Think India Foundation

Orissa adopts Central law to empower tribals

Bhubaneswar : Seventeen years after Parliament passed the PESA Act that empowers tribal society to take control of their own resources, the Orissa government has finally decided to make necessary changes to the Act to implement it in the state. The Panchayat (Extension to Schedule Areas) Act covers tribal areas of nine states, including Orissa.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh had repeatedly criticised the state government for failing to implement the Act. Ramesh, who had visited Kalahandi early this year, was surprised when members of Panchayati Raj Institutions said they had no idea of the Act. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

More people to get homes under revised scheme in Kolkata

KOLKATA: With the task force on affordable housing suggesting revisions in the eligibility criteria for affordable housing schemes, Bengal is likely to witness a huge growth in demand for such residential units. Already the state has an estimated shortage of 12 lakh residential units for economically weaker section and medium income group. 

The task force has suggested an upward revision of the income ceilings to Rs 8,000 per month against Rs 5,000 per month earlier. Since many residents belonging to the economically weaker section do not have regular income, the task force also proposed to consider those with an annual income of Rs 1 lakh in that case. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Sadbhavana Yatras’ to tackle extremism in Vizag Agency area

RAJAHMUNDRY : Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, Inspector General of Police, Andhra Region, said that police have their own strategies to tackle extremist activities on the boarders, particularly AOB and ‘Sadbhavana Yatras’ which are going on in Visakhapatnam interior Agency area, are part of it.

IGP Dwaraka Tirumala Rao along with DIG Vikram Singh Maan (Eluru) and SP T.Ravikumar Murthy (Rajahmundry Urban district) holding a review meeting with police officials in Rajahmundry on Sunday. Photo: S. Rambabu

After conducting review meeting with police officials here on Sunday, the IG spoke to the media persons informally. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Central team to visit Kochi to evaluate UMTA, UTF proposals

KOCHI : A team deputed by the Union Government to implement the project for setting up a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) and an Urban Transport Fund (UTF) in major cities in India is scheduled to visit Kochi soon. The team will be led by consultants assigned by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), including Allan Kennaird, Sumit Mishra and Sharad Singhai.

The visit by the consultants is to hold discussions with the representatives of the civic body, as well as various stakeholders in the city’s development, in connection with the formulation of the Operations Document for UMTA and the UTF project. The project is mooted by the MoUD as per the guidelines of the National Transport Policy. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Odisha to implement Biju Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government planning to start Biju Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana  for youth. This is an internship programme for youth .

Sources said nine departments of the state government will implement the scheme. In the first phase, the interns will be engaged in Agriculture, Forest and Environment, Health and Family Welfare, Housing and Urban Development, Panchayati Raj, School and Mass Education, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development and Women and Child Welfare departments. Read more

Source : indiaeducationdiary.in

Liquor shops near religious places to be banned soon in Bhopal

BHOPAL: Liquor shops near religious places will not be allowed soon. Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) took the decision at its general council meeting at Acharya Narendra Dev Library on Monday after the Congress raised strong objection to liquor shops - mostly illegal-mushrooming near mosques and temples in the state capital.

Expressing concern over the disturbing development, chairman and speaker of the BMC council, Kailash Mishra directed the BMC commissioner to issue directives to excise officials to take action against liquor shops and beer bars near religious places in BMC limits. "Also ensure that no more bar permits are allotted at such places," Mishra directed. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Govt may hike guidance value, stamp duty

Bangalore : The State government is likely to hike the guidance value across the State as well as stamp and registration duties to fund the numerous populist schemes it has announced in the recent weeks.

Revenue Minister V Sreenivas Prasad told presspersons here on Monday that the government is looking at these two avenues to fill the state coffers which currently cannot afford such heavy expenditure. Read more

Source : www.deccanherald.com

New financial products needed to push infrastructure development: FM

New Delhi: Development of infrastructure and expansion of financial products such as Infrastructure Debt Funds (IDFs) and takeout finance are crucial to the country achieving 8 percent growth, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said here on Tuesday.

