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Nationwide ban on earth mining for bricks and roads: NGT

September 28, 2013

Earth_miningNew Delhi, Sep 28: In a blow to brick-kiln industry and road contractors, the National Green Tribunal has banned digging of earth across the country for making bricks and roads without prior environment clearance (EC).

A bench headed by Justice P Jyothimani has directed the Chief Secretaries of all the states and union territories to ensure that its interim order is adhered to.

"We restrain any person, company and authority to carry out any such digging activities of brick earth or ordinary earth against the directives issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of June 24, 2013 in any part of the country without obtaining EC from the competent authority.

"The Chief Secretaries of all states/Union Territories (UTS) are to ensure strict adherence to this order," it said.

The tribunal issued notices to Uttar Pradesh seeking its response on the plea for directions to the state government to stop extraction of earth for making bricks and roads, which is allegedly going on in violation of a Supreme Court decision as well as directions of the MoEF to all the states.

"Considering the seriousness of the issue", the bench restrained the UP government from permitting such digging until further orders of the tribunal.

The NGT made the order applicable to all the states saying "as the judgement of the apex court as well as the directives issued by MoEF has got the effect and applicability throughout the territory of India,... what is applicable to respondents (UP government) by our interim order is applicable to all the other states and UTs also".

The ban on brick earth mining comes one-and-a-half months after the NGT banned sand mining from river beds, without environment clearance, across the country.

As per the petition, MoEF in its office memorandum to the states has directed that digging of earth for making bricks and roads requires EC from the competent authority.

The petition has alleged that in spite of the decision of the apex court and the directives of the MoEF, the Uttar Pradesh government has not framed rules/guidelines for the purpose of obtaining EC and are allowing indiscriminate digging of earth.

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Agencies
February 11,2020

New Delhi, Feb 11: Votes between Hindus and Muslims were ''completely polarised'', said Congress party's Alka Lamba, as she trailed at Chandni Chowk assembly seat on Tuesday.

"I accept the result, but don't give up. Hindu-Muslim votes were completely polarised. The #Congress Party will now have to prepare for a new fight with new faces and a long struggle for the people of #Delhi. If you fight today, you will also win tomorrow," Ms. Lamba tweeted in Hindi.

As per the Election Commission (EC) website, Ms. Lamba is in third position with just 1,229 votes so far. AAP's Parlad Singh Sawhney is ahead with 23,281 votes followed by Suman Kumar Gupta of BJP.

Ms. Lamba, who had won from Chandni Chowk on an AAP ticket in the 2015 polls, was expelled from AAP last year after she joined Congress, citing differences with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

As per the EC official trends, AAP is maintaining a strong lead on 58 seats, while the BJP is far behind at 12. Congress has failed to open its account so far.

The counting of votes for 70 seats of the Delhi Assembly began at 8 am today amid tight security.

Delhi went to polls in a single-phase on February 8. AAP, BJP, Congress are the main political parties in the fray.

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Agencies
June 4,2020

New Delhi, Jun 4: Press Council of India (PCI) member BR Gupta has resigned from his post, saying he was unable to work individually or collectively for the media, which is in a "deep crisis".

"I have tendered my resignation as a Press Council of India member," Gupta told PTI.

He said the PCI had the responsibility to encourage media and media professionals constantly.

"But everyone now realises that the media scenario is in a deep crisis. The motto for which the Council was created was not being fulfilled and I felt I was not doing anything remarkable for the freedom of media," Gupta said.

He claimed that the PCI was not a wholly representative body for the media.

"Then how can we come out of the crisis being faced by the media and mediapersons? It is a big challenge for us. I have quit as I have not been able to work individually or collectively being a PCI member," Gupta added.

Referring to salary cuts and job losses, he said media and mediapersons were struggling for social, political and economic justice.

When contacted, PCI chairman Justice C K Prasad said Gupta's resignation has not been accepted yet.

"I have received it (the resignation). I have not gone through it. It has not been accepted," Prasad told PTI.

Gupta was appointed as a PCI member for a three-year term on May 30, 2018.

He said liberty is one of the basic features of the preamble to the Constitution that continues to inspire people and the media.

"It is difficult (for me) to fulfil the unbiased role and responsibility to help citizens and the media for making democracy stronger," Gupta said.

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Agencies
April 24,2020

New Delhi, Apr 24: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has termed the government decision to freeze Dearness Allowance of Central government employees for a year as "insensitive and inhuman."

The former Congress President in a tweet said: "Lakhs and crores are being spent on the Bullet Train and New Delhi's Central Vista which should have been suspended, but the government has deducted DA of Central government employees and pensioners... It is insensitive and inhuman."

"The tragic part is that by deducting this amount from January 1, 2020 up to 30th June, 2021 for a period of 1.5 years, the government of India proceeds to deduct almost Rs 38 thousand crore from the income of these middle class government employees and pensioners, who rely completely on the pay and pensions that they receive," said Randeep Surjewala, chief spokesperson of Congress.

There are about 50 lakh such serving government employees and about 62 lakh pensioners.

"Even more tragic and objectionable is the fact that the government of India has not even spared our armed forces. The government has deducted Rs 11 thousand crore of the 15 lakh serving armed forces personnel and nearly 26 lakh military pensioners. What is their fault? They are serving the nation in times of all types of crises," said Surjewala.

The Congress alleged that the government did not spare the savings scheme.

Instead of curbing the wasteful expenditure, the government has been constantly hitting at the income of government employees and the middle class, it added.

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