Encouraged by usage of the provisions of the Right to Information Act, the government has decided to set up a state of-the-art call centre and an interactive website to facilitate easy exchange of information related to the transparency law to citizens. The project was envisaged after taking insights from a government study which highlighted inconvenience faced by citizens in exercising their rights to information.

Taking a tough stand on environmental issues, the Gujarat High Court has directed steelmaker Electrotherm (India) Ltd to close down its manufacturing plant in Kutch district and quashed the environmental clearance granted to it by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest without holding a public hearing as per rules.

Electrotherm's 36,000 tonne per annum (tpa) facility for producing structural steel, alloy steel and stainless steel at Samkhiali in Bhachau taluka of Kutch district is also known for making of Yo-bikes, India's first battery-run two-wheelers.

Guwahati: Accusing the NHPC of flouting norms in the formulation and implementation of the Subansiri Hydro Electric Project, RTI activist J N Khataniar said this could lead to “serious ecological and seismic problems in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and neighbouring areas.”

Releasing details secured by means of RTI from the NHPC, the Brahmaputra Board and the Ministry for Environment and Forest, Khataniar told reporters here on Tuesday that the state sector power giant gave “misleading advertisements” in newspapers and media regarding the project.

The small village in North-West Delhi with a population of about 11,000 has been seeking consolidation of the land holdings and increasing the “Lal Dora” limits to create more space for villagers to build their houses. The villagers also do not have any proof of land ownership.

In the absence of consolidation and the expansion of Lal Dora, several villagers who have no land earmarked for residential purposes have been forced to construct houses on agricultural land, which is illegal.

“PIO failed to explain reasons for withholding the reports”

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to host in its website before May 30 the Safety Analysis Report, Site Evaluation Report and Environmental Impact Assessment Report regarding the two reactors to be commissioned at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tirunelveli district.

New Delhi: Reports relating to safety, site evaluation and environmental impact assessment of the controversial Kudankulam nuclear power plant should be made public, the Central Information Commission has said. The commission, however, allowed certain portions that have been exempted from disclosure under the RTI Act to be kept a secret.

Ranchi, April 24: Reclaimed from Maoists, the natural reserves of Saranda are up against unscrupulous adversaries. At least four mining firms have been extracting iron ore and manganese against their sanctioned capacities in this West Singhbhum region since 2008 right under the nose of the mines department and Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB).