Safe passage for Odisha wildlife put on track [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=91179]BHUBANESWAR: With growing expansion of railway networks cutting through critical wildlife habitats, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has lent a hand to Odisha for creation of passages for wild animals, elephants to be particular, as part of mitigation measures that can prevent casualties on the tracks.

HC seeks reply from HP govt on medical waste burning [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=91195]SHIMLA: Taking cognizance of the burning of medical waste generated by medical colleges- Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, and Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital, Tanda, in Kangra, the Himachal Pradesh high court has sought reply from the state government through an affidavit on the issue within two weeks

GST: Finance ministry clarifies after fears of lifting curbs on banned animal products [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=91173]NEW DELHI: Will ivory, banned decades ago by India and many major countries, be legally traded under GST, ask the environment ministry and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. No, says the finance ministry, there will be a 5% tax on “unusual restricted trade”. And there by hangs a slightly wild tale of GST confusion. ET spoke to senior officials across departments who spoke off the record on the issue. There is a ban on trading in ivory, as well as coral, musk, and other so¬called products from protected or endangered species, as declared in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Hazardous wastes increasing at 2-5% per year: Assocham-PwC study [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=91188]In India, about 10 to 15 percent of wastes produced by industries are hazardous and the generation of hazardous wastes is increasing at the rate of 2-5 percent per year, according to the joint study brought out by Assocham and PwC.As per the estimates, annually around 7.46 million metric tonnes (MMT) of hazardous waste is generated from 43,936 industries in the country, of which land fillable waste is 3.41 MMT (46 percent), incinerable 0.69 MMT (9 percent) and recyclable hazardous waste is 3.35 MMT (45 percent), according to Assocham-PwC study, titled ‘Waste management in India: Shifting gears’.

Over 18 lakh trees to be felled, part of tiger reserve diverted to link Ken, Betwa rivers [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=90932]Over 18 lakh trees are to be felled and 6,017 hectares (ha) of forest land—majority of it from Panna tiger reserve—diverted for the Ken-Betwa river link project that would irrigate 6.35 lakh hectares of drought-prone Bundelkhand and provide drinking water to over 13 lakh people in the under-developed region.


The final approval for the project is expected from the ministry of environment and forests’ apex clearance body, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), which will meet in New Delhi on May 16.

Uttarakhand seeks fresh permit to hunt wild boars as farmers cry crop damage [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=90937]The Uttarakhand forest department has asked the central government to allow hunting of wild boars in the state till 2020, so crops in agricultural lands adjoining forested areas can be safeguarded.