Transportation of coal by trains, ash by trucks and use of sea water illegal'

[email protected] (CD Network)
March 17, 2011

UPCL

Udupi, March 17: Ministry of Environment and Forest, New Delhi has denied to grant the amendment to the environment clearance to Udupi Power Corporation to transport coal by railway, ash by trucks and the use of sea water. This means transportation of coal by trains, ash by trucks and the use of sea water for the UPCL project is totally illegal.

Executive President of Jana Jagruthi Samithi Nandikur Balakrishna Shetty in a press release said that during the end of last year the UPCL approached the Ministry for the amendment to the Environment Clearance dated 20th March 1997 although it has been already using Konkan Railway for transportation of coal from NMPT to project site, trucks for transportation of ash from the plant to Santhur dumping area and sea water for cooling and ash mixing purposes without authority since early 2010.

The Environmental Clearance stipulates transportation of coal by closed conveyor system with dust suppression mechanism, transportation of ash by pneumatic system through pipelines to the dumping area and desalinated water for the plant, he said.

Pneumatic technology is nothing new and UPCL, which is publicly boasting of state of the art technology in the plant should not have adapted the cheaper and environmentally damaging method.

The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry in its 15th Meeting on Jan 10 this year had recommended the amendment without considering all the facts or site visit. The Samithi had raised strong objection to the Chairman of the Committee

VP Raja to review its recommendation. The Samithi reminded EAC that the Ministry had already carried out the impact assessment of transportation of coal by trains and had even filed an affidavit before the Honorable High Court of Karnataka in the case of Maneka Gandhi and Janajagrithi Samithi v/s Congentrix in Feb 1997 stating that after considering the environmental implications it had stipulated closed conveyor for transportation of coal from harbor to the project site and ash from the plant to the dumping area.

The Samithi also reminded the Ministry of the soil vulnerability in the area and potential contamination of the surface as well as the underground water resources and the consequent threat to human health and to crop due to dumping of fly ash and use of sea water by the project.

Upon receiving the objection by the Samithi, the EAC decided to withheld the recommendation. The EAC meeting held on Mar 14 and 15 refrained from granting the amendment.

It is absolutely clear that UPCL has been violating the terms of the Environmental Clearance. “The Ministry of Environment & Forest should seriously consider shutting down the plant permanently and invoke Public Liability Insurance Act for compensating to all those affected by pollution”, said Samithi President Balakrishna Shetty. He urged the Konkan Railway to stop transporting the coal by its goods trains in the absence of the amendment and the Chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board as well as the District authorities to prevent the use of trucks for ash dumping and the pumping of the sea water.


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News Network
May 30,2024

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Mangaluru, May 30: In a heart-warming display of integrity and interfaith harmony amid the backdrop of communal tensions in coastal Karnataka, a madrasa teacher showcased remarkable honesty by returning a bag containing Rs 2.43 lakh in cash that he found on Kelaginapete Road in Bantwal taluk.

Abdul Majeed Faizi, a dedicated teacher at Manazul Islam Madrasa, was crossing Kelaginapete Road on the morning of May 28 when he stumbled upon a bag lying on the road. Upon inspecting the bag, he found it filled with currency notes. Without hesitation, he reported the matter to the Madrasa administrative committee.

The committee swiftly took action, verifying the ownership of the money with the local community. Their investigation revealed that the cash belonged to Sripati Srikant Bhat, a local resident. Bhat soon arrived at the Madrasa, where Abdul Majeed Faizi returned the bag of money to him. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Bhat expressed his sincere thanks to Faizi for his commendable honesty.

This incident not only highlights Abdul Majeed Faizi’s exemplary character but also serves as a beacon of interfaith unity and trust in the region.

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News Network
May 23,2024

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Bengaluru: Patients visiting government hospitals in Karnataka recently were shocked when they noticed that some drugs had labels of Animal Husbandry Veterinary Sciences (AHVS) but the department concerned has said it was only a logo related issue and that the medicines were indeed meant for human use.

The Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL) said there was an error in the 'logogram' design, but the product was of standard quality and 'human use only'.

As the typo led to panic among patients, KSMSCL Managing Director Chidananda Sadashiva Vatare said in a statement that the product permission copies were submitted and confirmed they were permitted to manufacture as per required medical standards and for human use only.

According to sources in KSMSCL, there were seven drugs which had the AHVS label. This included eye and nasal drops.

These drugs were supplied by a private firm with a total value of Rs 62.9 lakh and it reached the government warehouse on January 5, this year.

The drugs were Methyl Prednisolone injection, Carboxymethylcellulose Eye Drops, Oxymetazoline Pediatric (Nasal) Drops, Flurbiprofen Eye Drops IP, Sodium Chloride (Nasal) Drops, Timolol Maleate Drops and Oxymetazoline Hydrochloride (Nasal) Solution IP.

"The analytical test reports from NABL/government approved laboratories and in-house test reports of the products opined as the products referred above are of standard quality. The test reports from the private empanelled laboratories of KSMSCL have reported these products are of standard quality," Vatare said.

The products were supplied to all the warehouses in the state by the supplier by January 5, he said, adding the supplier requested KSMSCL on January 18 to accept the supplied products by masking the typo.

"It is to be noted that no changes were done in the label of the product information provided. Also, the logogram design was correct in one part of the product and only in another part was there a printing error in the logogram design which was masked, where instead of Health department it was typed as AHVS department."

"The supplier was also imposed a fine of one per cent on the purchase order value and all warehouses were instructed to distribute the products only after masking the error. The supplier was also warned not to repeat the mistake," he said.

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News Network
May 28,2024

Bengaluru: Mines and Geology Minister S S Mallikarjun on Monday did not rule out a Cabinet reshuffle after the election results. 

"You should ask the chief minister. But one can't say... it (reshuffle) might happen," Mallikarjun told reporters when asked about speculation that some ministers may be dropped. 

Mallikarjun said this a week after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said there was no plan to reshuffle his Cabinet. 

There is speculation over a Cabinet rejig and that the Congress high command would hold ministers accountable if the party does badly in the Lok Sabha polls. 

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