'Mumbai trans-harbour link won't be shifted'

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has rejected the demand made by environmentalists to realign the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. The 22 km road bridge will connect Sewri in Mumbai with Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai.  Environmentalists, led by non-profit Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) are protesting the route alignment, saying the project will destroy the flamingo habitat, mudflats and mangroves in Sewri.

Court allows land transfer to Navi Mumbai airport

All decks have been cleared for the proposed international airport at Navi Mumbai. The Bombay High Court on February 1 allowed the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to hand over the 1,830 ha, including the 63.5 ha embroiled in ownership dispute, to the Airport Authority of India. The court said the documentary evidence presented before it indicated that the contested land had been in possession of CIDCO for several years.

77 tigers go missing in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra forest department has been patting its back over the increase in the state's tiger population. The 2010 census had shown tiger numbers increasing to 169 from 103 recorded in 2006-2007. But these numbers are misleading if one considers the 2005 census which showed the presence of 268 tigers in the state's forest areas. This means the tiger population has actually declined steeply—from 268 to 169—in a span of six years. What's more, 77 of the 99 tigers which have dropped out of the list are missing from the forest records.

Kudankulam deadlock: Central team, protesters rule out further talks

Efforts to break the impasse over the controversial Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district hit a dead end on Tuesday when the Central government’s panel of experts and anti-nuclear activists declared no further talks would be held.

Alaknanda-Badrinath hydroelectric project challenged in green tribunal

Activists have challenged the Union environment ministry’s in-principle clearance to the proposed 300 MW hydroelectric project on the Alaknanda river before the National Green Tribunal. The project in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is proposed three km downstream of the Hindu pilgrimage centre Badrinath.

New evidence favours Bhopal gas victims battling Dow Chemical

While the controversy over US multinational Dow Chemical Company sponsoring the 2012 London Olympics rages, certain court documents have come to light which may help Bhopal gas tragedy survivors seek compensation from the company. Though Dow Chemical had bought over Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), which owned the pesticide plant in Bhopal from where the deadly methyl isocyanate gas had leaked in 1984, Dow has been maintaining that UCC is a separate legal entity.

Maharashtra forest department bans collection of tendu leaves from areas prone to forest fires

Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to ban collection and sale of tendu leaves in areas where forest fires occur. The state forest department’s latest tender notice for tendu collection contracts issued on January 17 features a clause that tendu contractors and gram panchayats will be responsible for preventing and extinguishing of fires in tendu units (areas where tendu grows) from January 15 to June 15 every year.

IFC’s green claims ring hollow

The World Bank’s investing arm, International Finance Corporation (IFC), is the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private sector projects in the developing world. With a portfolio of US $3.6 billion, IFC states India now forms its largest country of operation with a total of 248 projects.

Andhra Pradesh to cancel controversial Polavaram tender

It seems controversies over the mega Indirasagar Polavaram Irrigation Project in Andhra Pradesh’s west Godavari district will never end. The High Power Committee which reviewed the recommendations of the technical evaluation committee regarding tender bidding has concluded that that Southern Engineering Works (SEW) which turned out to be the lowest bidder is not eligible for the contract. Sources in state irrigation department indicate the government will call fresh tenders soon.

Environment ministry to clear controversial Demwe hydroelectric project

Despite majority of the members of National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) rejecting the clearance for the Demwe Lower Hydro Electric Project in Arunachal Pradesh, environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan has kept its fate hanging in balance. In its meeting on December 13, the non-official members of the standing committee argued, on the basis of a site inspection report prepared by one of the committee's members Asad Rahmani, that the project if allowed will have devastating impact on the wildlife. The minister, however, said she will take a final call on the project.