Latest news with #FAC
Hans India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Setback for Yettinahole project as forest panel rejects extra land approval
Bengaluru: In a major setback for Karnataka's ambitious ₹23,000 crore Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has refused to grant approval for an additional 423 acres of forest land that the state government sought for construction. The Yettinahole project aims to supply drinking water to the drought-prone districts of Karnataka's arid regions by diverting 24 TMC of water from the Western Ghats. The Karnataka government had in March submitted a fresh proposal requesting clearance to use an extra 423 acres of forest in Hassan and Tumakuru districts for constructing gravity canals. A team headed by DIGF Pranita Paul from the Ministry had already visited the site and flagged several violations. Their field inspection report made it clear that the additional diversion could only be permitted if the state rectified lapses and gave satisfactory explanations. However, when the Forest Advisory Committee met in Delhi on June 26 to discuss the proposal, the inspection team's report revealed that portions of forest land had already been used for project work without obtaining central clearance. The FAC noted this serious breach of norms and ordered that disciplinary action be initiated against government officials who allowed unauthorized use of forest land, and that penalties be imposed. As a result, the proposal was deferred to a future meeting, stalling the state's request for more land for now. This is not the first time the controversial project has come under scrutiny. Back in 2016, the Karnataka government had secured approval for 13.93 hectares of forest diversion, with 33 stringent conditions. However, an NGT-appointed monitoring team later found that most of these conditions were ignored. Their 2019 report highlighted massive soil erosion and landslides caused by construction, with no remedial measures undertaken. Moreover, the project is alleged to have illegally used additional forest land beyond the approved limits, damaging homes and livelihoods in affected villages, without providing any compensation to families. The project — which remains politically sensitive — has long faced criticism from environmentalists and affected communities for its potential to damage the fragile Western Ghats ecosystem and displace local populations, all for questionable drinking water returns downstream. With the FAC's refusal to clear further forest diversion and its insistence on disciplinary action against violating officials, the Karnataka government now finds itself in a tight spot. Officials must now address compliance failures, provide clear justifications, and satisfy the Centre that the remaining conditions will be met — or risk losing forest clearance altogether.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt seeks WII help for green study on proposed Puri airport
1 2 Bhubaneswar: State govt wrote to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) on Monday to seek its expertise on alleged forest and wildlife violations related to the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport in Puri. The regional office of the ministry of environment, forests and climate change had pointed out some violations in the project, leading the ministry's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) to put its clearance on hold. The committee advised the state govt to collaborate with WII for a study. "WII received Odisha's letter regarding the requirement of our recommendation in terms of the impact on wildlife in the case of the proposed airport project. No timeline has been fixed so far to form a team for the study and make necessary observations," Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj, director of WII, told TOI. The govt's letter to WII and the latter's response come days after the transport department expressed confidence in taking the project further with the recommendation of environmental clearance (EC) coming from the expert appraisal committee (EAC) under the ministry. EAC and FAC are two separate committees, and their mandates are different, officials said. 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 "Although EAC's recommendation for EC could help the govt make certain moves, there are still conditions. In addition, WII's opinion will be a factor in getting FAC's final nod," a govt source said. The airport is proposed to be developed over 471 hectares at an estimated cost of Rs 5,631 crore. Forest land to be diverted, if clearance is received, is spread over 27.88 hectares. Officials said WII's study will focus on migratory bird routes and the possible impact on Olive Ridley sea turtles and Irrawaddy dolphins close to the airport site in Brahmagiri. "FAC has also asked for a conservation and mitigation plan, requiring approval from the chief wildlife warden. It also highlighted environmental concerns about the proposed cutting of 13,000 trees currently serving as a bio-shield and coastal shelter," a govt officer said. Based on concerns of the regional office, FAC, as per minutes of its meeting on June 24, decided to seek an explanation from the state govt on building the airport in a fragile coastal belt. "The govt, with WII's help, has been asked to justify the project, giving reasons that it won't invite climate eventualities," a forest officer said.
