Uttar Pradesh

Minor mineral, major mafia
Residents of a nondescript village in Madhya Pradesh lost their livelihoods to sand mining but this illegal trade didn't make the limelight until an IAS officer was suspended in UP. Posted on 29 Sep, 2013 04:05 PM

Pahanbarri was a small village of 3000 people in Madhya Pradesh's Hoshangabad district. The 200-year old village was known for its fertile soil, thanks to being located on the banks of the Tawa, a tributary of the Narmada river. On August 1 this year, the river changed its course, broke its bank and entered the village.

Sand mining in Dindigul, TN Source: The Hindu
Applications invited for 'Summer Research Fellowship Programme 2014', National Science Academies
An offer for several two-month Summer Fellowships to enable students/teachers (studying/teaching in India) to work with scientists associated with the three Academies during 2014.
Posted on 26 Sep, 2013 11:18 AM

For further details on the Summer Fellowship, please click here.

To register online, please click here.

The format for the 'Letter of Recommendation' is attached below.

A tale of two STPs
In Lucknow, two sewage treatment plants ostensibly prevent pollution of the river Gomti but are they really doing their job? The photos tell the entire story. Posted on 20 Sep, 2013 04:51 PM

The venerable Imperial Gazetteer says, 'Viewed from a distance Lucknow presents a picture of unusual magnificence and architectural splendour, which fades on nearer view ...' (Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 16, p. 196).

The only working STP in Lucknow -Daulatganj
Invitation to regional conference of All India Union Of Forest Working People, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
A conference to strengthen the unionization process around the issue of forest rights and to formulate the political strategy needed for it.
Posted on 17 Sep, 2013 06:26 PM

To know more on the All India Union Of Forest Working People (AIUFWP), click here.

For more information on programme, please see attachment below.

All India Union of Forest Working People, NTUI
The missing water bodies of Western Uttar Pradesh
Over 3000 water bodies which once existed in Meerut district alone are now in a pitiable state. Will returning to a community-based water management system help revive these? Posted on 01 Sep, 2013 11:54 AM

Traditional water bodies such as bawdis and talabs have long since been an integral part of rural life in India providing water, fish and sometimes even just a venue for people to chit chat. The flat plains in Western Uttar Pradesh, where the Ganga and Yamuna rivers meet, is no exception.

Suraj kund at Meerut; Source: www.meerut-live.com
Tug of war on the Gomti
A river, which once unified people, is now being manipulated in the name of 'river conservation'. All it is, is an excuse to create a divide and further caste conflict. Posted on 29 Aug, 2013 02:44 PM

As temple tanks go, this one is quite beautiful. It is a rectangular masonry-lined tank, about the size of a badminton court. Brick steps lead down to the water. On one of its longer sides is a lovely old temple, shaded by mango trees. Groups of men and women sit and gossip in the coolness. Facing them is an avenue of large trees, below which sit contemplative buffaloes.

Gomat Taal is reputedly the source of the Gomti
Tehri dam nears danger mark
News this week - Tehri dam nears danger mark, Supreme Court stops dams in Uttarakhand and Maharashtra allows coal mining near rivers Posted on 19 Aug, 2013 02:33 AM

Water level in Tehri dam near danger mark

Tehri dam in lean season
Turtle relocation program or turtle poaching plan?
The turtle hatchery at Sarnath was created to reintroduce scavenger turtles into the Ganga to rid it of corpses. However, the seemingly smart program is far from successful. What happens next? Posted on 09 Aug, 2013 12:23 PM

Rajkumar needs no urging to talk about Sundari. She is evidently a favourite of his. When we met, he regaled me with stories of her beauty, her smartness and her incredibly sweet nature. When he finally brought her out to meet me, I failed to see any signs of a winning personality or of towering intelligence. "Well," I rebuked myself, "you've only met her for two minutes.

Juvenile turtles at the Sarnath Sanctuary
IAS officer suspended for targeting illegal sand mining
News roundup - IAS officer suspended in UP, groundwater contaminated by gold mines and the number of households with improved sanitation rises. Posted on 04 Aug, 2013 05:01 PM

IAS officer in Uttar Pradesh suspended for action against sand mining

Sand mining near the Yamuna river
Fighting the good fight using the Right to Information Act (RTI)
Sanjay Jaiswal of the Lok Vikas Samiti educates Mehdiganj (near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) to use the RTI in their fight against Coca Cola. Posted on 20 Jul, 2013 11:21 AM

What exactly does a 'campaign' look like? What do people actually do when they 'protest' against something? And how do the protesters get hold of all the facts that they quote? These questions surfaced every time I read about a campaign or a protest on environmental or human rights issues but I never got any answers that made me wiser. Until this summer.

Sanjay Jaiswal in Mehdiganj
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