Environmental Governance Newsletter - April 2016

TOP STORY   Chhattisgarh cancels forest rights of tribals in Surguja Activists claim the move was in response to the tribals' protest against mining in their forest Read more >>

Mining

Fight for Khandadhar Once rescued from Korean company POSCO, Odisha's ecologically rich Khandadhar hills have now been handed over to the state's mining body. Tribal communities in the region gear up for another round of fight to save their rivers and land READ MORE >>     OMC moves Supreme Court seeking fresh palli sabhas in Niyamgiri The application is yet to be listed for hearing and any formal comment could be made only after the apex court hears the matter READ MORE >>

REGULATORY WATCH   MoEFCC deals death blow to Madhya Pradesh's tourism promotion plan Sources said the underlying objective behind the proposal was to "rejuvenate" degraded forest areas in order to take off pressure from existing tiger reserves READ MORE >>     Art of gobbling up Yamuna floodplain Without proper mapping and a plan for its acceptable use, no one can prevent the Yamuna floodplain from being gobbled up READ MORE >>     Banks at a loss Piling up non-performing assets serve as a lesson for banks to do social and environmental impact assessments of projects more rigorously READ MORE >>     Fiscal branch For the first time, the 14th Finance Commission gave forests weightage in determining states' share in the Union tax revenue. Whether this will aid conservation remains to be seen READ MORE >>

Court Watch   SC vacates Madras HC order staying issue of pattas to forest dwellers The Madras High Court had passed an interim order in April 2008 staying the issue of pattas in Tamil Nadu without its permission READ MORE >> Green Clearance Watch   Forest Clearance Analysis for January - March, 2016 CSE carried out analysis of final approvals, also called Stage 2clearances, awarded to small and large projects (below and above 40 Ha respectively) between 1st January, 2016 to 22nd March, 2016. Read more >>   Environmental Clearance Analysis for January- March 2016 CSE analysed the status of environmental clearances (ECs) for the period January- March 2016 cleared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Read more >> Forest Governance     Parliamentary panel gives more teeth to Compensatory Afforestation Fund However the panel’s report tabled in this budget session misses the forests for the trees READ MORE >>     21 villages inside Simlipal Tiger Reserve granted community forest rights Exercising the rights however, might prove to be a challenge READ MORE >>