Rajasthan, which had prided itself on leading the way in relocation of villagers from its tiger reserves, is now facing a backlash. Villagers living inside Sariska reserve are in agitation mode and are refusing to be relocated.

Their complaint is that the `10 lakhs being offered to them by the government is completely inadequate. Gujjar leader Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla is also supporting their agitation which is also being fuelled by mine owners who operate on the boundaries of Sariska and who want to restart their mining operations.

In a relief to students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will complete installation of the 3m-high and 1,500m-long noise barriers from Powai lake to the end of the institute’s boundary wall by May-end. “The barriers will block the outside noise from the IIT campus. We have already installed noise barriers in Bandra- Kurla Complex (BKC) and the decibel levels have reduced from 98 to (the) acceptable limit of 55,” said Dilip Kawathkar, joint project director, MMRDA.

National environmental programmes have been seeing no progress since the devolution of the Ministry of Environment two years ago.

All environmental conservation plans were approved by the Pakistan Environment Protection Council (PEPC) – the apex organisation at the national level for formulation and implementation of the national environmental policy and programmes – headed by the prime minister.

Hyderabadis are victims of perpetual noise pollution according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. Data pertaining to ambient noise level from continuous monitoring stations set up by the CPCB concludes that the city residents are subjected to high noise levels at all times.

These stations set up at five different locations show that irrespective of the location, whether residential, commercial, or sensitive zones, and irrespective of the timing, i.e, day or night, readings are way above the safety standard and can thus have dangerous impacts on people’s health. In April, the average noise level in Jubilee Hills,

JAIPUR: A division bench of the Rajasthan High Court, headed by Chief Justice Arun Kumar Mishra on Thursday asked the state government to stop all illegal minings in the 21-km stretch of Kala Pahar region in Bharatpur district. The court also issued show cause notice to the state authorities on the issue.

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has issued show-cause notices to three unauthorised dyeing units near Perur and action is to be taken on these units soon.

On the noise pollution reports, he pointed out that increasing urbanisation and rapid growth of industries had led to industries and houses coming up in the same area and noise level surveys were taken up based on specific complaints.

MUMBAI: Professors and students at the IIT, Powai, will soon be able to have classes without traffic noise, thanks to a 1,500-metre noise barrier. Estimated to cost Rs 3.5 crore, the structures will be ready by the month-end.

MUMBAI: Almost a month after the Central Information Commission (CIC) directed the ministry of environment and forests to publish reports of all commissions and special panels on its website within a month of receiving them, it has asked the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) to display noise levels of firecrackers on its website.

The Nainital district administration and Corbett National Park authorities have started work to raise awareness among owners of resorts around Corbett regarding the recent Government order banning sound amplification in resorts within 500 metres of the national park. It is worth mentioning here that following a directive of the Uttarakhand High Court on a Public Interest Litigation filed by a local NGO, the State Government had ordered a ban on sound amplification in resorts within a specific area around Corbett in April this year.