The National Green Tribunal has agreed to hear a plea challenging the November 9, 2012 environment clearance (EC) granted to Lavasa Corporation Ltd for its $ 31 billion hillside township project in Pune district of Maharashtra.

The Tribunal directed Lavasa, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to file their replies to the petition of a project-hit Pune native before July 24.

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended clearance to a 3,600 MW project of IL&FS Tamil Nadu Power Company Ltd in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, ordering a cumulative impact assessment before the clearance is reactivated even though the laws do not require such a study.

Recommending scrapping of two controversial hydro-power projects in Karnataka and Kerala that had run into difficulty due to opposition from environmentalists, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) has suggested setting up of a statutory authority to protect the Ghats.

The report of the panel, headed by Madhav Gadgil, formerly with the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore, has called for cancellation of Karnataka's Gundia and Kerala's Athirapally hydro-projects, and gradual phasing out of mining activities in ecologically highly-sensitive areas of Goa by 2016.

Hearing a petition against transportation of effluents from industries manufacturing H-acid, the Bombay High Court asked the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to specify particulars about such industrial units and details of sale price of their products.

The MPCB has also been asked to furnish information on whether such industries are located within the limits of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) or not.

Patiala: The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has sealed a paper mill for violating pollution control norms. The power connection of the mill has also been disconnected. Highly placed sources said on specific information a PPCB team conducted a raid at the DSG Paper Mills Private Limited, located on the Main Road, Patiala, some 10 days ago. “In view of the violations, the mill was sealed a couple of days back,” said the board authorities.

JATAH (East Khasi Hills): The proposed Umngot Hydel Power Project has suffered a major setback with majority of the land owners having unanimously decided to oppose the project.

Land owners hailing from the nine villages who are going to lose their agricultural land on account of the proposed hydel power project have taken a unanimous decision to oppose the project during a public meeting held at Jatah village near Mawkynrew village in East Khasi Hills on Saturday.

PCB sitting on schemes to check dumping of waste into river

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has been sitting on two key projects meant to check dumping of industrial and other effluents into the Periyar river, pointing to negligence on the part of the agency on a matter of utmost importance.Frequent fish kills and discolouration of the river has already earned several brickbats for the monitoring agency.

Ahmedabad Tops The List With Maximum Notices

Ahmedabad: Following repeated violations of pollution norms in chemical hotspots, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has issued the highest number of show-cause and closure notices in recent times to several clusters of industries. Ahmedabad topped the list with most notices, according to the GPCB’s data. In just two financial years, the GPCB issued 1,680 closure notices to errant factories and nearly 2,118 show-cause notices, for violation of air, water and environment protection Acts respectively.

KOCHI: Expressing concern over the increasing incidents of fish deaths in the Periyar River, environmentalists brushed aside the claims made by Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) that the fish had died due to oxygen starvation. “It is common for the levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water to go down gradually when the high-level of biodegradable waste in a water body. Under such circumstances, the aquatic organisms living in the region migrate to places where the DO is adequate, rather than dying out.

Oil companies engaged in drilling and exploration activities, power projects, coal and cement industries, besides developers of national highway in both public and private sectors have emerged as major environmental violators in the North-east. In a Question Hour discussion on Tuesday, Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jayanthi Natarajan allayed all apprehension over violation of environment norms in construction of dams in the North-east.