LAKE MISMANAGEMENT

Acting on a petition, the Gujarat High Court has issued notices to the forest department on the Gopalpur lake controversy. The petitioner challenged the constitution of the state wildlife advisory board, which is not in conformity with the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It was pointed out that the appointments of the 10 board members were not in accordance with section 6 (H) of the act.

Damning report

nearly half a century after the Koel-Karo hydroelectric project (sited in present-day Jharkhand) was conceived, tribal protests against the venture continue unabated. An independent inquiry into the latest incident -- in which eight tribal people were killed and 36 others injured just over a year back in police firing at Tapkara -- recently concluded that the police action was illegal, brutal and in blatant violation of human rights.

TANNERIES TO PAY

The Madras High Court has dismissed the writ petitions filed by the tannery units in Vellore district, challenging the apportionment of compensation among the 325 units. Now, the skin and hide tanners in the district will have to dole out Rs 26.82 crore as compensation for polluting the environment.

Under the scanner

the Allahabad High Court recently admitted a petition filed by the Wildlife Trust of India (wti) against a US $286 million World Bank project for draining of Etawah and Mainpuri wetlands in Uttar Pradesh (up).

Raw Deal

The festivities of January 1, 2002, signified the sealing of a pact between the Kerala government and the Adivasi Dalit Samara Samithi (agitation council) on October 16, 2001. The agreement guarantees allotment of one to five acres (around .5-2 hectares) of land to all landless tribal families in the state and implementation of a development support scheme for them over the next five years.

Ban lifted on fishing in Sutlej

in view of the economic hardship faced by the fishing community in Ropar district and the fresh inflow of water, a division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently passed an interim order lifting the ban on fishing in Sutlej river.

CONTROVERSIAL CONSTRUCTION

The Karnataka High Court quashed the Karnataka state pollution control board (KSPCB) order, which rejected an application filed by Vijaynagar educational trust seeking environmental clearance for constructing a building on the banks of Kumdvathi river near Bangalore. The court gave the go-ahead to the trust for the construction work, subject to conditions to be imposed by the KSPCB. It has also directed the board to study all environmental aspects and ask the trust to take precautionary steps to prevent any adverse impact that the building could cause.

Adrift and Isolated

THE residents of 122 villages straddling Chilika lake in Orissa have been fishing in troubled waters for the past two decades. Ironically, the draft Bill - cleared by the state cabinet in December 2001 - to provide succour to them has sent their hackles rising. The legislation, when enacted, will seek to restore the ecology of Asia's largest brackish-water lake by imposing a blanket ban on scientific prawn culture inside it. The protesting fishing community feels that the proposed law is not

Row over report

A recent report on the dumping of effluents in the Amlakhadi channel in Bharuch district of Gujarat has attracted flak from environmentalists. The document, prepared by Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), lays down norms that are impractical and, therefore, likely to remain on paper, contend activists. It is also felt that the report is silent on Water Act rules.

GREEN LUNGS

The Rajasthan High Court has given its approval to the out-of-court settlement reached with the state government for developing a public park and retaining a golf course and polo ground in the Rambagh complex which is seen as a 'green lung' of Jaipur. Earlier, many public interest litigations (PILs) were filed by concerned citizens who challenged the government's decision to remove the golf course and construct a commercial complex in the area. After this, a settlement was arrived at between the state government and the Rajasthan polo club.