Bengaluru toxic flow polluting Thenpennai: CPCB
In a written reply to a question from DMK MP TR Baalu in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh admitted the downstream stretches of rivers like the Thenpennai are heavily contaminated.
The ministry's statement corroborated findings by Tamil Nadu authorities and national monitoring agencies that identified the river at Chokkarasanapalli Bridge in Karnataka – near Tamil Nadu border – as a Priority-I polluted river stretch, the most critical category under national classification.
Water quality data collected under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme revealed alarming figures: Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels at Chokkarasanapalli ranged between 17 and 52.4 mg/L, far exceeding the safe threshold of 3 mg/L.
Even more concerning was the total coliform levels – an indicator of fecal contamination – peaking between 16 lakh and 350 lakh MPN/100 ML, alongside dangerously low dissolved oxygen levels.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported that in some cases, dissolved oxygen is below detectable limits.
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Hindustan Times
9 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Opposition mounts attack on EC, panel rebuts charge
The Opposition continued its attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday, accusing it of working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre, evoking sharp reactions from the poll panel and ruling party leaders who asked them to give proof of their allegations. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party leader Abhishek Singhvi during the party's Annual Legal Conclave at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. (HT PHOTO) Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who on Friday claimed that his party had uncovered an 'atom bomb' of evidence proving voters lists were manipulated on a large scale, reiterated his claims on Saturday, saying he will soon release the data that would send shockwaves through the election system. 'You will see the shockwave that is going to go through the electoral system when we release this data. It is literally like an atom bomb,' LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said at the inaugural function of the day-long legal conclave on the theme 'Constitutional Challenges: Perspectives and Pathways'. Gandhi cited data collected by the Congress from an assembly constituency in Karnataka, where the party checked the photographs and names of electors physically and reportedly found out that 150,000 votes were 'fake' out of a total of 65,000 voters. 'Out of 6.5 lakh voters, we found 1.5 lakh to be fake. It's all documented; we obtained physical papers from the Election Commission,' he claimed. He added: 'The truth is that the election system in India is already dead. Please remember one thing that the prime minister of India enjoys a very slim majority. If 10-15 seats were rigged, and we suspect the actual figures to be closer to 70-80 to 100, he would not have been the prime minister of the country... 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Later in the day, EC shared Gandhi's remarks on its official X account, saying: 'The statements made are Misleading and Baseless.' On Friday, too, the poll panel had termed the LoP's 'atom bomb' remark 'baseless and wild allegations'. The BJP, meanwhile, dared Gandhi to detonate at once the 'atom bomb of evidence of vote theft'. 'Rahul Gandhi says he is in possession of an atom bomb. If it is so, he should detonate it at once. He should just ensure that he is himself out of harm's way', said defence minister and former BJP president Rajnath Singh. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that voters were 'changed' in the Maharashtra assembly and Lok Sabha elections. 'How can there be nine voters in a small room and nine thousand voters in a single hostel in Maharashtra? Is this Election Commission or Modi ji's puppet,' he asked at the legal conclave on Saturday. Echoing Gandhi's recent warnings, Kharge asserted that accountability will follow for those in the poll body. 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ECI said of the 6.5 million names missing from the rolls, deaths accounted for 2.2 million, people who permanently shifted or not found accounted for 3.6 million and people enrolled in multiple places accounted for 700,000. The EC did not respond to the latest allegations, but said in a press note that along with the draft rolls, a list of voters who were part of the June 24 electoral roll but are missing from the new draft has been shared with political parties. A total of 1.60 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs), nominated by district presidents of the 12 political parties, are currently participating in the SIR process. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha also alleged that Opposition voices, including his own and Gandhi's, are routinely muffled in Parliament. 'Mics are switched off the moment we try to speak,' he said. 'Modi and Shah used to cheer when the former Rajya Sabha Chairman expelled us. This is what they call democracy.' (With PTI inputs)
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Abhishek sends team to aid Bengali workers detained in Maha
1 2 Kolkata: With chief minister Mamata Banerjee launching a tirade against the "linguistic terror" unleashed on Bengali-speakers in BJP-governed states, Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday sent a four-member team to Maharashtra to assist and ensure the return of migrant workers detained there at the earliest. Among those detained is one Babai Sardar, a resident of Bishnupur, a part of Abhishek's Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency. After Abhishek instructed Bishnupur MLA and state minister Dilip Mondal to send a team, four functionaries of the local TMC leadership left for Mumbai on Saturday evening. Abhishek also told Mondal to ensure that the team was "sufficiently equipped and supported" so that they can help the release of the detained workers. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The team of Arup Kumar Das, Sachi Naskar, Rajib Gazi and Palash Karmakar has been told to reach the alleged "detention spot" directly, said Trinamool seniors. Just prior to their departure at Kolkata airport, they assured all kinds of assistance to migrant workers facing harassment in Maharashtra. According to Sardar's family, the 26-year-old labourer had left for Mumbai for work nearly two years ago. His family members have not been able to contact or communicate with him for around a week now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Global Indices Are on the Move — Time to Trade! IC Markets Learn More Undo Sardar is carrying his voter ID and Aadhaar card on him, they said. For the past several weeks, there have been multiple instances of mistreatment of Bengali migrant workers in various states. Reports have surfaced of them being beaten, attacked, robbed, having their earnings taken away, and even having their identity documents seized across states like Delhi, Odisha, Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra, along with others. In protest, Mamata has taken to the streets to lead a statewide 'Bhasha Andolan'. The CM is set to lead a rally again at Jhargram next week after leading a similar one at Bolpur in Birbhum last week. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Abhishek sends team to Maha to rescue detained Bengali workers
Kolkata: With chief minister Mamata Banerjee launching a tirade against the "linguistic terror" unleashed on Bengali-speakers in BJP-governed states, Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday sent a four-member team to Maharashtra to assist and ensure the return of migrant workers detained there at the earliest. Among those detained is one Babai Sardar, a resident of Bishnupur, a part of Abhishek's Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency. After Abhishek instructed Bishnupur MLA and state minister Dilip Mondal to send a team, four functionaries of the local TMC leadership left for Mumbai on Saturday evening. Abhishek also told Mondal to ensure that the team was "sufficiently equipped and supported" so that they can help the release of the detained workers. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The team of Arup Kumar Das, Sachi Naskar, Rajib Gazi and Palash Karmakar has been told to reach the alleged "detention spot" directly, said Trinamool seniors. Just prior to their departure at Kolkata airport, they assured all kinds of assistance to migrant workers facing harassment in Maharashtra. According to Sardar's family, the 26-year-old labourer had left for Mumbai for work nearly two years ago. His family members have not been able to contact or communicate with him for around a week now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You To Read in 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Sardar is carrying his voter ID and Aadhaar card on him, they said. For the past several weeks, there have been multiple instances of mistreatment of Bengali migrant workers in various states. Reports have surfaced of them being beaten, attacked, robbed, having their earnings taken away, and even having their identity documents seized across states like Delhi, Odisha, Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra, along with others. In protest, Mamata has taken to the streets to lead a statewide 'Bhasha Andolan'. The CM is set to lead a rally again at Jhargram next week after leading a similar one at Bolpur in Birbhum last week. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