"...To give thrust to investment in infrastructure sector and to attain GDP growth rate of 8 per cent, there is an immense need for financial products such as IDFs, Takeout Finance and Credit Enhancement scheme to fill the financial gap in the infrastructure sector," he said after launching USD 1 billion IDF scheme of IIFCL here today. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Slum removal scheme tweaked to make it more effective

New Delhi: The Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), billed as the government’s most ambitious scheme for ridding the country of slums, is to be tweaked by changing the norms relating to its funding pattern and granting property rights to make it more effective. 

The government had launched RAY in June 2011 to bring about a “slum-free India” by tackling inequalities in urban planning and land management practices. India's slum population was estimated at 93 million in 2011. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Sikkim government denies going slow on Gorkhaland resolution

Siliguri : The Sikkim government has rubbished news reports that claimed it had been dragging it's feet in sending a resolution passed in its assembly on the formation of Gorkhaland to the Union government.

Issuing a clarification on its position on the resolution, a press release by the public relations department of the Sikkim government read, “The resolution was forwarded to GK Pillai, then Union home secretary by ND Chingapa, then chief secretary of Sikkim vide (D.O.No.273/ CS/SKM/2011/562) on May 19, 2011.” Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Realtors bat for reforms, urge Girija Vyas to play ball

Mumbai (IANS) : An apex body of realtors Tuesday reiterated its commitment to reforms in the realty sector and called upon the new Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister, Girija Vyas, to continue the unfinished task of her predecessor.

The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) has "taken up the realty reforms as a mission. We want the government to accord 'Industry Status' to the sector", CREDAI chairman Lalit Jain said here. Read more

Source : www.newstrackindia.com

Public parking projects yield Rs 240 crore to Maharashtra

MUMBAI: The state government, filing an affidavit in response to a PIL regarding its public parking policy, informed the Bombay high court that the policy was designed to mainly meet "parking requirements" and not to generate revenue as alleged by the litigant, Pravin Wategaonkar. The state, however , added that it felt it fit to charge a premium for the space and has collected nearly Rs 240 crore so far. 

The state urban development (UD) department submitted the affidavit, which the litigant received on Monday. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

West Bengal apathetic to mega science project

KOLKATA: A mega science project that Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP) is keen on bringing to a state starved of big investment and nationally reputed institutes may slip away due to Bengal's bureaucratic red tape and political myopia.

Frustrated by the inaction on its request for a 100-acre plot for its second campus, SINP director Milon Sanyal felt the state was afflicted with a huge perception problem. "Those at the helm in the state seem content with thinking about today and tomorrow. No one thinks about the day after. There is no medium- or long-term vision. No one is bothered about how we are going to go up the ladder. There is so much talent but they have no future here," Sanyal said in dismay. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Microsoft ropes in IMRB to study UP's free laptop scheme

Lucknow: The dream project of Akhilesh Yadav's government to distribute free laptops to intermediate pass students has attracted fancy from an unexpected quarter - software giant Microsoft.

The world's largest software company has roped in Mumbai-based Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) to conduct a study of the scheme launched by the Samajwadi Party government last year. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Private engineering colleges go for the kill

Bangalore : Donations of up to Rs 20 lakh for 'special' seats.

As their demand for hiking the fees for undergraduate professional courses was shot down by the state government, private professional colleges in the state have hiked the price for management quota seats manifold. While some of the private engineering colleges in the state have stated charging about Rs 18 lakh for seats under the payment (management) quota, the amount seems to be on a continuous ascent. Read more

Source : www.dnaindia.com

Hotel waste should be sent to bio gas plant: Pune municipal commissioner

PUNE: Pune municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak has said the hotels owners should not throw their waste in the garbage containers, instead it should be provided to the local bio gas plants. The star hotels in the city should establish an internal system in the hotel to dispose of the waste, a statement issued by Pune municipal corporation (PMC) said.

