Setting at rest the controversy over the safety of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, the Empowered Committee, headed by the former Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand, has said it is “structurally and hydrologically safe, and Tamil Nadu can raise the water level from 136 to 142 feet after carrying out certain repairs.”

In its report submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the committee is understood to have said: “The dam is seismically safe.” Last year's earth tremors in that region “did not have any impact on the Mullaperiyar dam and the Idukki reservoir and there was no danger to the safety of the two dams.”

The five-member Empowered Committee (EC) headed by former Chief Justice A. S. Anand has finalised the report on the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam.

The 250-page final report will be submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The committee's term ends this month-end. The committee, after examining the reports it had received from various agencies constituted by it on the strengthening measures as well as on the safety and security of the dam, gave finishing touches to the final report which has eight chapters.

“Scientific facts do not support fears of threat to Asiatic lion population in Gir”

The Gujarat government on Monday strongly opposed any move to shift the Asiatic lions from the Gir forest to Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh. It contended that the lions would not be safe there.

Transportation of illegal minerals in Haryana also stopped

The Supreme Court on Monday stopped illegal mining in the villages of Kota, Gangani, Sarai, Mohammadpur and Kharag Jalalpur in Mewat district of Haryana, taking note of the report submitted by the Central Empowered Committee about large-scale illegal mining taking place in these areas.

The Supreme Court on Monday granted a further time of six weeks to the Centre to file its response on a writ petition highlighting the alleged illegal clinical trials of untested drugs being conducted by pharmaceutical firms on adults, children and even mentally ill persons.

A Bench of Justices R.M. Lodha and H.L. Gokhale, however, observed “this [clinical trials] is unfortunate. The Government of India must take corrective steps.”

The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court seeking urgent directions to restrain Karnataka from taking up summer irrigation and consequent depletion of storages in the reservoirs in Karnataka, in contravention of the final order passed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in February 2007.

In its application, Tamil Nadu said the Tribunal in its final award on February 5, 2007 had allocated Kerala 30 tmc ft; Karnataka 270 tmcft; Tamil Nadu 419 tmcft and Puduchery seven tmcft out of the total 740 tmcft available for allocation.

The five-member Empowered Committee (EC), headed by former Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand, on Monday finalised six chapters in the final report to be submitted to the Supreme Court on the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam.

Besides Justice Anand, other Members in the panel are: Justice K.T. Thomas, retired Supreme Court Judge representing Kerala; Justice A.R. Lakshmanan, retired Supreme Court Judge representing Tamil Nadu;

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to Union of India and Uttar Pradesh government on an application seeking a direction to vacate the interim stay on the court monitored CBI investigation of foodgrain scam as directed by the Allahabad High Court

A Bench of Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notice on an application filed by Vishwanath Chaturvedi, who was the petitioner before the High Court.

The five-member Empowered Committee (EC) headed by former Chief Justice of India A. S. Anand is seeking time from the Supreme Court till April 30 for submission of its final report on the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam.

The committee, whose term is due to end on February 29, met on Wednesday to examine the reports it had received from various agencies constituted by it on the strengthening measures as well as on the safety and security of the dam.

NGO says there has been a rampant compromise with human life

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre on a writ petition alleging that illegal clinical trials of untested drugs were being conducted by pharmaceutical companies on adults, children and even mentally ill persons in various States.