Rs 3,300 crore omission

Government grants huge tax exemptions to industries for installing pollution control equipment. This is done to achieve certain environmental, social and economic goals. But it has failed to monitor the working of this subsidy regime.

Faulty data, poor monitoring

A recent paper of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Towards an Emission Trading Scheme for Air Pollutants in India, explores the possibility of introducing a permit and trading system for air pollutants from industrial sources. The scheme operates along the lines of the cap-and-trade mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions. Units that keep pollutants well below stipulated levels can trade their credits with those that pollute in excess of standards.

Fix what is broken

The high corridors of the nation are abuzz with talk about how much food should be given to the country’s poor as a right. Should it be 25 kg of rice or 35 kg of wheat a month per person at highly subsidized rates?

Dahisar in danger

The deluge that caught Mumbai by surprise on July 26, 2005 has sent warning signals to areas situated along Dahisar river.

"World class products"

This last fortnight, after two disparate experiences, I came to realise there is not much difference between colas and cars. Let me explain how.

The small big polluter

Statistics are easy to window-dress: showing everything but concealing vital facts. It is true in case of the small-scale industries (SSIs) also.

The small big polluter

India

Trespassers moved: The glory of Dal lake is being revived. Thirteen hotels situated in the lake area are being shifted to Humhama near the Srinagar airport. The land to be allotted to hotel owners has been identified.

Ecofriendly refrigerators

GODREJ APPLIANCES LIMITED (GAL) has begun producing India’s first refrigerator that uses hydrocarbons (HCs). The company carried out research for four years in coordination with the ministry of environment and forests and two companies based in Switzerland and Germany before launching their new product. The product was launched on January 22, 2000. “The refrigerators are chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) free.

We plan to involve panchayats in monitoring pollution levels

How do you plan to overcome the flaws in the current pollution control approach in Tamil Nadu? Where pollution is concerned, I believe it is not appropriate to use the word 'control'. We have to look at the problem in totality. Here, it is important to ensure public participation in curbing the menace of pollution. tnpcb will try to educate the general public and involve all stakeholders in pollution control programmes. We have very good laws but most of them are not implemented. Interviewee:  Sheila Rani Chunkat