Government decides not to allow new construction on the Ganga

The Government has decided not to allow new constructions on the Ganga or any of its tributaries in order to maintain the river’s minimum environmental flow and protect the ecology dependent on it. With this, the Expert Body report on giving clearance to five of the six hydel projects on Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river basins in Uttarakhand has also been trashed. Also, the National Green Tribunal has put a complete ban on the use of plastic from Gomukh to Haridwar along the Ganga river. The ban will come into effect on February 1, 2016 and will impose a fine of Rs 5000/day on violators.

CPCB proposes segment-wise cleaning of Ganga

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has proposed a new draft plan for cleaning the river in four segments based on geography, eco-flow of the river and pollution load. The demarcated segments are Gomukh to Haridwar, Haridwar to Narora, Narora to Varanasi and Varanasi to Kolkata. The pollution watchdog has also recommended to handover the cleaning of the Ganga ghats to religious and private institutes. 

Cabinet approves amendment in the National Waterways Bill, 2015

The Union Cabinet has given its approval to declare 106 additional inland waterways as national waterways. This will bring up the total number of national waterways to 111. The declaration will enable the Inland Waterways Authority of India to develop feasible stretches for shipping and navigation through mobilisation of financial resources.

SC refuses to examine Centre's stand in the Krishna water dispute

The Supreme Court has refused to probe the Centre's decision in the Krishna water dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Per the Centre, the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal will determine the share of the river waters between the two states without disturbing allocations for Karnataka and Maharashtra. Telangana which had approached the Supreme Court seeking a fresh look at the distribution of the river water with its neighbours, has now agreed to withdraw its application.

Chandigarh opposes draft notification on eco-zone around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary

The Chandigarh Administration has objected to the draft notification issued by the Environment Ministry on the declaration of eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. In its draft notification, the Ministry has proposed to declare the Sanctuary that falls under the Chandigarh Administration as an ESZ while the latter wants the entire sanctuary that falls under the jurisdiction of Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana to be declared as an eco-zone.

This is a roundup of important policy matters from December 8 - 14, 2015. Also read last week's news roundup.