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पंजाब की ‘कैंसर ट्रेन’ का सच

पर्यावरण कार्यकर्ता सुश्री सुनीता नारायण सहित कई लोगों ने इसे पंजाब की खेती और कीटनाशकों से जोड़कर पेश किया। लेकिन आरटीआई (सूचना का अधिकार) से प्राप्त आंकड़े इस दावे की पुष्टि नहीं करते। 29 अगस्त 2025, नई दिल्ली: पंजाब की ‘कैंसर ट्रेन’ का सच – लंबे समय से पंजाब को लेकर एक भयावह कहानी दोहराई जाती रही है- कि यह राज्य आधुनिक खेती के कारण कैंसर की महामारी से जूझ रहा है। इस कहानी का प्रतीक बनी है बठिंडा से बीकानेर जाने वाली रात की ट्रेन, जिसे आम बोलचाल में ‘कैंसर ट्रेन’ कहा जाने लगा। कहा जाता है कि इस ट्रेन में सवार ज्यादातर यात्री कैंसर के मरीज होते हैं जो इलाज के लिए राजस्थान जा रहे हैं। यह कहानी सुनने में मार्मिक लगती है, लेकिन जब तथ्यों की पड़ताल की जाती है तो तस्वीर बिल्कुल अलग निकलती है। ‘कैंसर ट्रेन’ की हकीकत हर रात 9:30 बजे बठिंडा से बीकानेर के लिए एक ट्रेन चलती है। पर्यावरण कार्यकर्ता सुश्री सुनीता नारायण सहित कई लोगों ने इसे पंजाब की खेती और कीटनाशकों से जोड़कर पेश किया। लेकिन आरटीआई (सूचना का अधिकार) से प्राप्त आंकड़े इस दावे की पुष्टि नहीं करते। बीकानेर स्थित आचार्य तुलसी क्षेत्रीय कैंसर उपचार एवं अनुसंधान संस्थान के आँकड़े बताते हैं कि पिछले 11 वर्षों (2014–2024) में इलाज के लिए आने वाले कुल मरीजों में से पंजाब से आने वाले मरीजों की औसत संख्या मात्र 6% रही है। साल 2024 में तो यह आँकड़ा घटकर केवल 2% रह गया। सीसीएफआई (Crop Care Federation of India) के वरिष्ठ सलाहकार श्री हरीश मेहता कहते हैं, “यह आँकड़े साफ-साफ दिखाते हैं कि पंजाब से कैंसर मरीजों की भारी संख्या बीकानेर नहीं जा रही। यह महज़ एक मिथक है, जिसे चुनिंदा उदाहरणों से बढ़ा-चढ़ाकर पेश किया गया है।”

NDMC finalises proposal for installing mist spraying systems on avenue roads to control dust pollution

