What are Aravalis' main threats? Greens give Centre, state report

Gurgaon: Based on what they say is ground observations made over a year of visits, a group of environmentalists has submitted their findings to the central and state govts, seeking urgent measures to protect the Aravalis.
Compiled as a 70-page report titled 'State of the Haryana Aravalis: Citizens' Report Part 1', the findings raise critical questions for water security, air quality and biodiversity of Delhi-NCR, which are intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of the Aravalis. Copies of the report were handed over to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav and chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday.
Rampant violations like construction of illegal farmhouses, colonies and commercial establishments on protected Aravali land have repeatedly come under Supreme Court's scrutiny.
Last week, it rapped the state govt for an illegal road being laid at Basai Meo in Nuh with stones quarried from a hillock that led to its collapse.
The report contains four main demands – a legal declaration of the entire Haryana Aravali range as 'no-go zones' for mining and stone crushing, introduction of a law that treats destruction of Aravalis as an ecological crime punishable with strict penalties, including action against negligent officials, implementation of strict enforcement and ecological restoration measures, compensation for communities suffering from pollution and displacement, and a policy shift that requires the real estate and infrastructure sector to adopt construction materials other than Aravali-sourced stones.
Neelam Ahluwalia, founder member of People for Aravalis, the group that compiled the report, said, "We are hoping the demands for Aravali protection given in this report can act as a blueprint for govt to create and deliver policies and plans to protect what is left of India's oldest hill range. We hope our wildlife does not lose its home and our current and future generations can live with dignity without gasping for breath or being choked in the dust storms coming from Thar desert or fighting over water.
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Rajasthan-based water conservationist Dr Rajendra Singh said, "In 2009, Supreme Court banned mining completely in the Aravali hills in Gurgaon, Nuh and Faridabad. Time has now come to look at the 670km Aravali range spread across four states as one ecosystem critical for survival of millions of people living in north-west India."
The report illustrates how licenced mining and stone crushing units across the Haryana Aravalis flouted rules, and how illegal mining continues despite a 16-year-old ban.
It also states how out of the seven districts where the Aravalis are present in Haryana, licenced mining wiped out most of the range in Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri.