Pathak was speaking in a meeting organised by the solid waste management department of the civic body. A review of solid waste management system and steps for better management were discussed at the meeting. The ward level official, members of non governmental organisations (NGO) were present for the meeting. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority to soon implement land pooling scheme

HYDERABAD: For planned and systematic development in peripheral areas, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) will implement land pooling scheme (LPS) in its jurisdiction soon. Land pooling scheme can be undertaken either by the authority, the civic body or a licensed private developer provided the conditions are fulfilled according to the master plan of HMDA.

The draft LPS has been cleared by the municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department and would be placed before the HMDA executive committee on June 21 for its approval. Read more : 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Campaign to remove tobacco hoardings to be launched

JAIPUR: Taking strict action against tobacco advertisements, district administration will constitute teams to remove all advertisements showing various brands of tobacco products.

It will launch a campaign in the urban and rural areas of the city to remove hoardings from point of sale of tobacco products. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Many in Visakhapatnam still lack access to toilets

VISAKHAPATNAM: Open defecation still hinders growth in Vizag. Every city, including Visakhapatnam, should have been free of open defecation by December 31, 2012, according to the National Urban Sanitation Policy-2012. However, the social problem continues to be rampant in many areas, including beach fronts such as Peda Jalaripeta, Appughar, Lawson's Bay, Jodugullapalem, Fishing Harbour and Sagarnagar, besides vacant land and railway tracks. 

Seven years ago, the government had sanctioned funds for the corporation to construct individual toilets for each household in the city. However, this also does not seem to have been implemented yet. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Goof ups galore during Aadhaar registration

Mumbai : The process of providing citizens with this unique identification card has seen several goof ups so far

Providing citizens with Aadhaar cards was one of the biggest projects undertaken by the government. However, the process of providing citizens with unique identities has seen several goof ups so far. Read more

Source : www.dnaindia.com

India Inc should wake up to the cyber threats

The recent incident of cyber theft at Axis Bank should serve as a wake-up call for Indian industry. We are vulnerable. 

Govt is readying a cyber security framework, a cyber security policy and a NCCC that will monitor metadata on traffic flows.

Dematerialised shares held in electronic accounts, banks and pension funds, power transmission and distribution systems, train signalling systems, health care systems and records, water distribution systems, the Aadhaar database, practically everything is today controlled in cyber space. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Karnataka keen on setting up institute for study of Kannada

BANGALORE : CIIL in Mysore is currently vested with the responsibility

The Karnataka government is keen on setting up a separate institute to study Kannada as a classical language, taking it out of the ambit of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) at Mysore, which is under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Karnataka govt proposes new sand policy

Move is aimed at check-mating mafia which has been mining sand unchecked from rivers and lakes

Mysore : The Karnataka government has proposed a new sand policy to check the operations of the sand mafia. This will replace the present one formulated by the previous BJP government.

Announcing this at the weekend at Dasegowdanakoppal village in T Narasipur taluk of Mysore district, Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa said, a cabinet sub-committee would be set up for the purpose. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Support high-rises; need money to enhance infra: Delhi govt

New Delhi : Supporting Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath's push for vertical growth in the city, the Delhi government has said the Centre will have to give adequate funds to it for enhancing existing infrastructure if such a policy is finalised. 

Delhi Urban Development Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said basic services like drainage, water supply and power distribution network will have to be strengthened if vertical expansion in the city is allowed. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Govt. ready to translate promises into reality: Z. Rio

DIMAPUR : Parliamentary secretary for urban development Zhaleo Rio Saturday reminded party workers in Dimapur of their pre-election assurances to the public while asserting the state government was ready to translate promises into reality. 

While reminding Dimapur prior to the 2013 assembly election had been a Congress citadel, Zhaleo said the only way to repay “for the good breakthrough of two seats (won by the NPF)” was by dint of making good of the promises. Read more

Source : www.nagalandpost.com

Catch wind at night to charge battery on rooftop: Expert

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : A renewable energy expert has said that small aero-generators running at minimum speeds could be installed along with rooftop solar plants proposed in the State.

