माण की तैयारियां:राम मंदिर निर्माण समिति के चेयरमैन नृपेंद्र मिश्र पहुंचे अयोध्या, तीन दिनों तक प्रवास के दौरान लेंगे निर्माण कार्यों का जायजा

(Bhaskar, 29 October 2020) News Link

  • Ayodhya Ram Mandir: अयोध्या में राम मंदिर की नींव के 12 टेस्ट पिलर्स तैयार, भार क्षमता जांचने का काम पूरा

(Jagran, 29 October 2020)News Link

Rising Bharat National News Feed: October 12th 2020

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  1. Environmentalists worried about impact of Shradi Tunnel on Western Ghats

Key points:

  1. Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, Himachal Pradesh, a debate on the need for the proposed tunnel through Shiradi Ghat road, connecting the state’s capital with the , has emerged. This even as green activists in Kerala are opposing the proposed tunnel along the Kozhikode-Wayanad road, stating that the project will have an adverse ecological impact in one of the most ecologically fragile areas of the Western Ghats, that is susceptible to landslides.
  2. “Do we need a 23.5 km-long-tunnel-cum-bridge via Sakleshpur to connect Bengaluru and Mangaluru?” questioned Dinesh Holla, convenor, Sahyadri Sanchaya, which is fighting for the preservation of the Western Ghats. During the last decade, governments have been destroying the Western Ghats in instalments, he said.
  3. Sandeep Anirudhan, founder, Aikyam Community for Sustainable Living, said the proposed tunnel needs to be looked at from a holistic perspective. It should be first subjected to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and a social impact assessment. At a time when work from home is the new normal and technology has replaced travel among cities, we need to look at new models of development, and not follow the outdated models of blindly building infrastructure. The real need for the project must be assessed, rather than implementing the project only to cater to the demands of contractor lobbies. For example, the DPR for the Hubbali-Ankola railway line was based on the requirement of the mining industry, which does not exist any more, he added.

(Times of India, 12 October 2020) News Link

Rising Bharat National News Feed: October 9th 2020

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  • POJK – China, Pakistan join hands to target India; PLA helps Islamabad to install missiles in PoK

Key points:

  1. Military-to-military cooperation between China and Pakistan at a tactical level
  2. China’s PLA helping Pakistan to install a surface-to-air missile near PoK
  3. CDS Bipin Rawat had recently said that India was capable of handling two-front threat

(Times Now News,9 October 2020) News Link

  • POK की जेल में 9 साल से बंद हैं राजनीतिक कार्यकर्ता, गिलगित–बाल्टिस्‍तान में जोरदार प्रदर्शन

Key points:

  1. गिलगित-बाल्टिस्‍तान इलाके में गुरुवार को एक बार फिर से जोरदार प्रदर्शन हुआ
  2. हुंजा इलाके में स्‍थानीय लोगों ने जेल में बंद कार्यकर्ताओं को रिहा करने की मांग की
  3. इन कार्यकर्ताओं को दंगे करने और नुकसान पहुंचाने के आरोप में अरेस्‍ट किया गया था

(Navbharat Times,9 October 2020) News Link

  1. Webinar on “Spirit of NEP” at MANUU

Key points:

  1. Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) is organising a national webinar ‘Sprit of National Education Policy-2020’ on Saturday.
  2. The objective of the webinar is to understand the vision, identify challenges in the implementation and to prepare a roadmap for MANUU in the light of the NEP 2020. (Telangana Today, 9 October 2020) News Link
  • NEP-2020 will transform Indian Education system : Guv

Key points:

  1. Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday underlined that the National Education Policy-2020 will transform the Indian education system and make it the global hub of quality education.
  2. Addressing the webinar on NEP-2020, organised by the Centre for South Indian Studies (CSIS,) from Raj Bhavan here on Friday, Dr Soundararajan said that the NEP-2020 is going to mould the students as job-creators and not as job-seekers.
  3. She stated that NEP-2020 was aimed at creating Global Citizens with strong Indian roots and added that if implemented in true spirit by all the stakeholders, the NEP-2020 will regain India’s position as the Vishwa Guru.
  4. Ms Tamilisai exhorted the people to understand the NEP-2020 in its holistic perspective and realize its potential to transform Indian education system as the international destination for quality education.