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Hindustan Times

an hour ago

• Hindustan Times

Bengal govt delivers Digha Jagannath temple prasad to 10.4 million households

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has started delivering prasad from the newly-constructed Jagannath temple in Digha at the doorsteps of more than 10.4 million households across the state. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee chairs a high-level meeting for Smooth Snan Yatra at Digha Jagannath Temple, at Nabanna Sabhaghar in Howrah on June 12. (ANI) 'Around 300 kilos of khoa (a sweet), which was offered to the deities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and Goddess Subhadra – was sent to all the districts in West Bengal in small amounts. There they were mixed with additional khoa in select sweetshops to make peda and gaja. These are being delivered to more than 10.4 million households at the doorsteps,' Radharamn Das, vice-president and spokesman of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kolkata, told HT. However, a fresh controversy has erupted over the government's initiative of distributing prasad from the temple. Earlier this year a series of controversies were triggered when the temple, a brainchild of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, was inaugurated on April 30. On June 10, around 300 kilos of khoa (a sweet), supplied by a Kolkata-based manufacturer, reached the temple in refrigerated containers. Dozens of priests received the khoa, which was then offered to the trinity deities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and Goddess Subhadra. 'The offering (khoa) was then sent to the districts where more sweets were added to increase their volume and two types of sweets were made. They were packed and are now being delivered to the households by ration dealers,' said Das. The door-to-door delivery of the prasad started from June 17 and is likely to continue till July 4. The state government is taking the help of its huge network of ration shops and ration dealers to deliver the prasad at the door-step of 10.4 million households. 'In 2021 the state government launched the Duare Ration scheme, through which subsidised food grains are delivered at the door steps of the beneficiaries. More than 22,000 ration dealers are involved in this. This entire network is now being utilised to deliver the prasad at the door steps,' said Biswambhar Basu, national general secretary of All India Fair Price Shop Dealers' Federation. Each packet will contain two sweets (peda and gaja) and a photo of the temple and the trinity deities. Each packet will cost around ₹ 20, a senior official said. Suvendu Adhikari, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, however, alleged that the TMC-led government was hurting the sentiments of Hindus. 'The government is hurting the sentiments of Hindus in the name of distributing prasad. This is not prasad as it is not coming directly from any temple. These are sweets manufactured in local sweet shops. True Hindus will not accept it as a prasad. They will accept it only as sweets from the local shop. This is an anti-Hindu government,' Adhikari told the media. On April 30, while speaking to the media on the temple's inauguration day, Banerjee had said: 'I am giving responsibility to the state Information and Cultural Affairs (I&CA) department. A photo of the temple and a small amount of prasad should be delivered to every house across the state and also to eminent persons across the country.' A senior official, however, pointed out that when the government issued the order for the prasad to be delivered by ration dealers, the word 'prasad' was replaced by 'souvenir'. 'It has been decided that a token souvenir in connection with the 'Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre' (Digha) will be distributed to the households of the state by utilising the 'Duare Ration' delivery system,' said the order issued by the I&CA department earlier this month. While Banerjee is the state I&CA minister, Indranil Sen is the minister of state. Multiple calls made to Sen went unanswered. He didn't respond to specific whatsapp messages either. 'These initiatives by Banerjee are nothing but an attempt to counter the BJP's Hindutva campaign. But while on one hand the government is calling it a temple and a dham, on paper they are saying it is a cultural centre. Also, they are not using the word prasad, they are calling it a souvenir. Duare Ration scheme is availed not just by the Hindus, but by other communities also. This may hurt their sentiments as well,' said Rabindranath Bhattacharya, professor of political science at Burdwan University. The BJP, meanwhile, has already raised allegations that non-Hindus are being used to deliver the prasad to Hindu households in some areas. This is, however, not the first time that a controversy has erupted over the Jagannath temple. The 'temple' tag itself triggered a major controversy ahead of the inauguration when the BJP had raised questions on how funds from the government exchequer can be used for constructing any institution for a particular religion. Days before the 'temple' was inaugurated, Adhikari wrote an open letter to the state's chief secretary HK Dwivedi seeking clarification on whether it was a 'temple' or a 'cultural centre' 'The tender documents of West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation reveal that 'Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra' has been built at Digha? You are inviting me to attend the 'Prana Pratistha' Ceremony. Will you clarify whether 'Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra' (cultural center) is being inaugurated or Jagannath Temple is being inaugurated? You must reprint the Invitation Card with proper clarity. You can also send me a reply clarifying whether HIDCO has built a Temple or a Cultural Centre,' Adhikari wrote on X on April 27. The newly constructed temple also became a bone of contention between the TMC-led government in West Bengal and the BJP-led government in Odisha, which houses the 12th century Jagannath Dham in Puri. Mohan Majhi, chief minister of Odisha also shot a letter to Banerjee asking her to refrain from tagging the Digha temple as a 'dham'. Allegations had surfaced that neem wood, preserved at the Puri temple, was stolen to make the idols in the Digha temple. Considered auspicious in Hindu religion, wood from neem (Azadirachta Indica) tree was used to make the idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra at the ancient Puri temple. Banerjee oversaw the consecration ceremony on April 30. The consecration was supervised by Rajesh Daitapati (servitor), one of the priests from the Puri temple. 'Nobody raises questions when Mamata Banerjee builds skywalks at Dakshineswar and Kalighat temple or worships Kali or Durga. But the Jagannath Dham seems to have hit the wrong nerve. I am being accused of stealing a neem tree. There are four neem trees at my home. Ask them how many they want. We don't need to steal things,' Banerjee had said in May, reacting to the allegations. Though a subsequent probe found the allegations untrue, the servitor of the Puri temple who attended the 'consecration process' of the Jagannath temple in Digha was debarred from entering the temple for a month. 'I think that the people of the state are somewhat indifferent to this Jagannath temple issue. Neither the BJP nor the TMC will gain anything out of this. Only a handful of sweet-traders are likely to gain something from this as a few crores of rupees are involved. Even though the Mamata Banerjee government had planned to counter the Hindutva campaign, it has lost the edge,' said Biswanath Chakraborty, professor of political science at the Rabindra Bharati University.