Arab News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Music trade bodies concerned about BBC's changes to airing live performances
DUBAI: Music trade bodies have accused the BBC of making 'arbitrary and disproportionate' changes to its broadcasting and streaming of live music events following the controversy around Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance. During the punk rap duo's set at the festival on June 28, they led the crowd in pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli military chants like 'free, free Palestine' and 'death, death to the IDF.' The BBC livestreamed the performance in full leading to a backlash from the government. BBC Director-General Tim Davie ordered the content to not be featured in any other coverage. However, due to a technical issue the stream was available on the BBC iPlayer for about five hours. Davie and BBC chair Samir Shah have both apologized. The BBC said in a statement: 'Warnings appeared on the stream on two occasions and the editorial team took the decision not to cut the feed. This was an error.' Music industry trade bodies and experts now say the BBC is overreacting. 'The BBC is absolutely fundamental to the continued success of British music and particularly vital to supporting our new and emerging artists' development,' said David Martin, head of the Featured Artists Coalition, a UK trade body that supports music artists. The FAC supported the network's public service broadcasting remit, which understandably came with responsibilities and standards, he said. 'If those standards have been breached, then there should be appropriate guidelines to follow. But the idea of preemptively grading artists according to their risk factor feels arbitrary and disproportionate and a dangerous step toward censorship.' Such an approach could 'curtail artistic freedom' and 'inadvertently punish those who are simply expressing their views,' he said. Naomi Pohl, general secretary of The Musicians' Union, stressed the importance of the BBC and its role in the music industry. 'It's such a shame there has been this shadow cast over this year's Glastonbury coverage, because it has had fantastic viewing figures. It's been all over iPlayer and people have been tuning in live,' she said. 'We need to talk to the BBC about it directly. But I don't want to see any broadcasters now broadcasting fewer live events because they don't want to take the risk. The whole of the music industry will be feeling that, because it's so crucial to us to have the BBC.' A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster stood by its decision to make changes to livestreaming music performances. 'We will continue to bring audiences a range of music performances, both live and on-demand and we respect artists' freedom of expression,' the person said. 'However, Bob Vylan's offensive and deplorable behavior on one of our Glastonbury livestreams was completely unacceptable and we are sorry it appeared on the BBC. 'This is why we have made immediate changes to livestreaming music events and these, alongside our editorial guidelines, will shape our plans going forward.'
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Music trade bodies accuse BBC of ‘arbitrary' changes after Bob Vylan Glastonbury set
Music industry figures have accused the BBC of making 'arbitrary and disproportionate' changes to its coverage of live music after the fallout from Bob Vylan's Glastonbury festival performance. There is serious concern among artists and music agencies over a BBC decision that means any musical performances deemed to be high risk will not be broadcast live or streamed live. The BBC came under pressure from the government after it did not cut a Glastonbury livestream that showed Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, leading chants of 'death, death to the IDF', referring to the Israel Defense Forces. The performance was never shown on terrestrial television, but viewers could have seen it via an on-demand livestream on iPlayer, where it was available for five hours. The BBC's director general, Tim Davie, and chair, Samir Shah, have apologised and disciplinary action is expected for some of those directly involved. However, music industry insiders said the corporation has seriously overreacted, pointing to the fact that extensive Glastonbury coverage has been running for years without serious incident. Several also cited free speech concerns for artists. David Martin, the head of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), the UK trade body representing music artists, called for a rethink and said it was a moment for 'cool heads and an even-handed approach'. 'The BBC is absolutely fundamental to the continued success of British music, and particularly vital to supporting our new and emerging artists' development,' he said. 'The FAC wholeheartedly supports the network's remit for public service broadcasting, something which is encapsulated by their Glastonbury coverage. That remit also comes with responsibilities. The BBC is rightly held to the highest regulatory, legal and editorial standards. If those standards have been breached, then there should be appropriate guidelines to follow. 'But the idea of preemptively grading artists according to their 'risk' factor feels arbitrary and disproportionate – and a dangerous step towards censorship. That kind of approach could potentially curtail artistic freedom around certain genres and inadvertently punish those who are simply expressing their views. It's a road I think we should resist going down. 'Live music is incredibly important to the UK. It provides entertainment and cultural capital. But it's also an art form, and our performers should be free to challenge, provoke and take risks.' Naomi Pohl, the general secretary of the Musicians' Union, said she was very concerned by the BBC's decision to be more cautious about live music broadcasts. 'We really don't want to see the BBC broadcasting fewer live events,' she said. 'It's such a shame there has been this shadow cast over this year's Glastonbury coverage, because it has had fantastic viewing figures. It's been all over iPlayer and people have been tuning in live. 'We need to talk to the BBC about it directly. But I don't want to see any broadcasters now broadcasting fewer live events because they don't want to take the risk. The whole of the music industry will be feeling that, because it's so crucial to us to have the BBC.' The BBC's decision came after significant political pressure. Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said the incident – together with other BBC issues over Gaza coverage – could be 'a problem of leadership'. Davie currently has the support of the BBC board. There is frustration among some in the BBC that the number of people who actually saw the Bob Vylan broadcast was very small. Others say editorial cuts have aggravated issues around the monitoring of live streams. A BBC spokesperson said: 'We will continue to bring audiences a range of music performances, both live and on-demand, and we respect artists' freedom of expression. However, Bob Vylan's offensive and deplorable behaviour on one of our Glastonbury live streams was completely unacceptable and we are sorry it appeared on the BBC. 'This is why we have made immediate changes to livestreaming music events, and these alongside our editorial guidelines will shape our plans going forward.'
