-The Hindu One of the major reasons for the fall in road accidents in the last decade coincides with the metro gradually becoming the principal artery of public transport Despite increased traffic, Delhi saw its lowest number of fatal accidents in a decade in 2014. Delhi Police data reveal that 1,595 deaths were reported (1,559 accidents) in 2014, compared to 1,754 in 2013; 1,866 in 2012; 2,110 in 2011; 2,153 in 2010;...

-Business Standard The ordinance has returned near absolute power of discretion in land acquisition, except in tribal areas, into the hands of the bureaucracy yet again Even after the National Democratic Alliance's land ordinance, governments will still need the consent of tribal gram sabhas in all Schedule V and VI areas of the country before acquiring land for themselves or for public-private projects. While the land ordinance has done away with the need...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Rural development minister Chaudhary Birender Singh today held a meeting with senior officials amid indications that the ministry is planning an ordinance to amend the year-old land acquisition law which industry has opposed. Among those who attended the two-hour meeting was Vandana Kumari Jena, secretary, department of land resources. Sources said the rural development ministry was under pressure from the finance and infrastructure ministries to amend the Right to...

-Deccan Chronicle Chennai: The Chennai metro rail, in spite of being the most advanced mode of transport that is coming to the city, does not have any provision for toilets for its passengers. The design plan of none of the 31 stations shows toilets for passengers and officials confirm this. According to metro rail officials, the exclusion of toilets from the design is due to the fact that even Delhi metro...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court today said "heads should roll" because the Ganga has remained polluted even after 30 years and Rs 20,000 crore of clean-up efforts and hinted it might order the closure of industrial units pumping waste into the sacred river. "You can't shift the city but at least you can shift the factories," a three-judge bench said in a terse warning to over 700 such units as...