First Post

an hour ago

• First Post

Romania finally gets a prime minister, budget crisis PM Bolojan's first test

Romania's President Nicusor Dan nominated Ilie Bolojan, leader of the National Liberal Party, after weeks of coalition talks. Now, the biggest challenge in the new government's hands will be tackling the budget crisis read more Romania's new pro-Western president, Nicusor Dan, on Friday nominated Ilie Bolojan, leader of the pro-European National Liberal Party (PNL), as the country's next prime minister. AP Romania's new pro-Western President, Nicusor Dan , nominated Ilie Bolojan, leader of the pro-European National Liberal Party (PNL), as the country's next prime minister. The move was announced on Friday, marking an end to the weeks of political uncertainty following the annulled December presidential elections. The 56-year-old centre-right leader was serving the role of Senate president and is known for his reformist approach and administrative discipline. It is pertinent to note that Bolojan had previously served as acting president from February to May, when Dan defeated a hard-right opponent in a heated presidential election rerun . STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The nomination came as Romania, a European Union and NATO member state, is seeking to end a protracted political crisis that has gripped the nation since last year. Bolojan was nominated following a fresh round of talks between Dan and PNL. The biggest challenge facing Bolojan now will be taking care of the budget crisis in the country. The budget crisis: Bolojan's biggest challenge The 56-year-old leader will be tasked with tackling Romania's dire finances and reconciling the divided EU member. The country's budget deficit stood at 9.3 per cent at the end of last year, making it the highest in the European Union, AFP reported. In a press conference last week, Bolojan said Romania was 'in a complicated situation', adding that the incoming government would have to resort to 'unpopular measures' that could include cutting public spending and imposing tax rises. Meanwhile, Political scientist Sergiu Miscoiu told AFP that Bolojan was 'the person best placed to take unpopular measures to tackle the serious budget crisis'. However, analysts also point out that apart from a brief time as interim president, he had 'no experience in national politics'. Apart from this, deep social divisions in the nation were also made clear by the controversies that surrounded the presidential election. According to Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, the new government will face the challenge of reaching a longer-term consensus over already delayed state reforms. 'There is only a disputed agreement on very short-term measures for the economic and budget crisis,' the political consultant told The Associated Press. 'If the short-term measures come with a social cost, inflation … (and) will not be met by profound changes in policies and institutions, then the political crisis will loom over the next years and (future) elections," he furthered. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What comes next Bolojan's nomination will now need to be approved by the country's parliament. According to Euro News, his government is expected to be comprised of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the PNL, the reformist Save Romania Union party, and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party. Ahead of his nomination, the PSD has pushed for a power-sharing agreement that would see a rotation of the prime ministerial post. While speaking after being nominated for the prime ministerial position, Bolojan said he's 'fully aware of the great responsibility' the role will bring and acknowledged it 'will not be an easy undertaking.' 'I will pursue three priorities: to restore order to the country's finances, to work toward good governance that creates conditions for development in Romania, and … to show proper respect to the Romanian people," he furthered. While the far-right parties recently won a third of the parliament seats, they were kept out of the talks to form a new government. Defeated presidential candidate labelled the move as 'a disgrace and an insult'. Meanwhile, the European Union has voiced concerns over the rise of Eurosceptic parties in NATO member Romania that are opposed to sending military aid to Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies.

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

'Because matter became public?': Priyank Kharge gets nod for US visit; says Centre took 'U-turn'

Priyank Kharge (File photo) NEW DELHI: Karnataka minister Priyanka Kharge on Saturday said the Union government has taken a "U-turn" and granted him permission for an official visit to the United States. Also Read: 'Centre curbing Karnataka's fame,' alleges Priyank Kharge; calls US trip denial by govt 'improper' Kharge also highlighted that the ministry of external affairs (MEA) revoked its earlier decision and gave him an NOC on Thursday, after his press conference that day on the issue. "So in a U-turn, the Ministry of External Affairs has now decided to revoke its earlier decision and grant me a clearance for an official visit to the United States," the Karnataka IT minister wrote on X. The Congress leader, who is the son of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, stated that he had applied for the June 14-27 tour on May 15, and alleged that he was denied permission without any official explanation. The timing of the NOC, he added, raised "serious questions" - why was the clearance denied in the first place, was the earlier order revoked only because the matter was made public, why should he travel to the US when key events pertaining to his programmes are already over or nearing completion, and would the MEA now not explain its earlier denial because it has now granted permission for the visit. "While the Centre gives us slogans like 'Make in India,' 'Digital India', 'National Quantum Mission' and 'India AI Mission,' the real work to realise these aspirations is happening here in Karnataka. They coin the vision, but when we do the work to bring investments, create jobs and position India as a global leader - they block us," Kharge said. These questions, he added, warrant an "urgent response" as Karnataka "deserves answers."