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Protection for Lucknow monument Lucknow:
The Government authorities in Lucknow have prohibited heavy vehichles
from entering the vicinity of the 300-year-old historical monument,
the Roomi Darwaza. To prevent the world famous Roomi Darwaza from pollution
the Lucknow authorities have banned the movement of heavy vehicles in
the area by re-routing the traffic through the by-lanes. This step was
taken following a study commissioned by Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI) which observed that the heavy traffic was causing extensive damage
to the three centuries old monument. Investigations have revealed that
the noise and air pollution levels have blackened the monument and was
causing vibrations.It was also found that the ambient air and noise
quality around the monument was higher than the prescribed level. "The
cracks in the Roomi Darwaza have been caused due to the heavy movement
of traffic through it. The heavy traffic movement causes vibrations
which in turn damage the monument," says S.N. Maithan, Director, Archaeological
Survey of India, Lucknow. The people of Lucknow have appreciated the
move to save the monument. Situated on the banks of River Gomti, Lucknow,
known as the city of Nawabs, is famous all over the world for its wonderful
monuments, architecture, dance and handicrafts. Scenic Uttaranchal
gears to promote adventure tourism (Go to Top) Khairna
(Uttaranchal): Endowed with abundant natural beauty, the state of
Uttaranchal is now tapping its huge potential for adventure sports.
With plenty of water resources in the state, the administration is promoting
water sports like rafting, canoeing and kayaking in the untamed rivers
of this Himalayan state. "We are trying to promote adventure tourism
here through exploring the unexplored rivers for rafting and also promoting
trek routes that are being used but not from tourism point of view.
We will survey all possible routes and rivers and will promote it in
all our tourism-related material," Nidhi Mani Tripathi, Chief Development
Officer, Uttaranchal. With the picturesque landscape ranging from lush
green valleys to enigmatic mountain ranges, the region offers tremendous
opportunities for trekking, skiing and water sports. The swirling rivers
in this state are especially suited for river rafting. Local residents
feel the promotion of adventure sports could also serve as a good source
of employment. "We have a two-fold advantage from it. One we have a
good source of employment and the other it builds up our confidence,"
said Shobha, a student training for rafting. Uttaranchal is rich in
its natural beauty, as the state is bound by the Himalayas and the Rivers
Ganges and Yamuna originate from its glaciers. The World Travel and
Tourism Council expects India to emerge as one of the three boom areas
for tourism, even though it presently accounts for barely 0.4 percent
of the global tourism market. Analysts say Indian tourism suffers mainly
from poor marketing and its inability to exploit the potential of the
country's snow- clad Himalayas, jungles, palaces and sun-soaked beaches.
India spends just 10.5 million dollars a year promoting itself globally. Hussain Sagar
Lake groans with Ganesha idols (Go to Top) Hyderabad: The ten-day-long festivities surrounding the birthday of Lord Ganesh has left concerned environmentalists in Hyderabad city quite bitter. The city's main landmark, the Hussain Sagar Lake, seems to be bearing the brunt of the celebrations. Thousands of idols, ranging in height from four to forty feet, and made from heavy metals like nickel, cadmium, mercury and lead and insoluble plaster of Paris, are being immersed in the lake by devouts. Environmentalists see this annual ritual as a nightmare, claiming that polluting the lake, which served the city's drinking water needs till 1930,will have grave consequences. G. Prasanna Kumar the Director of the National Green Corps, a government -sponsored non-government organization campaigning for a clean and green city, estimates that 1,500 idols have already been immersed and at least 15,000 more are likely to make the lake their final resting place before the festival ends. "This water goes downstream to the Musi River where farmers grow grass and vegetable on its waters.That grass is used for cow fodder and we consume the same milk and vegetables. The bio-magnification takes place and once heavy metals come in our biological system, it can have severe effects and can even lead to genetic mutation," said Kumar. Built
in 1562 during the Qutub Shahi dynastic period of Hyderabad, the Hussain
Sagar Lake has been an ecological asset for the twin cities of Hyderabad
and Secunderabad. Its water has not only kept the climate of the twin
in equilibrium but also helped ground water recharge in the areas around
it. But various encroachments have been taking place in and around the
lake over several decades. "Today, the Hussain Sagar is reduced to less
than 50 percent of what it used to be, in terms of area. As people,
we are responsible because we have not recognized the importance of
the lake in terms of ground water recharge,in terms of micro climate
improvement," said K.Anuradha Reddy, President of the Society for Prevention
of Quality Life and Environment, a non-government organization working
on environment issues. Some environmental groups like the Green Corps
are urging various religious institutions to take up more traditional
methods of prayer and not use excessive plastics. Devotees are also
being urged to make biodegradable and environment friendly idols. Shimla's greens
give way to concrete (Go to Top) Shimla: The hill-resort town of Shimla is loosing its forest cover gradually with concrete buildings and orchards fast replacing the greenery which has been a prominent feature of this place for all. Surprisingly, most of the newly built structures do not yet have the approval the Town and Country Planning Department. It is not just the builders who are causing the maximum damage to the green cover, there are many elements who have been felling Deodar trees to make place for fruit orchards. "In last 10 years, deforestation has been done on a large scale. The town has changed to into a concrete jungle," says Rajan Toderia, an environmental journalist. According to an official survey, three dense forests in the upper areas of Shimla district have vanished during the past few years and apple orchards have come up in their place. Increasing population, growing traffic and haphazardly constructed buildings are replacing the lush green cover of the queen of hill stations. The mushrooming concrete clusters in many parts of towns like Sanjauli,Tutu,Kaithu, Summer Hill,Jhaku,Khalini and New Shimla are depleting 17 green belts of the town. Around 6,000 trees have been cut in last six years to make way for both government and private buildings. "This unplanned city still contains some vacant patches of land that could be used to add beauty to the town. The growth of clusters should be avoided. Government and the Forest Department should look into the matter soon," says Shrinivas Shikant, a Writer. On
many occasions, it is the Government's high-rise buildings that violate
these laws as most of the buildings are being constructed by its departments.
All these constructions are spelling unending disaster to the already
scarce Deodar trees. Planners have expressed concern about the unplanned
expansion of the town which is overloading the slopes and destabilising
the area. This overloading of slopes may cause small landslides initially,
but, later, these could trigger bigger ones. "No doubt, that the number
of trees are decreasing and the population is increasing but on the
other hand during the monsoons we plant trees every year. But it is
not our responsibility alone the people of the town should share the
responsibilities with us in making the city greener,"said Sohan Lal,
Mayor Municipal Corporation of Shimla. Unfortunately, successive governments
in the State have not taken any steps to enforce the building laws or
prepare a plan to allow only such structures which suit in the hill
environment. The charm of the hills has, therefore, been lost due to
unplanned and illegal building activity. |
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