(UNI India, 9 October 2020) News Link

  • Assam:  ‘Shaping young leaders and NEP 2020’

Key points:

  1. Dr. Rai, an erudite speaker, started on a very positive note of students being sacrosanct to dreams; identifying potentials in self and owe it to oneself; the universe conspires to give that one thing you deeply desire; money is what money does and never fear to dream.
  2. He stated that failure is never fatal as it is a combination for success; people die only once not on every failure; failure is when you stop trying; fear of success is also prevalent but success is not final. He urged the students to listen to the advice of others but never live other’s version of life thereby losing one’s identity.
  3. Dr. Mittal highlighted the benefits this new batch of students and onwards can reap from the NEP stressing on transformations made to establish a transparent system that is student centric and designed to be primarily beneficial to the students.
  4. Advising the students to always have fire and passion to learn, be consistent, recognise their competencies, compete in themselves while investing in team-work, she assured the students, with the future being of blended learning and technological advancement being the crux of our lives off late, NEP 2020 will generate multi-faculty universities that will grant students freedom to choose a basket of courses of their liking.

(Arunanchal 24, 9 October 2020) News Link

  • NEP 2020 will be benchmark of development: VC BGSBU

Key points:

  1. “National Education Policy 2020 is going to a turning point for India. With ever increasing significance of skill-based education, the NEP 2020 if executed in letter and spirit will be a benchmark of development,” Vice Chancellor Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) Prof Javed Musarrat said while delivering a presentation during brainstorming session on the implementation on NEP 2020 at BGSBU.
  2. While discussing the transformational reforms in education sector, Prof Musarrat emphasized on the structural changes under NEP 2020 that will ensure that the knowledge and opportunities students receive within the country are at par with global standards.
  3. Prof Musarrat urged the members of teaching and non -teaching fraternity of BGSBU to start with, in a time-bound manner for the implementation of NEP 2020 guidelines vis-à-vis academics, research, infrastructure, and other areas, to be able to meet its objectives.

(dailyexcelsior, 9 October 2020) News Link

  1. Kerala tunnel project: Environmentalists ask where is feasibility study and EIA

Key points:

  1. Environmentalists have raised questions over Pinarayi Vijayan’s announcement to construct a massive tunnel in between the ‘Camel Hump’ mountains of the Western Ghats- connecting Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. 
  2. The project will create a 7-km tunnel – mooted to be the third largest such tunnel in the country – and will connect Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. It will also offer a wider and alternate route to the Thamarassery Ghat road which is usually congested, reducing travel time to neighbouring Karnataka significantly, CM Pinarayi Vijayan announced.
  3. However, environmental groups have questioned why the tunnel project was launched by the government, without a Financial Feasibility study, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and a Sociological Impact Assessment. All these studies should have been conducted in the first place, they point out.
  4. “The project construction is announced with no economic and environmental feasibility studies done. The government said that a technical feasibility study for the tunnel was done. However, such a report is not available in the public domain,’ says Kochi-based lawyer and environmental activist Harish Vasudevan.
  5. The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti, a well known environmentalist group in Kerala, issued a statement pointing out that the Pinarayi government had not even taken permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFF), before announcing the project.
  6. “If the tunnel is going to be built underneath forest cover, then that would also come under forest land and hence permission has to be taken from the forest department. Mining underneath the forest also required underground mining rules and there are several challenges with regard to the water table which need to be factored in,” Harish added.

(The News Minute, 9 October 2020) News Link

Rising Bharat National News Feed: October 8th 2020

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  1. जम्मू–कश्मीरः जोजिला टनल परियोजना पर काम शुरू, सुरंग के लिए पहला विस्फोट 15 को

Key points:

  1. लद्दाख को जम्मू-कश्मीर समेत पूरे देश से साल भर जोड़े रखने के लिए एशिया की सबसे लंबी (14.2 किमी) जोजिला टनल परियोजना स्थल पर काम शुरू हो गया है। निर्माण कंपनी का अमला और मशीनरी जोजिला पहुंच गई है। सामरिक दृष्टि से इस बेहद महत्वपूर्ण सुरंग की खोदाई के लिए 15 अक्तूबर को पहला विस्फोट किया जाएगा। फर्स्ट ब्लास्ट सेरेमनी का उद्घाटन केंद्रीय सड़क परिवहन एवं राजमार्ग मंत्री नितिन गडकरी कर सकते हैं।

(Amar Ujala, 8 October 2020) News Link

  1. 5 vehicles used to mine red earth seized in Thadagam

Key points:

