Overfishing and exploitation of marine biodiversity would result in the disappearance of fish species in the next 50 years, warned M.F. Farooqui, Special Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, on Tuesday.

Addressing a function organised in connection with the International Day for Biological Diversity, Mr. Farooqui said beyond the exclusive economic zone, everyone seemed to be exploiting the marine biodiversity and nobody was taking responsibility for conservation.

Agitated over the State government's plan to allow sand quarrying again at the dry Nambiyar riverbed in the district, residents of various villages in Radhapuram taluk submitted a petition to Collector R. Selvaraj on Monday against the move.

Unlike the Tamirabarani, the Nambiar would very rarely experience flood even during active monsoon. Naturally, sand deposit on this riverbed is not so dense and deep.

Farmers of 60 hamlets in the 10 revenue villages in Tiruchengode taluk through which the Cochin to Bangalore gas pipeline is being laid have opposed the works. A ‘Vivasayegal Valvathara Pathugapu Kuzhu' (Farmer's Livelihood Protection Committee) to protect the interest of farmers who will be affected by the project, was also formed.

Its president S. Rajavel said that the pipeline runs through fields in Kokarayanpettai, Thokavadi, Karumakavundampalayam, T.Kavundampalayam, Varagooraanpatti, Paapampalayam, Thevankurichi, Yemapalli, Karuveppampatti and O. Rajapalayam revenue villages and affect more than 300 farmers and about 800 acres of cultivation.

Agriculture, water supply in Krishnagiri district hit

Illegal sand mining in the main water sources such as South Pennar and the river Markandeya has affected water supply and agriculture in Krishnagiri district. Kodiyalam, Kelevarapalli Dam and KRP Dam are the main water sources for Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts. Many representations by farmers and social activists to supply water from South Pennar to Bargur, Veppanahalli, Berigai, Mathur and Uthangarai have not evoked any response from the authorities.

Consultants have submitted report to Pollution Control Committee

The Puducherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC) will shortly take a decision on clearance for setting up a sewage treatment plant near ‘Kanaganeri' at Kadirgamam. The consultants — Green Chem Solutions Private Limited and Creative Environmental Consultants — appointed by Public Health Division of the Public Works Department have submitted a Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment (REIA) report to the PPCC.

The State government, specifically the Public Works Department (PWD), has no clue as to what the farmers did with Rs.75 crore of Central funding meant for creating artificial recharge systems (ARS) in their agricultural fields.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report has found that only 21,214 out of 2.93 lakh farmers utilised the money to construct ARS, which defeated the objective, improving groundwater using rainwater run-off from their own agricultural fields.

The jatropha puzzle has finally been solved.

In 2005-06, most of the districts in the State were abuzz with the talk of jatropha. In press conferences, the then District Collectors, especially in those adjoining western and eastern ghats, talked of largescale jatropa plantations as the oil extracted from its seeds (blended with diesel up to 20 per cent) could be used as a substitute to petroleum diesel.

TANGEDCO suffered revenue shortfall of over Rs. 11,000 crore

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has expressed concern over the methodology of computation of electricity consumption by the agricultural sector, which enjoys free power supply. Working out that the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) suffered a revenue shortfall of Rs. 11,020.42 crore over the supply to the agricultural sector, the CAG, whose report on government undertakings for the year ending March 31, 2011

This despite the recommendation of National Forest Commission''

The State has failed to frame its own forest policy even six years after the National Forest Commission recommended that each State should have its own policy for sustainable development of forests and wildlife resources. The Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) Report (Civil) for the year ended March 2011, which was tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday, has found that the State had failed in its set targets in improving the forest cover and in allocation for the sector during the XI Plan period.

Bridge across Cauvery to carry pipelines nearing completion

The Tiruchi Corporation is set to commence work on laying the pipelines across the Cauvery river, a crucial phase in the execution of new drinking water augmentation scheme for the city. Once the pumping mains are laid across the bridge, the corporation would be able to start pumping water from all the three collector wells of the Rs.221.42 crore drinking water supply augmentation scheme. The three collector wells for the new water scheme on the Coleroon river bed at Melur near Srirangam are ready already.