The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (Fimi) said Bellary district administration has misled ICFRE team on impact of mining in the district.

“The Bellary district administration held the mining industry responsible for lower agriculture productivity during 2003-2010,” said Mr D.V. Pichamuthu, Director, Fimi-South.

“However, the official figures show that during this entire period, the rainfall was below normal except for one year,” he explained.

As government funds for sanitation are inadequate, the private sector should pool in. More people die from inadequate sanitation-related causes in India everyday than 10 aeroplanes filled with 200 people each. This has high economic costs. Therefore, achieving adequate sanitation is an imperative.

As the current financial year is coming to an end, the Almora district administration has stressed on the need to complete all the pending developmental projects in time with proper utilisation of the allotted funds for them. Reviewing the progress of various developmental projects in the district, DS Garbyal, district magistrate, Almora, informed that out of Rs33.93 crore released by the State Government against Rs 37.38 lakh proposed under the district plan, about Rs31.76 crore has been utilised which is about 76.23 per cent of the total amount released.

In face to face, an election special programme by sister publication Navshakti, we spoke to local residents regarding the issues in the ward as well as what promises the contestants have to make. Ward profile : Ward name : Kamgar Krida Kendra - Dadar Railway Station Ward No. 184 Reservation : OBC Sitting corporator : Snehal Jadhav ( Shiv Sena) Population : 52781 ( SC : 4980, ST : 121) Teething issues : Local residents face a inconvenience due to the fish market located outside Kamgar stadium. Heaps of garbage are found lying around and cleanliness issues are unaddressed.

The Central Railway has finally formulated a public toilet policy and invited proposals for comprehensive toilet services at every railway station across the city. The policy lays down specific guidelines, including hiring uniformed staff, cleanliness norms and even the toiletries to be used inside. All stations in the Mumbai division have been clubbed as clusters — each having a maximum of seven to eight stations under it — and the toilet location specified for every platform, to enable proper monitoring and follow-ups.

Civil Society Floods Situation Report on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Response in Sindh 2011 has disclosed that due to the poor intervention by the government and humanitarian agencies in rain and flood affected districts of Sindh increased health risks especially water borne and viral diseases among the affected communities, as 87 percent of water sources are unfit for drinking.