Joydeep Thakur

‘You’re irresponsible’: NGT slams Sri Sri’s group over Yamuna floodplains damage

The remark came following Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s statement that the NGT should be held responsible if the Yamuna floodplain was damaged.

Plastic toys in Delhi high on toxic elements

A new global survey has found that toys, some of which were sold in Delhi, contain high levels of toxic elements usually found in electronic wastes.

NGT, not Art of Living, should be fined for Yamuna floodplain damage: Sri Sri

Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Tuesday said the Centre, Delhi government and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) should be held responsible for allowing his foundation to organise the World Culture Festival on the Yamuna floodplains in March 2016.

No more free ‘beer’ from Delhi Univ neem tree, thanks to rising temperature

The oozing of the ‘beer-like’ liquid from a neem tree on Delhi University’s north campus stopped a few days ago, leaving tipplers high and dry.

Art of Living’s ‘scientific’ report claims no damage to Yamuna floodplains

The Art of Living’s report that runs up to 200 pages including pictures of the flood plains was prepared by a team of 10 environmentalists. Five other environmentalists were roped into the board as consultants. The NGT’s panel comprised seven experts.

Sri Sri’s Art of Living event: Why it will take 10 years, Rs 42 cr to revive Yamuna floodplains

Scientists say they would need the help of aquatic plants and animals that once used to inhabit the Yamuna floodplains to fix the ecological damage caused by Art of Living’s three-day cultural festival in March year.

Tunda to Langarpuria, the stories behind quirky aliases of Delhi gangsters

Delhi’s gangsters are indentified by their unique aliases which are either given to them by their followers or by the police. While some get their names for their notorious plots and stratagems, the others for their shooting skill or morbid style.

Delhi Zoo gears up for summer with sugar-free kheer, coolers for inmates

To beat the heat, the Delhi Zoo authorities will introduce fruits, sugar-free kheer and mineral supplements as a part of the diet of zoo inmates along with installation of coolers, fans and water sprinklers in cages and enclosures.

E-rickshaws causing snarls, worsen Delhi’s air quality: SC panel

The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), in its final action plan on air pollution, has recommended a control mechanism to rein in battery-operated rickshaws. Experts had claimed that without any checks and balances these otherwise environment-friendly vehicles are triggering heavy traffic snarls, which in turn are adding to the city’s pollution.

Automobile dealers resorting to fake sales, says pollution control body

Members of the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority alleged that a section of automobile dealers were resorting to ‘fake sales’ to buy BS-III vehicles at a discounted price so that they could be resold later.

Scientists to use solar energy to regenerate locally extinct corals

Scientists across the world are trying to come up with various methods that can regenerate bleached and locally extinct corals.

Zoos across country on alert over possible outbreak of fatal protozoan disease

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has alerted all zoos across India to take preventive measures to avert a possible outbreak of Trypanosomiasis – a protozoan disease that have, in the past, killed more than a dozen tigers and leopards in Indian zoos.

Delhi pollution control body to give licence for e-waste handling factories

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee is planning to issue licence to proper handling units, in which electronic waste such as televisions, mobiles, computers and laptop are disassembled before they go to recycling factories

Free ‘beer’ from neem tree in North Campus keeping Delhi Univ’s spirits high

Get a swig of “neem beer” in the shade of a therapeutic tree on Delhi University’s North Campus, which is keeping poor tipplers high and hydrated for the past five months.

EPCA plans to use satellite imagery to identify pollution hotspots in Delhi-NCR

Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) is planning to use satellite imagery to identify pollution hotspots in and around Delhi before scientists can develop a regional action plan to fight the menace.

Delhi zoo’s black swan pair expects babies, officials guard them from python

Zookeepers, smarting from a cruel bird flu virus last year, are more than eager to avoid any miscarriage of the good news that the black swan couple, brought from Thiruvananthapuram and Mysuru in 2014, has shared last week.

Yamuna Biodiversity Park to get animal bridge, fence as part of redesign

In November 2016, a full-grown male leopard was spotted in the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. It came from Kalesar National Park in Haryana. Scientists say that the 457-acre park should attract and host more animals.

MCD polls: Cong ticket seekers flood Rahul Gandhi rally at Ramlila Maidan

Rahul Gandhi’s Ramlila Maidan rally on Tuesday served as an opportunity for those who are seeking the Congress ticket for the MCD elections in Delhi.

Delhi MCD polls: Yogender Yadav’s Swaraj India releases vision document

MCD elections in Delhi are scheduled to be held in April. It will Swaraj India’s first electoral outing. The party is awaiting its poll symbol. The party’s poll slogan will be ‘Saaf Dil, Saaf Dilli’. It promises a city free from garbage, pollution and epidemics.

Fire blazes in a century-old building in Kolkata’s trade hub

The fire continued to rage throughout the night till almost midday on Tuesday.

Kolkata man who lived with skeletons of sister and dogs found charred to death

Partha De, who lived in Kolkata’s infamous House of Horror for six months with the skeletons of his elder sister and those of two pet dogs before he hit the headlines in June 2015, was found dead under ‘mysterious conditions’ in a flat in the city on Tuesday.

Residents of West Bengal struggle to access safe drinking water

Around 411 lakh villagers in India, which is around 4.5% of the country’s rural population, do not have access to safe and clean drinking water.

Bloodsport of a different kind flourishes in the Sunderbans

Cock fight is popular in different areas and people cutting across age groups enjoy the game.

Mamata to pay Rs 50,000 to each worker who lost job due to demonetisation

In the state budget presented on Friday, state finance minister Amit Mitra announced a one-time cash assistance of Rs 50,000 for all those who lost their jobs due to demonetisation. Mitra announced a demonetisation relief corpus of Rs 250 crore, an amount that can be distributed to 50,000 individuals at the most.

Jadavpur University scientists developing a model to predict Hilsa catch

Hilsa is often reckoned as the queen of fishes by Bengalis, most of whom are fanatic about its aroma and taste. The declining availability of hilsa is of great concern to almost all Bengalis in the country that peaks every year during the monsoons.

Kolkata to stub smokers tag, looks to go smoke-free

The city’s civic body is planning to take the help of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Indian Dental Association.

In Sunderbans, no one cares about villagers who go missing in animal attacks

Most deaths due to tiger or crocodile attack are not reported in Sunderbans.

Have to ensure Padma Shri never gets tarnished, says fire chaser Bipin Ganatra

The self-styled firefighter reaches a blaze site in no time after catching the news on TV or through his phone, and helps the fire brigade save property and lives.

We may be breathing arsenic too, says study by Kolkata profs

Jadavpur University professors are planning further studies to identify the source.

Free expression in universities under threat : Manmohan Singh at Presidency bicentenary