The New Delhi Municipal Council proposes to install mist spraying systems on 24 roads at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore. The proposal will be presented at the upcoming meeting of NDMC. Among the roads proposed to be misted are Shahjahan Road, Prithvi Raj Road, Mansingh Road, Peshwa Road, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Mother Teresa Marg, Motilal Nehru Marg, Rama Krishna Marg, Bhai Veer Singh Marg, Mother Teresa Crescent and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road. Inspired by the successful implementation of misting systems on streetlights on Lodhi Road, the new project will be executed in two phases and is part of broader measures planned to control dust pollution in the winter when air pollution usually spikes. "Delhi Development Authority first installed mist fogging systems on a road in Dwarka, which was inaugurated by lieutenant governor VK Saxena. After visiting the site, NDMC officials replicated the system on Lodhi Road and the performance of the system was found excellent for reducing air pollution," NDMC claimed, while tabling the proposal for administrative approval and sanction of costs. "At a senior officer's meeting, the competent authority was directed to take up such a project on other roads." Thereafter, a survey was carried out on all avenue roads under NDMC and 14 roads were identified in Phase II. These roads with a cumulative length of 12.7km were those where pollutants and dust were found to be on the higher side. Earlier, 10 roads of a total length of 11.8km had been similarly treated in Phase I. "The project will involve supplying, testing and commissioning of an automatic misting system," NDMC said. "The mist system significantly improves air quality by reducing particulate matter, helps in dust suppression suspended in the environment, reduces airborne pollutants, increases ambient humidity to make the atmosphere more comfortable, and reduces discomfort by excessive dryness." The project will also include maintenance and operation of these roads for a period of one year. In March, NDMC launched the pilot for installing mist sprayers on electricity poles. Fifteen sprayers were put up along a 500-metre section of Lodhi Road. These mostly operated from 8am to 11am and from 5.30pm to 7.30pm each day. Experts, however, aren't so sure about the efficacy of such spraying. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, said mist sprayers only had a temporary effect on dust pollution. "The dust particles get suspended in the air again once the wetted soil dries," she pointed out. Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari said sprays could be useful in dust-heavy zones but provided short-term relief. She also said their effectiveness was "limited, especially when it comes to PM2.5, the tiny particles that pose the greatest health risks". Kandhari told TOI, "Several studies indicate that water-based dust suppression has a marginal impact on fine particulate matter, which is Delhi's primary health hazard." She added that without comprehensive data from the Lodhi Road pilot, such as reductions in AQI or particulate matter levels, the scalability of this measure was questionable.

Yamuna Pollution: प्रदूषण की चपेट में जीवनदायिनी यमुना, दिल्ली जल बोर्ड के 37 में से 14 ट्रीटमेंट प्लांट ठप

थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, दिल्ली में यमुना का 22 किलोमीटर लंबा हिस्सा है, जो नदी बेसिन की कुल लंबाई का बमुश्किल 2 प्रतिशत है। वह पूरी नदी में प्रदूषण के 80 प्रतिशत से अधिक हिस्से का योगदान देता है। यमुना नदी के किनारे स्थित दिल्ली जल बोर्ड (डीजेबी) के 37 सीवेज ट्रीटमेंट प्लांट (एसटीपी) में से 14 संयंत्रों के काम नहीं करने से जीवन दायिनी यमुना प्रदूषण की चपेट में आ गई हैं। यह खुलासा दिल्ली प्रदूषण नियंत्रण समिति (डीपीसीसी) ने राष्ट्रीय हरित अधिकरण (एनजीटी) को सौंपी अपनी हालिया रिपोर्ट में किया है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, एसटीपी निर्धारित मानकों को पूरा नहीं करते पाए गए।, जिसमें फीकल कोलीफॉर्म के मानक भी शामिल हैं। एनजीटी अध्यक्ष न्यायमूर्ति प्रकाश श्रीवास्तव की पीठ ने डीपीसीसी को उन 14 एसटीपी के खिलाफ सुधारात्मक और दंडात्मक कार्रवाई करने के लिए कहा है। साथ ही, इसकी कार्रवाई रिपोर्ट आठ सप्ताह के अंदर देने का आदेश दिया है। पीठ में विशेष सदस्य डॉ. ए. सेंथिल वेल, ईश्वर सिंह और डॉ. प्रशांत गर्गवा शामिल रहें। मामले में अगली सुनवाई 11 नवंबर को होगी। कामकाज की समीक्षा की एक रिपोर्ट से पता चला है कि यूवी और क्लोरीनीकरण विधियों का उपयोग किया जा रहा है, लेकिन कई प्लांट निर्धारित मानकों पर खरे नहीं उतर रहे हैं। आईआईटी दिल्ली को सीवेज ट्रीटमेंट में यूवी तकनीक की प्रभावशीलता की जांच करने का निर्देश दिया गया है। 80 प्रतिशत हिस्सा सीवर लाइनों से जुड़ा शहर का लगभग 80 प्रतिशत हिस्सा सीवर लाइनों से जुड़ा हुआ है। स्वास्थ्य विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि यमुना के गंदे पानी में हाथ डालना भी बीमारियों को न्योता देने जैसा है। दिल्ली के साथ साथ इसका सबसे बड़ा नुकसान उन लोगों को भुगतना पड़ रहा है जिनकी जिंदगी यमुना पर ही आश्रित है। थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, दिल्ली में यमुना का 22 किलोमीटर लंबा हिस्सा है, जो नदी बेसिन की कुल लंबाई का बमुश्किल 2 प्रतिशत है। वह पूरी नदी में प्रदूषण के 80 प्रतिशत से अधिक हिस्से का योगदान देता है। आईआईटी दिल्ली को जांच अदालत ने कहा कि सीपीसीबी और डीपीसीसी ने केवल एसटीपी की तरफ से पूरा किए जाने वाले मानकों को निर्धारित किया है, लेकिन उस तकनीक को नहीं, जिसे अपनाया जाना है। ऐसे में यह पता लगाने की आवश्यकता है कि क्या डीजेबी की तरफ से एसटीपी में अपनाई गई यूवी-तकनीक प्रभावी है। केंद्रीय सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण इंजीनियरिंग संगठन के सीवेज उपचार तकनीकों के मैनुअल में यूवी, ओजोनेशन आदि जैसे विकल्पों का खुलासा किया गया है, लेकिन उनकी प्रभावशीलता की जांच की जानी है। यह किसी विशेषज्ञ निकाय व संस्थान से पता लगाया जा सकता है। ऐसे में अदालत ने आईआईटी दिल्ली से अनुरोध किया कि वह इस मुद्दे की जांच करे और एसटीपी में कीटाणुशोधन के लिए यूवी के उपयोग की व्यवहार्यता और प्रभावशीलता के पहलू पर एक रिपोर्ट प्रस्तुत करे और साथ ही मानकों को प्राप्त करने के लिए सीवेज (तरल मैट्रिक्स) में फीकल कोलीफॉर्म की प्रतिशत संख्या को नष्ट करने के लिए आवश्यक यूवी तरंगदैर्ध्य, तीव्रता, एक्सपोजर समय और दूरी का भी खुलासा करे। 2015 से 2023 की पहली छमाही तक केंद्र ने 1200 करोड़ रुपये दिए डीपीसीसी के एक आंकड़े के अनुसार, वर्ष 2017-18 से 2020-21 के बीच पांच वर्षों में यमुना की सफाई में जुटे विभिन्न विभागों को 6856.9 करोड़ रुपये की धनराशि स्वीकृत की गई थी। यह धनराशि यमुना में गिरने वाले गंदे पानी के शोधन के लिए दिया गया था। 2015 से 2023 की पहली छमाही तक केंद्र सरकार ने यमुना की सफाई के लिए दिल्ली जल बोर्ड को लगभग 1200 करोड़ रुपये दिए थे। इसमें नेशनल मिशन फॉर क्लीन गंगा के अंतर्गत 1000 करोड़ रुपये और यमुना एक्शन प्लान-3 के अंतर्गत 200 करोड़ रुपये दिए गए थे।

New Delhi Municipal Council plans misting drive to control dust pollution on 24 roads

