The National Green Tribunal on Thursday suspended the environmental clearance granted to Scania Steel and Power Ltd for expansion of its steel and captive power plant in Chhattisgarh on the ground that no public hearing was conducted.

A bench of Acting Chairperson Justice A.S. Naidu and Mr G.K. Pandey directed the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to “revisit” its decision of granting environmental clearance after conducting a public hearing at the project site and nearby areas as per provisions of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2006.

BHUBANESWAR: Even as use of polythene bags of below 40 micron were banned in the city last year, implementation of the ban is far from satisfactory with a large number of shopkeepers still using them. Not just polythene bags, the ban is applicable to gutka sachets as well. As per the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules, 2011, use of polythene bags thinner than 40 micron is banned. For a city that generates over 500 metric tonnes of garbage on a daily basis, a majority of that being plastic waste, these polythene bags result in pollution in many ways.

Three U.S. consumer groups petitioned the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to subject a new genetically engineered salmon to a more rigorous review process than is now in place before the fish can be approved as safe to eat.

The fish at issue, AquaBounty Technologies' AquAdvantage salmon, is currently classified as a new animal drug for the purposes of FDA review.

The Grand Canyon will soon ban the sale of bottled water, responding to concerns that empty plastic bottles scattered around the park are spoiling views of the natural wonder.

The National Park Service has approved a plan that would eliminate the sale of bottled water within 30 days, after nearly $290,000 was spent to install 10 water stations inside the park. Visitors can use the stations to refill their own water bottles, which they can tote in from the outside.

KOCHI: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has cleared the Kochi-Koottanad-Bangalore-Mangalore pipeline project. Though the MoEF has given the ‘go ahead’, the details are yet to be received, a top official with the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) said.“The implementation of the project is a joint effort involving different departments. Clearance by the MoEF is a primary step towards the realisation of the project,” Vandana Chanana, general manager, (corporate communication), GAIL, told Express.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday announced budget estimates for the year 2012-13, significantly increasing the councillors' funds in all the wards and focusing on improvement and development of roads and existing infrastructure. With the MCD headed for a split this coming April, Leader of the House Subhash Arya presented the budget saying that future corporations will abide by the allocations.

NEW YORK: Bidders will be able to buy fine art, a vacation in the Maldives, or an internship with designer Donna Karan and help the planet at the same time in Christie's annual Green Auction, which is expected reap millions for environmental causes. Proceeds from the third annual auction on April 11, which raised nearly a combined $5 million its first two years, will benefit four environmental charities -- Oceana, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Central Park Conservancy and Conservation International.

With European Union (EU) facing global flak over imposition of a green tax on all aircraft flying in its skies, world airlines’ body IATA has warned European airlines of ‘‘retaliatory action’’ by non-EU nations if a global solution was not arrived at soon. ‘‘Time is not on our side. Airlines from Europe may face some retaliatory action.