Latest news with #K.Raju
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
New initiatives to monitor pollution face flak from city residents
The Environment Minister's recent announcement in the Assembly on the remote monitoring of rivers, air pollution, and noise pollution in Chennai has faced criticism from residents and activists, who say it is ineffective and a waste of public funds. One initiative involves deploying a mobile monitoring van equipped with state-of-the-art analysers to immediately respond to disasters like gas leaks, oil spills, fires, and foaming, and to swiftly attend to public complaints, in real-time across Chennai, at an outlay of ₹1 crore. As per the announcement, flying squads – a rapid response force for monitoring, enforcement, and compliance with environmental regulations – are also set to be increased. These squads, operated by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, conduct surprise inspections, prepare daily reports, and coordinate with relevant authorities to address pollution issues. Residents, however, say that existing mechanisms should be strengthened and that there should be greater transparency. K. Raju, a social and environmental activist, said, 'Flying squads come after complaints but they don't take enough samples from the right place at the right time.' Recalling an instance in Manali in 2023, he said, 'After taking samples, they left, but the noxious smell persisted for weeks after. Moreover, there was no report given to the complainant about the incident.' Another initiative – for the first time under the World Bank Project, TN‑SHORE – involves deploying interceptors in the riverine areas and conducting regular waste retrieval and recycling operations. This will be undertaken in Chennai on a pilot scale at a cost of ₹4 crore during 2025‑2026. Charu Govindan of the Voice of People said, 'The problem needs to be tackled at the root, which is source segregation. This is not happening.' Ms. Govindan said that the government machinery needs to enforce the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 properly. 'It is going to be almost a decade, but source segregation is very poor in the city. The government needs to take steps to increase awareness and maybe incentivise residents who do 100% source segregation,' she added. According to Mr. Raju, sewage entering rivers is another major problem. 'As per the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019, there needs to be a buffer zone between the river and developments. But this is not being checked, and in several canals, sewage is being freely let into the river.' Raghupathy Choodamani of the Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum said that real-time monitoring of environmental issues, if done properly, could be useful, as there are many violators flouting the norms. He pointed out, 'One restaurant in Perambur operates loud machines at night-time, so noise pollution is a factor.' 'Instead of putting more resources into monitoring, the government should spend more on taking action and sustaining the actions,' said Ms. Govindan.
The Hindu
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP driving a wedge between Hindus and Muslims, alleges APCC chief Sharmila
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y. S. Sharmila on Friday said the attack on tourists in Pahalgam exposed complete failure of the Intelligence wing. Speaking at the party's executive meeting here, she said it was a complete failure on the security front, as the Army did not arrive even after the attack. Accusing the BJP of 'using intelligence and surveillance systems for its own interests,' she said why did the Pahalgam tragedy happen despite the presence of 10 lakh soldiers in Kashmir. Alleging that the BJP was trying to create a Hindu-Muslim divide by 'building a narrative that Hindus were killed because of their religion,' she said there was a Muslim among the deceased. She said Kashmir was promoted as a safe tourist destination and now the government admitted lack of security. She demanded that the government own responsibility for loss of innocent civilian lives and step down. Congress Working Committee (CWC) member K. Raju said the party would continue its fight against the BJP, which was insulting the Constitution. 'The Constitution provides equal rights to all, but the BJP governs in a way that benefits only a few. We will expose the BJP's stance,' he said. The party would launch a State-wide 40-day campaign to expose 'flawed policies of the BJP,' he said. AICC's incharge for Congress affairs in Andhra Pradesh Manickam Tagore, senior party leaders N. Raghuveera Reddy and N. Thulasi Reddy, APCC vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji and others were present. In the evening, the party leaders took out a candlelight march in solidarity with the bereaved family members of the terror attack.