Solar power can charge the battery during the day while the wind can take over in night, said A.Mohammed Hussain, director of Chennai-based Centre for Wind Energy Technology. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

Bhubaneswar civic body turns to slum dwellers ahead of urban polls

BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) appears to be making sincere efforts to appease the slum population in the city, with an eye on the urban local body (ULB) election, scheduled later this year.

The civic body, which has roped in a Hyderabad-based private company for demarcation of slum areas as per geographic information system (GIS) survey, has asked the company to put up demarcation pillars in all the 427 slums. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Lal dora extension to benefit 165 illegal colonies

NEW DELHI: At a packed Talkatora Stadium, with the audience a mix of rural and urban villagers, chief minister Sheila Dikshit declared on Saturday that her government was freeing thousands of residents from the archaic provisions of the law governing agricultural land. She then announced the government's decision to restrict the use of Section 81 of Delhi Land Reforms Act for enabling regularization of construction, sale, purchase and registration of land by residents in hundreds of urban and rural villages and regularized unauthorized colonies.

The CM also declared that it has been decided to extend the lal dora norms to constructions in the extensions beyond the designated boundary of such villages. This opens the door for regularization of 165 unauthorized colonies located in the village abadi areas. Applications will be sought soon after notification for a three-month period. Also, an administrative order will follow. This will ease the sale-related restriction applicable to agricultural land. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com 

No need for Greater Mysore now, says Sorake

MYSORE : Proposal hasn’t come before the government: official

Is the proposed ‘Greater Mysore’ — which envisages incorporation of 41 villages on the city’s outskirts into city corporation limits — as good as dead?

Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, attending a meeting at the Mysore City Corporation on Friday. Photo: M.A. Sriram

The question is significant as the proposal has not come before the government or the Urban Development Department and was mooted locally, according to P.N. Srinivasachary, Principal Secretary, Urban Development, here on Friday. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Reunion Island to aid renewable energy plan

CHENNAI : Tamil Nadu’s renewable energy projects could well get a helping hand from across the Indian Ocean, according to Reunion Island’s Council President Didier Robert, after he met Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Didier said, “We were keen to develop good relations and better trade ties and found that she was happy with our renewable energy projects. CM said that a member from her administration would be working with us to obtain knowledge and expertise with renewable energy projects.” Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Linking rivers will alleviate water crisis: Akhilesh Yadav

CHANNAPATNA: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav pitched for the linking of Indian rivers, mainly the Ganga and the Cauvery, to solve the acute water scarcity which could be a major national problem in the next few years.

Addressing the Samajavadi Party workers' rally on Friday in Channapatna where his party's lone MLA C P Yogeswar won the assembly election, Akhilesh said water scarcity could pose a severe threat to India's socio-economic well-being. Hence, as per the vision of socialist Ram Manohar Lohia, all major Indian rivers including Ganga and Cauvery should be interlinked. "If the Samajwadi Party is part of the next Union government, we'll formulate a national water policy and take measures to interlink rivers," he said.  Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Mumbai returns to old rule on height of buildings

Mumbai : Maharashtra has decided to stick to the old Development Control Regulation (DCR) on the height of buildings, clearing the path for nearly 50 real estate projects in Mumbai that had been stalled as a result of guidelines issued by the union enviroment ministry linking height to the width of the road.

"As per the old rules under the Development Control Regulation (DCR) 31, a building can attain any height if the width of the road on which it is located is at least 24 metres," state environment secretary Valsa Nair Singh, said. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Slum dwellers near Cooum against relocation

CHENNAI : The restoration and river front development of the Cooum were opposed by those who feared that the project would be undertaken at the expense of resettling slums on its banks to far off places.

Environmental activists, NGOs, former bureaucrats and people from different walks of life voiced their opinions at a public consultation on Thursday, conducted by Chennai River Restoration Trust, Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) and Spanish technical consultant of the project LKS. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Umbrella scheme expanded to urban areas in Odisha

Bhubaneswar:  In a bid to woo the voters ahead of the election to urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expanded the umbrella scheme to the urban areas.

