Democracy under surveillance

West Bengal bureaucrats to monitor panchayat institutions, implement their decisions  

Bridging the gap

Pressured by a highly active civil society, the Kerala state government is actually giving power to the people. The decentralisation theory has …

Legislation for a few

Benefits of the Act that encourages conservation of plants reach few farmers

Granite greed

Frenzied quarrying destroys livelihoods and environment in Karimnagar

Include public, fight Naxalites

Planning Commission wants to improve Integrated Action Plan

Public hearing for Bhushan steel plant ends in fracas

Company did not consult village council or obtain its consent as mandated by law for scheduled areas, complain residents

Nobody's waste

Kerala's capital wants a solid waste treatment plant in a nearby village. This has created a rural-urban conflict

Jharkhand

Most politicians and activists see the Forest Conservation Act as a hurdle towards empowering the tribal population. They want the act amended

Uttaranchal

The process of alienating people from natural resources has not stopped, even with the attainment of statehood

Chattisgarh

Fighting the drought preoccupies the new government. Charting a mining policy to explore the rich mineral deposits is next on the agenda

Chipping away

Time was, when the Saranda forest cover was so dense that even the sun's rays couldn't penetrate it. Ironically, denudation has driven the region …

Poor little rich states

Rich in natural resources but extremely poor, the three new states are in need of a new strategy for development. But no blueprints have been …

Pindar’s last gush

Dam proposed on the last unrestricted tributary of Alaknanda stirs valley residents

Under threat

A proposed dam is set to change the landscape in the Pindar ghati--host to the last free flowing tributary of the Alaknanda. Bharat Lal Seth …

Fresh development plan for naxal-affected districts

Rural schemes to be more flexible; get more funds

View from the top

Planners must stop looking down at hill-stations

Model in a fix

Chhattisgarh's much appreciated public distribution scheme is falling apart due to corruption and mismanagement

High risk

Problem: Tall buildings risky in high seismic zones; Status: Hill-stations are getting concretised and growing vertically; Challenge: Use local …

What goes down

Problem: Lack of space for garbage disposal; inadequate sewerage; Status: Garbage disposed on hill slopes ends in streams/rivers; Challenge: …

Defying gravity

Problem: Terrain forbids water supply systems that work in plains; Status: Water crisis in peak season every year; Challenge: Develop …

Local travails

Problem: Tourist influx too large; earnings flow downhill; Status: Residents forced to share meagre facilities with tourists; Challenge: Regulate …

Only plans, no integration

Bay in distress

A proposed shipyard threatens the rich biodiversity of a south Goa bay, but government is unmoved

A watershed plan

Recurrent droughts and floods coupled with mass poverty, chronic unemployment and pervasive malnutrition are the major challenges before India. …

Walk the village talk

After raising the political profile of village councils, government wants to downsize them