Floating invaders continue to haunt Gomti
'The river's natural flow is restricted by temporary dams and earth embankments, turning it into a stagnant water body. Combined with untreated sewage, this accelerates hyacinth growth,' said environmental expert Dr. Venkatesh Dutta.
Amid concerns over the river's deteriorating health, divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob has directed officials concerned to take urgent measures to revive the Gomti. Top officials, including LDA vice chairman Prathamesh Kumar and municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, attended Monday's meeting.
In the meeting, Jal Nigam officials said out of 32 drains that discharge their waste into the Gomti, 26 had been tapped. Of the 730 MLD (million litres per day) of wastewater flowing into the river, 600 MLD was treated, they said. Jacob instructed them to ensure that even the remaining drains were tapped and that only treated water was released into the river.
She also directed the Municipal Corporation to install grills at all drain outfalls to prevent solid waste from entering the river.
Jacob instructed LMC to ensure regular clean-up of floating waste and take steps to collect cow dung from Kaithal Colony and deliver it to the biogas plant under construction in Vasant Kunj Yojana.
Reviewing the progress on the Kukrail River, she noted that dredging on five km had been completed. She directed LMC and LDA to conduct plantation drives along the cleaned stretch under the Pavitra Dhara programme.
To this, the municipal commissioner said LMC currently had limited manpower and machinery to tackle the issue effectively. 'We are working on a revised action plan as instructed by the divisional commissioner,' he said.
About the recurring hyacinth problem, LMC chief mechanical engineer Manoj Prabhat acknowledged that the shortage of manpower was hindering the civic body's efforts. 'In some areas, only two workers manage every two kilometres, which is inadequate against the fast-spreading hyacinth.'
Another LMC official said, 'Despite spending lakhs on cleaning, the results are negligible because polluted drains remain untapped.'
The Gomti covers a stretch of 30 km in Lucknow.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
27-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Promised relocation, but dozens of trees go missing from Lucknow's ‘Green' route
Over 150 fully grown trees between Hanuman Setu and Nishatganj were suspected to have been axed by authorities despite Lucknow Development Authority's (LDA's) assurances of relocating them. People seen removing logs from axed trees on Hanuman Setu-Nishatganj stretch on Friday (Mushtaq Ali/HT) The said stretch is a part of the under-construction Green Corridor project. On July 19, LDA had said that over 150 trees obstructing the upcoming corridor's path would be uprooted and relocated with expert assistance. The corridor, spanning 28 km from IIM Road to Kisan Path, is being developed to ease traffic flow and reduce travel time. The incident has sparked public anger with environmentalists, activists and others concerned stating that LDA misled the public by claiming no trees would be felled. Sources stated that several trees were cut because they were obstructing the ongoing construction. When this reporter visited the spot on Friday evening, multiple trees were found missing, and a vehicle was seen transporting logs, believed to be from uprooted trees, away from the site. 'Instead of relocating, the trees have simply been axed. The area now looks cleaned up as if there were never any trees here,' said Rishi Sonker, who regularly commutes on the stretch and was at the spot. He added that he had earlier seen tree roots being dug out, but the Friday's incident didn't look like it involved any scientific relocation. Some demanded that an independent inquiry be launched and action be taken against officials involved in the alleged cover-up. 'This is not the first time that LDA has made tall claims about environmental responsibility. But its actions repeatedly contradict the promises,' said environmentalist Amit Srivastava. An LDA official, requesting anonymity, said while the forest department had permitted the felling of some trees that couldn't be relocated, the authority planned to plant five saplings for every tree cut down. 'We considered environmental concerns seriously, but older trees often don't survive translocation,' the official said. Despite attempts, LDA secretary Vivek Srivastava did not respond to calls seeking clarification on the authority's move. Activists also argued that compensatory plantation cannot substitute for decades-old green cover. 'You cannot replicate a 40-year-old tree with a sapling. These decisions must be transparent and accountable,' said Shalini Yadav, an urban ecology researcher. Earlier, LDA had claimed to have relocated 21 fully grown native trees, which included peepal, neem, pilkhan, and jamun, from the Hanuman Setu area to Gomti Riverfront. Divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob had inaugurated the drive. LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar had stated that 166 trees on the 4-km stretch would be shifted without felling.
India.com
26-07-2025
- India.com
This Indian man used a diamond worth crores as paperweight, his name was..., where is that diamond now?
