-The Hindustan Times In the din of elections and euphoria over new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the loss of hundreds of lives in one of the worst Himalayan tragedies in Uttarakhand has been forgotten. The policy correction promised after the tragedy remained mostly on paper and Uttarakhand is back to business as usual - developing but doing little to save the fragile local ecology. The core of the promises made was to check...
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Long-term deals with cement companies for concrete roads on cards -Dipak Kumar Dash
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The highways ministry is looking at entering into long-term contracts with cement majors across the country to purchase the construction material at a lower cost and shift to concrete roads, which are seen to be more durable although they cost more than those made using bitumen. Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari - who had announced his support for concrete the day he took...
More »Trouble in the hills -Bhoomika Joshi
-The Hindu On the first anniversary of the Uttarakhand disaster, here's a look at issues plaguing the fledgling state. On June 16, it will be a year since Uttarakhand experienced its worst natural disaster. It was also a year of loss, of grief, of recovery and of resilience. While those affected continue to cope and rise, we need to look beyond the disaster in order to unravel the contradictions and challenges that...
More »Banana fibre has good market potential-MJ Prabu
-The Hindu Banana is cultivated in Erode district all through the year. Every year, after the plant bears fruits the main stem (called pseudo stem) needs to be removed, since the main plant starts to wither and the crop continues to grow through offshoots for two or more years. Normally farmers employ labour to either cut or uproot the pseudo stems and throw them by the roadside. For this, a farmer needs...
More »Weak traffic laws powerless against irresponsible driving: Sunita Narain
-The Times of India Gopinath Munde's tragic and untimely death is one more desperate wake-up call for road safety in India. For me, the news was particularly distressing as seven months ago, it was on the same road-Aurobindo Marg-that my cycle was hit by a reversing car. I was lucky that Good Samaritans picked me up and took me to the same Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center at AIIMS where...
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