  1. District administration officials on Wednesday seized four tipper trucks and an earthmover used by unauthorised brick kiln units in Veerapandi and Somayampalayam village panchayats in Thadagam valley near the city to mine and transport red earth.
  2. The vehicles were seized based on suspicion, Coimbatore north tahsildar Mahesh Kumar told TOI. “We noticed the trucks transporting red earth and asked drivers to produce permits. As they failed to produce them, we seized the vehicles. We have asked them to bring the papers. Based on it, and on consultation with senior officials, we will take action against the owners of the vehicles,” he said. “Only three trucks were carrying red earth, but we seized four of them based on suspicion.”
  3. Thadagam-based activists, meanwhile, cited RTI replies and a report by the Tamil Nadu pollution control board’s (TNPCB) special team, and said none of the kilns had permits from departments such as mines and minerals, pollution control board, and environment impact assessment clearance, to mine red earth.
  4. Ganesh also pointed to government order 170 issued by the industries department on August 5, which says vehicles used for mining and transporting minerals without permit must be seized and produced before court, and the perpetrators fined.
  5. A team of TNPCB officials from across the state had visited the units in Thadagam valley and in January, submitted a report saying that ‘183 illegally-operating brick kilns shall be closed’, in view of not obtaining mandatory permissions, and also for polluting the region.
  6. Following the report in January, TNPCB officials from the district inspected the kilns. As they had not obtained consent of the board and hadn’t taken measures to control air pollution, they had recommended the revenue department to close the kilns, seal machinery and disconnect power to the units. But the kilns continue to operate. (Times of India, 8 October 2020) News Link
  • Mumbai coastal road: Court taken for a ride, says SC

Key points:

  1. The SC on Wednesday reserved its order on the fate of the Mumbai coastal road project while indicating it would not vacate its interim order allowing reclamation of sea strictly for construction of the road and no other purpose. Referring to excess reclamation, Chief Justice S A Bobde said, “It appears someone is taking the court for a ride. The clearance was only for 90 hectares. Anybody who is constructing should be on notice that everything is subject to final orders.”
  2. The Supreme Court indicated on Wednesday that it would not revisit the wellconsidered December 17 interim order allowing the Mumbai coastal road project to continue but said the project remained subject to its final orders.
  3. Senior advocate Shyam Divan submitted before a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice A S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian that the project proponents and BMC had been resorting to excessive reclamation of land. He said though it was repeatedly mentioned to the high court as well as the Supreme Court that they required 90 hectares of land to be reclaimed from the sea, the figure had now gone beyond 111hectares. He said that as the project had undergone qualitative change, it would require new environmental clearances.
  4. The HC had stalled the project saying work could not go on without clearances under the EIA notification and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, even though it conceded that the “extent of appraisal for environment clearance under CRZ 2011 is more exhaustive than the appraisal for environment clearance under EIA Notification”. The HC quashed the CRZ clearance for the project after it was challenged through PILs. (Times of India, 8 October 2020) News Link
  1. AMRPSWA to organise seminar on NEP 2020

Key points:

  1. The All Manipur Recognised Private Schools’ Welfare Association (AMRPSWA), Imphal is organising a seminar on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to create an awareness about the policy to the principals of private schools.
  2. AMRPSWA also submitted a memorandum to the Education Minister on October 5 last with the following proposal.
  3. 1) Pre-board examination, notably known class-X common question examination, has been persisting since-2005, likely to be held for 2021 in the first week of January, 2021 strictly following SOP provided by the Government.
  4. 2) The association would like to draw the attention of the concerned authority to grant consent as and when the institutions are open to provide the students of classes X and XII essential reading materials so as to enhance wide knowledge, for a few hours consulting with their respective parents.
  5. In addition they will be provided strick guidelines, teaching, suggestions vice versa so that they are able to comprehend the ideas or points the teachers indicated.
  6. It is an immense imperative to maintain SOP, provided by Govt as far as applicable.
  7. 3) As and when the Govt of Manipur adapts and implements NEP 2020, been approved recently by the Union Cabinet, the AMRPSWA has also firmly resolved to teach the students as per the provided norms.

(Pao, 8 October 2020) News Link

Rising Bharat National News Feed: September 26th 2020

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  • Views and Statement on EIA – Draft EIA Notification – a Unique Text That Places Violators Front and Centre
  • A PIL has been filed in Karnataka High Court challenging the exemption of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for all national highway widening projects up to 100 km.
  • A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka issued notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate (MoEF and CC) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
  • The petition filed by United Conservation Movement and Charitable and Welfare Trust, Bengaluru, contended that as per the office memorandum issued by the MoEF and CC dated August 28, 2013, expansion of national highways up to 100 km, involving additional right of way or land acquisition up to 40 meters on existing alignments and 60 meters on re-alignments or bypasses are exempted from the purview of EIA.
  • The petition stated that the amendment issued by the central government was in violation of the provisions under the Environment (Protection) Act and Environment (Protection) Rules. The implication is that a National Highway, up to a length of 100 km, widening can be established irrespective of the ecological sensitivity of the area. Such an exemption is not only contrary to law, but has serious adverse impact on the environment in general and specifically on ecologically sensitive areas, the petition stated.

(Deccan Herald, 26 September 2020) News Link