The New Delhi Municipal Council proposes to install mist spraying systems on 24 roads at an estimated cost of ₹15 crore. The proposal will be presented at the upcoming meeting of NDMC. Among the roads proposed to be misted are Shahjahan Road, Prithvi Raj Road, Mansingh Road, Peshwa Road, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Mother Teresa Marg, Motilal Nehru Marg, Rama Krishna Marg, Bhai Veer Singh Marg, Mother Teresa Crescent and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road. Advt Inspired by the successful implementation of misting systems on streetlights on Lodhi Road, the new project will be executed in two phases and is part of broader measures planned to control dust pollution in the winter when air pollution usually spikes. "Delhi Development Authority first installed mist fogging systems on a road in Dwarka, which was inaugurated by lieutenant governor VK Saxena. After visiting the site, NDMC officials replicated the system on Lodhi Road and the performance of the system was found excellent for reducing air pollution," NDMC claimed, while tabling the proposal for administrative approval and sanction of costs. "At a senior officer's meeting, the competent authority was directed to take up such a project on other roads." Thereafter, a survey was carried out on all avenue roads under NDMC and 14 roads were identified in Phase II. These roads with a cumulative length of 12.7km were those where pollutants and dust were found to be on the higher side. Earlier, 10 roads of a total length of 11.8km had been similarly treated in Phase I. "The project will involve supplying, testing and commissioning of an automatic misting system," NDMC said. "The mist system significantly improves air quality by reducing particulate matter, helps in dust suppression suspended in the environment, reduces airborne pollutants, increases ambient humidity to make the atmosphere more comfortable, and reduces discomfort by excessive dryness." The project will also include maintenance and operation of these roads for a period of one year. In March, NDMC launched the pilot for installing mist sprayers on electricity poles. Fifteen sprayers were put up along a 500-metre section of Lodhi Road. These mostly operated from 8 AM to 11 AM and from 5.30 PM to 7.30 PM each day. Experts, however, aren't so sure about the efficacy of such spraying. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, said mist sprayers only had a temporary effect on dust pollution. "The dust particles get suspended in the air again once the wetted soil dries," she pointed out. Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari said sprays could be useful in dust-heavy zones but provided short-term relief. She also said their effectiveness was "limited, especially when it comes to PM2.5, the tiny particles that pose the greatest health risks". Kandhari told TOI, "Several studies indicate that water-based dust suppression has a marginal impact on fine particulate matter, which is Delhi's primary health hazard." She added that without comprehensive data from the Lodhi Road pilot, such as reductions in AQI or particulate matter levels, the scalability of this measure was questionable.

Monsoon Flush Resuscitates Yamuna, But Can Delhi Keep It Clean All Year?

New Delhi: The monsoon imparts a degree of health to the Yamuna. This year's excess rainfall in July and Aug have flushed the river of pollutants and improved the flow. Delhi Pollution Control Committee's monthly analysis shows water quality this season is far better than in earlier months, even better than Aug last year. But the vexing question is how the capital can keep its river clean year-round. The rain-caused relief is temporary. Despite the increased flow, contaminants in the river water are above permissible limits, with fecal coliform at an unimaginable count. The city's major drains, among them the Najafgarh and Shahdara channels, continue to disgorge untreated or partially treated sewage, undoing much of the monsoon's cleansing effect. The question is not whether the Yamuna can recover. It clearly can as July-Aug have shown. The real concern is how Delhi can sustain this improved river health throughout the seasons. Experts reiterated that the solution was in ensuring copious flow in the river alongside upgrading and maintaining of sewage treatment infrastructure. As Bhim Singh Rawat, associate coordinator, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, pointed out, despite pumping crores of rupees into sewage treatment and common effluent treatment plants, their performance was questionable. "During the rains, the Yamuna regains its hydrological functions, gets back its free-flowing status and rejuvenates the floodplain biota. But within a month or two afterwards, the pollution surges back and turns the river into a stinking drain," sighed Rawat. "In order to maintain and further improve the river health restored by floods, the govts of the Yamuna basin states, mainly Haryana and Delhi, must work out a multipronged approach to increase environmental flows and reduce effluents discharge into the river stretches under their jurisdiction." Earlier this month, a special committee established by Delhi High Court identified numerous irregularities in the functioning of STPs after inspecting the 37 facilities. It flagged substandard treatment processes, insufficient monitoring, mixing of industrial and domestic sewage and bypassing of sewage without treatment. The report also claimed treated sewage from some plants was being dumped into untreated channels, like Shahdara drain. Such an impact was evident in Aug, where despite improvement in water quality, substantial damage is indicated downstream of Wazirabad after the Najafgarh drain empties into the Yamuna. Fecal coliform, signifier of untreated sewage, was 640 MPN/100ml at Wazirabad, much lower than the acceptable standard of 2,500. But at ISBT bridge, the measurement rose 34 times to 22,000 units. That too was an improvement because in July, the figure of 3,900 at Wazirabad had spiked to a whopping 28,00,000 units at ISBT. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, only around 300km of the Yamuna's 1,376km course is pristine, predominantly in Uttarakhand. Around 80% of the sources that pollute the rest of its course originate in Delhi, where the largest polluter is the Najafgarh drain. With several other drains, the large ones being Shahdara, Tughlaqabad and Sahibabad, also emptying into the river, the Yamuna is steeped in sewage by the time it enters UP. A 2014 study by Delhi University professor Shashank Gupta, Jamia Millia Islamia's Vikram Soni and Natural Heritage First's Diwan Singh determined that 50-60% of the virgin flow is necessary throughout the year to maintain the Yamuna's river system. In Delhi, the river needed a minimum freshwater flow of 6.6 million cubic metres/day to prevent algal choking. The Yamuna's current natural flow is less than 0.86 MCM/day at Palla, while downstream of Wazirabad, the freshwater flow is nil, with the river receiving drain contents. The sewage, both treated and untreated, was assessed at 3.27MCM/day in 2014. The actual river flow remains unassessed.

