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Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
49% posts vacant across urban development authorities in Gujarat
At 49.49 per cent, a significant share of sanctioned planning posts across Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) and Area Development Authorities (ADAs) are lying vacant in Gujarat. Of the total 683 posts on deputation and 457 regular posts sanctioned in the Town Planning and Valuation Department (TPVD), 439 and 125, respectively, are vacant. Lower-level positions, such as Junior Town Planners and Planning Assistants, have the highest vacancies, revealed a report by a high-level committee (HLC) on urban planning under the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. 'In view of the rapid urban and economic transformation in Gujarat, the capacity of planning and governance in Urban Development Authorities needs to be scaled up and professionalised. Analysis of the current sanctioned planning capacity and required capacity shows a gap in the projected demand and current supply. It is estimated that urban Gujarat would require between 1,300-2,100 planners by 2047 to cater to the projected urban population,' the report highlights. Taking into consideration the current vacancy rates across planning departments and future demand for higher number of urban planners, the HLC pointed out to the need to 'incrementally bridge the demand-supply gap'. 'It is recommended that the government streamline the hiring processes in the constituted urban and area development authorities and expedite the filling of vacancies and strengthen urban planning capacities,' it suggested. Among key steps, the HLC has suggested mapping of sanctioned versus filled posts across all UDAs and ADAs, prioritising recruitment in high-growth regions and under-capacitated authorities and establishing a state-level monitoring cell within the Urban Development department to track recruitment progress and address systemic hiring delays. 'The growing scale and complexity of Gujarat's urban transformation driven by high-speed rail, Special Investment Regions (SIRs), smart cities, and large-scale infrastructure indicate that the present structure of the TPVD may require creation of new verticals within the department focused on regional zones and special infrastructure projects,' it further stated. To effectively steer the urban transformation envisioned under the Viksit Gujarat 2047, there is a long-term need for enhanced institutional capacity of the TPVD, the HLC suggested. The TPVD is the main technical wing of the state government for urban planning and works under the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department of the Gujarat government, with the Chief Town Planner (CTP) as head of the department and its jurisdiction covering the entire state. The main aim of the department is to secure a well-balanced and planned development of the major urban centres of the state as well as small and medium towns. The HLC has also proposed the Gujarat State Urban Observatory (G-SUO) to be housed within the TPVD and operated under the strategic oversight of the Additional Chief Town Planner (Research). The state urban observatory aims at serving as a statewide urban intelligence network responsible for producing, managing and disseminating high-quality urban data expected to support evidence-based decision-making and policy design for the state government and urban local bodies through a knowledge repository system that it builds.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Federal judge upholds Bering Sea trawl fisheries decisions amid salmon crisis
This article was originally published by the Alaska Beacon. James BrooksAlaska Beacon Federal fisheries managers did not mishandle trawl fishing rules amid Alaska's ongoing salmon subsistence crisis, a federal judge in Anchorage has ruled. In a 45-page order published Tuesday, March 11, Judge Sharon Gleason ruled against the Association of Village Council Presidents and the Tanana Chiefs Conference, which sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2023 over its management of Bering Sea trawl fisheries in the years since a marine heat wave. 'This suit arises from the apparent tension between federal defendants' management of the fishery and the needs of Alaskan communities in times of significant change in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region,' Gleason wrote. The warming event harmed salmon and contributed to the ongoing shortage of fish in Alaska's inland rivers. The two tribal groups argued in court that NMFS should have conducted a new environmental impact statement — the bedrock analysis behind federal fisheries decisions — before setting annual catch limits for the Bering Sea's lucrative pollock and cod fisheries. A new environmental impact statement could have resulted in additional restrictions on trawlers that occasionally catch salmon while pursuing pollock and cod, a process known as bycatch. Salmon are critical for life in the predominantly Alaska Native communities along Alaska's rural rivers, while trawl industry experts argue that their ships catch relatively few salmon, many of which aren't destined for Alaska rivers. 'Salmon, in particular, provide a crucial source of food and culture,' Gleason wrote. 'As changes to the marine ecosystem in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region have depleted salmon stocks, salmon bycatch in the groundfish fishery has further diminished stocks and escapement, which is the number of salmon that 'escape' fisheries in the ocean and survive to return to freshwater streams to spawn.' But while Gleason acknowledged the tribal groups' need for salmon, she found that federal managers' annual scientific updates, known as 'Supplementary Information Reports,' or SIRs, adequately updated the situation and allowed managers to make reasoned decisions on fisheries. Plaintiffs had to prove that fisheries managers acted in an 'arbitrary and capricious' way in order to overturn their actions as a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. Plaintiffs didn't do that, Gleason concluded. 'By reviewing up-to-date information and considering whether the information indicated a substantial change … NMFS considered whether supplementation was necessary and articulated its conclusion that it was not, as NEPA requires. Its harvest specifications decisions are therefore not arbitrary and capricious on this basis,' she wrote. Gleason later added, regarding the fishery services' handling of updated information and the environmental impact statement, 'NMFS's conclusion — that the information is not of a scale or scope to place it outside what was considered in the Harvest Specifications EIS — is inherently a factual determination that NMFS makes based on its expertise.' Plaintiffs, represented by the environmental law firm Earthjustice, could appeal Gleason's decision but did not immediately say whether they would. In a written statement, they said they were disappointed by the decision. 