"Pension holders under different welfare measures like Madhu Babu Pension Yojana as well as national pension holders living in the urban areas will also be given assistance of Rs 100 to purchase umbrella to tide over summer and rainy season," an official said. Read more

Source : odishatoday.com

In dealing with Naxalism, Centre urges states to copy Andhra Pradesh

New Delhi: More than 100 Naxals attacked a train in Bihar on Thursday and killed three people including a soldier of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

The Bihar attack comes weeks after 25 people, including top leaders of the Congress, were killed in Chhattisgarh when Naxals attacked a convoy headed to a political rally. Read more

Source : www.ndtv.com

The politics of special status

The demand for special status by backward states like Bihar and Orissa is touted as a fight for rights, but while viewing it through the prism of the advancing Lok Sabha elections, one cannot ignore the impact of this exercise.

CM Nitish Kumar, who first initiated the campaign for special status to Bihar, is on the verge of breaking away from the NDA and is cosying up to the Congress. Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik, on the other hand, is angling for a Third Front kind of option. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee earlier pulled out of the UPA after her demand for a special package from the Centre was kept pending. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Jharkhand to tackle Maoists with iron hand

RANCHI: The state government on Thursday sounded alert in the state after Maoist attack on Dhanbad-Patna Inter City express on Thursday near Jamui in Bihar.

The state government also announced a long-term plan to tackle Left-wing extremism (LWE). Among other security arrangements, the main focus will be on ensuring presence of civil administration in remote areas, even for additional security if demanded by the officials. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

New garbage bins, don’t trash Kolkata’s London dreams

Kolkata : Mamata Banerjee’s dream to transform Kolkata into London through cleanliness is set to gather momentum with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities deciding to place around 10,000 trash bins across the city’s roadsides.

“We have decided to place trash bins across the length and breadth of the city only to ensure a clean Kolkata,” the member, mayor-in-council (solid waste management) Debabrata Majumder said. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

PCMC breather for 5,000 EWS flat beneficiaries

Pune : The City Improvements Committee resolution on Tuesday to wind up the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) housing project for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) after constructing 7,000-plus flats was the death knell for dreams of around 5,000 beneficiaries of owning a flat.

They can now breathe easy, with the PCMC saying the project has not been scrapped. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Getting your Aadhaar card in Haryana to become easier

Gurgaon : To ease the enrolment process of the Unique Identification (UID) or Aadhaar scheme, the Haryana government will appoint introducers and verifiers for the applicants who do not have proper documents.

The state government has notified municipal councilors for urban areas and numberdars and sarpanches for rural areas as introducers. Similarly, patwaris and village secretaries have been notified as verifiers. Retired employees of the central and state governments, including retired school teachers, can also be appointed as verifiers. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

VIT-Kramski electronic cluster soon

VELLORE : The Kramski Stamping and Molding India, in association with the VIT Technology Business Incubator (VITTBI), is planning to promote electronic industries by establishing an electronic cluster in Vellore district. The Electronic Council of India (ELCINA) is one of the nodal agencies behind this initiative.

S Nagarajan, general manager (operations) attached to Kramski said the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, has introduced the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) to promote electronic manufacturing and service industries. Only those units which are approved by ELCINA are eligible to avail the benefits of the MSIPS. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Waste management: Coimbatore Corporation delays payment

COIMBATORE : Civic body wants contractor to comply with terms regarding waste processing and disposal

Corporation has asked the contractor implementing the solid waste management scheme to process and dispose of waste. File Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

In an effort aimed at forcing the solid waste management contractor to comply with the contractual obligations, the Corporation has delayed payment under two components of the waste management scheme. For the past three months, the Corporation has not paid the money meant for processing and disposing waste to the Coimbatore Integrated Waste Management Company Private Limited, the contractor in-charge of waste management under the Rs. 100 crore solid waste management scheme, said Commissioner G. Latha. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Haryana unveils new telecom policy

The Haryana Government on Wednesday unveiled its Communication and Connectivity Infrastructure Policy 2013, which envisages the use of the latest advancements in the telecom sector.