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Music trade bodies accuse BBC of ‘arbitrary' changes after Bob Vylan Glastonbury set
Music industry figures have accused the BBC of making 'arbitrary and disproportionate' changes to its coverage of live music, after the fallout from Bob Vylan's Glastonbury festival performance. There is serious concern among artists and music agencies over a BBC decision that means any musical performances deemed to be high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live. It came after the BBC came under pressure from the government after it did not cut a Glastonbury livestream that showed Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, leading chants of 'death, death to the IDF', referring to the Israel Defense Forces. The performance was never shown on traditional television, but viewers could have seen it via an on-demand livestream on the iPlayer, where it was available for five hours. Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, as well as the chair, Samir Shah, have apologised and disciplinary action is set to follow for some of those directly involved. However, music industry insiders told the Guardian the corporation has committed a serious overreaction, pointing to the fact that extensive Glastonbury coverage has been running for years without serious incident. Several also cited free speech concerns for artists. David Martin, head of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), the UK trade body representing music artists, said it was a moment for 'cool heads and an even-handed approach' as he called for a rethink. 'The BBC is absolutely fundamental to the continued success of British music, and particularly vital to supporting our new and emerging artists' development,' he said. 'The FAC wholeheartedly supports the network's remit for public service broadcasting, something which is encapsulated by their Glastonbury coverage. That remit also comes with responsibilities. The BBC is – rightly – held to the highest regulatory, legal and editorial standards. If those standards have been breached, then there should be appropriate guidelines to follow. 'But the idea of preemptively grading artists according to their 'risk' factor feels arbitrary and disproportionate – and a dangerous step towards censorship. That kind of approach could potentially curtail artistic freedom around certain genres, and inadvertently punish those who are simply expressing their views. It's a road I think we should resist going down. 'Live music is incredibly important to the UK. It provides entertainment and cultural capital. But it's also an art form, and our performers should be free to challenge, provoke and take risks.' Naomi Pohl, general secretary of the Musicians' Union, said the BBC's decision to be more cautious about live music broadcasts 'concerns me a lot'. 'We really don't want to see the BBC broadcasting fewer live events,' she said. 'It's such a shame there has been a bit of this shadow cast over this year's Glastonbury coverage, because it has had fantastic viewing figures. It's been all over iPlayer and people have been tuning in live. 'We need to talk to the BBC about it directly. But I don't want to see any broadcasters now broadcasting fewer live events because they don't want to take the risk. The whole of the music industry will be feeling that, because it's so crucial to us to have the BBC.' The BBC's decision came after significant political pressure. Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said the incident - together with other ongoing BBC issues over Gaza coverage - could be 'a problem of leadership'. Davie currently has the support of the BBC board. There is frustration among some in the BBC that the number of people who actually saw the Bob Vylan broadcast was very small. Others say editorial cuts have aggravated issues around the monitoring of live streams. A BBC spokesperson said: 'We will continue to bring audiences a range of music performances, both live and on-demand, and we respect artists' freedom of expression. However, Bob Vylan's offensive and deplorable behaviour on one of our Glastonbury live streams was completely unacceptable and we are sorry it appeared on the BBC. 'This is why we have made immediate changes to livestreaming music events, and these alongside our editorial guidelines will shape our plans going forward.'
