With rich forest and wildlife the Northeast is known as ‘Green Lungs of India’.

The region is one of the seven original biodiversity hotspots in the world, but most of its animals and birds are increasingly ending on food tables not only of the tribals who traditionally take such food but also of others including the large number of forces posted there.There are startling revelations that armed forces also indulge in hunting for food and sports in the border region.

The risk of there not being enough water in the stream — the ‘hydrology risk’ — is the “single largest risk” that a small hydro project faces, says a study of the rating and analysis agency, ICRA.

The study went into the question of why small hydro projects — projects of less than 25 MW capacity — have not been happening on a scale consistent with the potential in India. It found out that after ‘hydrology risk’, the risk of ‘containment of capital cost’ was the second biggest stumbling block.

The Railways have projected an outlay of Rs 17,495 crore for completion of 13 new line projects in the North Eastern region. The new projects taken up by the Railways envisage to bring all the State capitals of the North Eastern region barring Sikkim on the railway map of the country. The 13 new lines on completion will provide connectivity to all State capitals, said Minister of State for Railway Bharat Sinh Solanki.

Views of State governments will be accommodated, says Jairam Ramesh

The Centre has decided to revise the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, incorporating suggestions made by State governments to protect the interests of tribals and the sanctity of gram sabhas. Reacting to the parliamentary committee report, Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh said most of the recommendations pertaining to preserving the federal structure would be accepted but asserted the government would have to necessarily play a role in land acquisition.

The green bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court has imposed a penalty of Rs 100 crore on Jaiprakash Associates Limited for setting up a mega cement plant with means the court described as deceitful, besides a captive, thermal power plant without clearance. The court has allowed the 1.75-million-tonne cement plant to stay but ordered dismantling of the 60MW power plant.

Shimla: The political storm raised by the high court verdict quashing the environmental clearance to the 25 MW thermal plant of Jaypee Associates Limited (JAL) is set to intensify further with Chief Minister PK Dhumal blaming the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for allowing a truncated project.

Newly-appointed Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy on Thursday confirmed that all Jaiprakash Associate Limited projects and properties will now come under the scanner after large-scale irregularities by the company were pointed out by the High Court.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court recently imposed a fine of Rs.100 crore on the company's Bagheri cement plant in Solan after discovering that it had flouted environmental laws and wrongfully acquired the land of native people.