The technology updates include ‘Fibre to the Home’ (FTTH) and ‘Open Access Network’ (OAN), where physical access to the network is separate from the delivery of services. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Auda releases development plan

AHMEDABAD: After considering the first round of the public's objections, the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) has incorporated more than 300 changes in its development plan and has put the plan in the public domain. The plan has been notified in the gazette. The new development plan has been displayed on the second floor of the Auda building on the Ashram Road. In all, 7,181 objections were received, of which only 968 were admitted.

A major change mooted by the plan is that now 70 metre buildings can come up along 40 metre wide roads on transit-oriented zones - which are the BRTS and metro corridors. This is to encourage affordable housing and densification of transit zones. For properties along 30 metre roads, the requirements for front margins have been reduced. The Auda took into account the grievances of plot owners whose plot size did not exceed 2,000 square metres, preventing them from taking advantage of the increased FSI. In these plots if the building unit is up to 25 metres tall, the Auda will give permission for a ramp in the margin space. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

New measures needed to protect rural women: Trinamool MP

Kolkata : 

Observing that there is a need to "think of new measures to ensure the protection of women in rural areas", Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy Wednesday said there is a marked difference in the extent of protests against crimes targeting women in rural and urban areas.

Roy was comparing the country-wide protests following the brutal Delhi gang-rape incident Dec 16 last year to the relatively low scale protest against the June 7 gang-rape case in Barasat (25 km from Kolkata) where a 20-year-old college student was abducted, gang-raped and murdered. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Mixed land use for Noida, Greater Noida

NOIDA: Mixed land use will soon be a reality in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway areas wherein commercial activities can be carried out from sectors earmarked for other uses like residential, institutional and industrial. The draft bill of the State Urban Housing and Habitat Policy 2013, which is awaiting clearance from the UP government cabinet, has provisions for mixed land-use. 

According to Rama Raman, chairman of the three authorities, the concept of mixed land use is also present in the master plans. After implementation, besides a conversion fee, parameters will be fixed for permitting mixed land use. "We are yet to chalk out details of the policy. While mixed use may be restricted, trade activity involving hazardous, inflammable or polluting substances would not be allowed in residential areas," Raman said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Where are the lakes, questions Lokayukta

HYDERABAD : Justice Subhashan Reddy takes umbrage to apathy of babudom in protecting water bodies and lakes in and around Hyderabad

Lokayukta of Andhra Pradesh, Justice B. Subhashan Reddy, on Wednesday blamed government servants at every level for the utter neglect and failure in protecting the city lakes. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Kaladan Project should benefit India, Myanmar: Pressure groups

GUWAHATI: Pressure groups in the northeast and Myanmar have asked India and its neighbour to make the Kaladan multi-modal transit transport (KMMTT) project "people-centric" by ensuring that local communities stand to benefit in both the countries.

The multi-million dollar project, initiated by India under the Look East Policy, envisages development of roads and inland waterways from Sittwe port in Myanmar to Mizoram. The work on the port began in December 2010 and is expected to be completed by the middle of this year. The Detailed Engineering Report (DER) of the road project is expected to be finalized this year. Once the project is completed, Mizoram will have access to Sittwe port in Myanmar's Arakan state through the Bay of Bengal. A part of the project will also extend into Chin state in Myanmar. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Now, opt for quadricycle instead of rickshaw

PUNE: In a few months from now, Puneites will be able to commute in quadricycles, a new category of small four-wheeler public transport vehicle.

The vehicle is expected to perform better than three-wheeler autorickshaws that provide last mile connectivity in cities, says the Union ministry of road transport and highways which recently proposed amendments in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules to include the new vehicle in the category of public transport. The quadricycle will be allowed to ply as a transport (commercial) vehicle carrying both passengers and goods within city limits and villages. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Ministry hauls 12 companies over coals for keeping blocks idle

NTPC, SAIL among firms issued show-cause notices

NEW DELHI : The Coal Ministry on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to 12 companies for failing to develop coal mines according to schedule.

 

If the companies are unable to convince the inter-ministerial group looking into the issue then there is a possibility of de-allocation. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com