'The lack of salmon in our region has become a humanitarian crisis, the likes of which we have never before experienced. Despite this setback, we will continue to fight with all available tools and use all avenues to end the salmon crisis,' said AVCP CEO Vivian Korthuis. Tanana Chiefs Conference Chairman Brian Ridley said that even in defeat, the case provided arguments to use in front of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which sets harvest limits. 'We must correct how NMFS manages the natural resources it is responsible for protecting — because if they don't believe climate change is the cause (of salmon declines), then that leaves only poor management decisions and bycatch as the obvious answers,' he said. An official for the U.S. Justice Department, which represented NMFS in court, declined comment on the ruling. The At-Sea Processors Association and United Catcher Boats, two industry groups that sided with the federal government during the lawsuit, issued a statement commending Gleason's decision. 'This decision underscores the complexities of fisheries management and the critical need for science-driven decision-making,' said Andrea Keikkala, executive director of UCB. 'Our fleet operates under strict federal guidelines, including 100% coverage by federal fisheries observers in the pollock fishery, and we remain committed to working with regulators, scientists, and stakeholders to ensure the long-term sustainability of the fishery.' James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. He can be contacted at jbrooks@
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge upholds Bering Sea trawl fisheries managers' decisions amid salmon crisis
Salmon drying in Quinhagak, Alaska, in July 2023. (Photo by Alice Bailey/University of Alaska Fairbanks) Federal fisheries managers did not mishandle trawl fishing rules amid Alaska's ongoing salmon subsistence crisis, a federal judge in Anchorage has ruled. In a 45-page order published Tuesday, Judge Sharon Gleason ruled against the Association of Village Council Presidents and the Tanana Chiefs Conference, which sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2023 over its management of Bering Sea trawl fisheries in the years since a marine heat wave. 'This suit arises from the apparent tension between federal defendants' management of the fishery and the needs of Alaskan communities in times of significant change in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region,' Gleason wrote. The warming event harmed salmon and contributed to the ongoing shortage of fish in Alaska's inland rivers. The two tribal groups argued in court that NMFS should have conducted a new environmental impact statement — the bedrock analysis behind federal fisheries decisions — before setting annual catch limits for the Bering Sea's lucrative pollock and cod fisheries. A new environmental impact statement could have resulted in additional restrictions on trawlers that occasionally catch salmon while pursuing pollock and cod, a process known as bycatch. Salmon are critical for life in the predominantly Alaska Native communities along Alaska's rural rivers, while trawl industry experts argue that their ships catch relatively few salmon, many of which aren't destined for Alaska rivers. 'Salmon, in particular, provide a crucial source of food and culture,' Gleason wrote. 'As changes to the marine ecosystem in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region have depleted salmon stocks, salmon bycatch in the groundfish fishery has further diminished stocks and escapement, which is the number of salmon that 'escape' fisheries in the ocean and survive to return to freshwater streams to spawn.' But while Gleason acknowledged the tribal groups' need for salmon, she found that federal managers' annual scientific updates, known as 'Supplementary Information Reports,' or SIRs, adequately updated the situation and allowed managers to make reasoned decisions on fisheries. Plaintiffs had to prove that fisheries managers acted in an 'arbitrary and capricious' way in order to overturn their actions as a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. Plaintiffs didn't do that, Gleason concluded. 'By reviewing up-to-date information and considering whether the information indicated a substantial change … NMFS considered whether supplementation was necessary and articulated its conclusion that it was not, as NEPA requires. Its harvest specifications decisions are therefore not arbitrary and capricious on this basis,' she wrote. Gleason later added, regarding the fishery services' handling of updated information and the environmental impact statement, 'NMFS's conclusion — that the information is not of a scale or scope to place it outside what was considered in the Harvest Specifications EIS — is inherently a factual determination that NMFS makes based on its expertise.' Plaintiffs, represented by the environmental law firm Earthjustice, could appeal Gleason's decision but did not immediately say whether they would. In a written statement, they said they were disappointed by the decision. 'The lack of salmon in our region has become a humanitarian crisis, the likes of which we have never before experienced. Despite this setback, we will continue to fight with all available tools and use all avenues to end the salmon crisis,' said AVCP CEO Vivian Korthuis. Tanana Chiefs Conference Chairman Brian Ridley said that even in defeat, the case provided arguments to use in front of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which sets harvest limits. 'We must correct how NMFS manages the natural resources it is responsible for protecting — because if they don't believe climate change is the cause (of salmon declines), then that leaves only poor management decisions and bycatch as the obvious answers,' he said. An official for the U.S. Justice Department, which represented NMFS in court, declined comment on the ruling. The At-Sea Processors Association and United Catcher Boats, two industry groups that sided with the federal government during the lawsuit, issued a statement commending Gleason's decision. 'This decision underscores the complexities of fisheries management and the critical need for science-driven decision-making,' said Andrea Keikkala, executive director of UCB. 'Our fleet operates under strict federal guidelines, including 100% coverage by federal fisheries observers in the pollock fishery, and we remain committed to working with regulators, scientists, and stakeholders to ensure the long-term sustainability of the fishery.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
