The members of the Meena Gupta Committee , who argued for cancellation of clearances for the Posco project in Orissa, on Tuesday began to mount pressure on the government to accept their view. Three members of the review panel — former director of the Forest Survey of India Devendra Pandey, civil rights activist and advocate V Suresh and tribal affairs expert Urmila Pingle — have submitted their response to the minority...

In yet another blow to the Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta Alumina Ltd , the Environment ministry has decided to halt the company’s plans of expanding its Rs 4,600-crore Lanjigarh refinery in Orissa. The existing one million tonne Lanjigarh refinery will, however, continue to be in operation. The ministry has found the Lanjigarh refinery’s expansion to be “unauthorised” and in serious violation of Environmental laws. It has decided to revoke the permission given...

The Orissa government will reply to the queries made by the Centre on the Meena Gupta panel report on Posco project in the next three days, Chief Secretary B K Patnaik said on Wednesday. “We will reply to the Centre on the panel’s reports within three days,” Patnaik told reporters here. The state government did not comment on the reports of the committee for the past two days. Smarting under the Union...

Spurred by the need to look at climate change impact on water resources, the Centre is formulating a revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basin-level management strategies. This would deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change. The Government is also looking at amendment to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act and the River Boards Act for time-bound clarificatory/supplementary orders...

Spurred by the need to look at impact of climate change on water resources, the Centre is formulating a revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basin-level management strategies to deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change. Ecology over industry? The government is also looking at amendment to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, and the River Boards Act for time-bound...