New Delhi: Among all the Nizams who ruled Hyderabad, the sixth Nizam Mir Mehboob Ali Khan was the most cheerful and fun-loving king. He was very fond of western things, be it clothes, cars, manners or habits. Born in 1866, Mehboob Ali ascended the throne at the age of three after the death of his father Afzal-ud-Daula and ruled till 1911. Mehboob Ali held an extremely grand court in Hyderabad, which many native rulers of India tried to imitate. He was also once the richest man in the world. What is the Jacob diamond? He was fond of expensive jewellery and precious diamonds. His valuable collection included many magnificent jewellery including the famous necklace of Marie Antoinette of France. However, the most famous in his collection was the Jacob diamond which is said to be the fifth largest diamond in the world. The size of Jacob is twice that of the famous Kohinoor. But what makes this diamond even more interesting is how it was found. It was found in a shoe. The person after whom it was named was a very mysterious Mr. Jacob. How did all this happen? Let's find out. What is the story of the Jacob diamond? According to Peopletree, the story of the Jacob diamond revolves around three very interesting characters. The sixth Nizam of Hyderabad Mehboob Ali Khan, his Armenian servant Albert Abid and a mysterious jeweler named Alexander Malcolm Jacob. Mir Mehboob Ali Khan ascended the throne of the richest and most powerful state in 1869. Being a kind and compassionate person, he was known as the 'beloved' king of Hyderabad. Stories are prevalent about him that he used to roam around the city in disguise and help those in need. It is said that he was so generous that no person who came to him for help returned empty-handed. He was also very fond of collecting diamonds. Who was Albert Abid? Albert Abid was an Armenian man and Mehboob Ali Khan's right hand. As the Nizam's servant, Abid's duties included looking after the Nizam's clothes, shoes, watches, jewellery and other belongings. It is said that 12 servants prepared the Nizam's clothes and Abid supervised them. But Abid also took advantage of his position. Who was Alexander Malcolm Jacob? Alexander Malcolm Jacob was a gem and antiques dealer. Through Abid, he was in regular contact with Mehboob Ali Khan. In 1891, Jacob was preparing to make the biggest deal of his life. He had planned to buy the 184.75 carat 'Imperial' diamond recently found from South Africa from a London consortium for Rs 21 lakh and sell it to the Nizam for Rs 50 lakh. With the help of Abid, Jacob met the Nizam. The Nizam told him that he would buy the diamond which was in London at that time. The condition was that the Nizam would be free to decide whether he liked the gem or not. That is, he could still say 'like' or 'dislike'. The Nizam then transferred a bank deposit of Rs 23 lakh to Jacob so that the diamond could be brought to India. Why was a case filed against Jacob? In July 1891, Jacob met the Nizam in his palace. The clever Jacob presented the diamond to him on a silver tray covered with red velvet. Mehboob Ali Khan took the diamond in his hands, looked at it a few times and said just two words, 'Do not like it'. Jacob was stunned. The biggest deal of his life had fallen through. A few days later, Jacob sent a telegram to his bank asking them to send the money to London after the Nizam agreed to buy the diamond. Later he claimed that the Nizam had told him through Abid that the 'disappearance' was a mere formality to fool the British. He actually wanted to buy the diamond. However, it appears that the Nizam changed his mind and asked for his deposit back. Jacob refused, saying the deal was done. This led to a long trial for that money. Jacob hired some of the best lawyers of British India and gave the Nizam a tough fight. The trial was long and expensive and created a sensation across India and even the international media. Eventually Jacob was acquitted of fraud charges by the court, but he did not receive the balance amount. How this diamond became a paperweight? After this trial, Mehboob Ali Khan did not want to have anything to do with the jinxed Jacob diamond. So he wrapped it in a dirty cloth, put it in an old shoe and kept it at the back of a drawer. Mehboob Ali Khan died in 1911. His son and successor, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, is said to have found the diamond in his father's shoe and used it as a paperweight. Irrespective of its size and price, the Jacob diamond had caused so much embarrassment to his father that the new Nizam also did not want to have anything to do with it. Eventually, decades later, the Jacob diamond was transferred to a trust and in 1995, the Indian government acquired it. It is kept safe in the vaults of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Mumbai. The Government of India bought the Jacob diamond from the Nizam's trust by paying more than Rs 13 crore.
Time of India
24-07-2025
- Time of India
307 get PMAY houses in Basant Kunj
1 2 3 Lucknow: The lottery process for allocating 1,000 housing units built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in the Basant Kunj scheme began on Thursday. The draw, being held at Mercury Hall, Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, will continue on Friday and Saturday, with each day set aside for different reserved categories. On the first day, 307 applicants were allotted homes in Sector-I of the Basant Kunj scheme. According to LDA additional secretary CP Tripathi, allotments for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Divyangjan, and senior citizens were completed during Thursday's draw. Back in 2021, the LDA invited applications for these 1,000 units. Of the 9,238 people who applied, 7,784 were found eligible after verification. Each unit is approximately 34 square metres in size, housed within four-storey buildings. The cost per unit is Rs 4.79 lakh. Lucknow: The lottery process for allocating 1,000 housing units built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in the Basant Kunj scheme began on Thursday. The draw, being held at Mercury Hall, Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, will continue on Friday and Saturday, with each day set aside for different reserved categories. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mjol: Unsold Sofas Prices May Surprise You (Prices May Surprise You) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo On the first day, 307 applicants were allotted homes in Sector-I of the Basant Kunj scheme. According to LDA additional secretary CP Tripathi, allotments for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Divyangjan, and senior citizens were completed during Thursday's draw. Back in 2021, the LDA invited applications for these 1,000 units. Of the 9,238 people who applied, 7,784 were found eligible after verification. Each unit is approximately 34 square metres in size, housed within four-storey buildings. The cost per unit is Rs 4.79 lakh.