5 States To Account For 70% of India’s E-Truck Charging Demand by 2030: ICCT

India will need a 9 GW charging network to support 1.3 lakh electric trucks by 2030, with demand concentrated in just five states—Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh—according to a new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). The report, Charging Infrastructure Needed to Support India’s Full Transition to Battery Electric Trucks by 2050, was launched at the India Clean Transportation Summit (ICTS) 2025 in New Delhi by Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, along with ICCT leadership and representatives from Norway’s Embassy and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Demand clustered along freight corridors ICCT estimates that the 9 GW requirement by 2030—equivalent to five times Delhi’s current generation capacity—will be driven largely by freight movement along the Golden Quadrilateral, Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. Together, the five states will account for more than 70% of national demand, making them priority hubs for early planning and investment. India has committed to 100% zero-emission truck sales by 2050 under its net-zero pledge. The report notes that while technology readiness is improving, infrastructure bottlenecks remain.Fuel efficiency regulations, the PM e-DRIVE scheme, and incentives for high-power chargers are expected to support adoption, but state-level interventions on land, tariffs and grid capacity will be critical.

RSS 3-day lecture series begins today: Mohan Bhagwat to reflect on Sangh’s 100-year journey, spell out road ahead

Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Dr Naresh Trehan and environmentalist Sunita Narain are some other eminent personalities who are expected to attend the event. Around 1,300 people from all walks of life, including politicians, judges, diplomats and social workers, are likely to attend the RSS’s three-day lecture series beginning Tuesday in Delhi, where Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat will articulate his views on the organisation’s 100-year journey and the road ahead. Sources said the event was an attempt by the RSS to reach out to “eminent personalities” of the country and familiarise them with the Sangh. In the run-up to the event, the RSS had categorised invitees into 17 categories and 138 sub-categories, ranging from social and religious to economy and security. Advertisement “We are inviting people from all sections of the society, communities and ideologies apart from various sectors of the economy and from all political parties. Many have agreed to come and we hope that through this interaction, a lot of clarity on the Sangh, its ideas and work will reach society,” RSS publicity in-charge Sunil Ambekar said. A similar conference was organised in 2018 where Bhagwat had spelt out the RSS’s thoughts. Ministers, ex-judges and former army chiefs on guest list According to RSS insiders, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia and MoS (Petroleum and Natural Gas) Suresh Gopi are also likely to attend the event. Among the other invitees are retired judges, including former Chief Justices of India Ranjan Gogoi and J S Khehar and several former ambassadors such as Kanwal Sibal and Navtej Sarna apart from former bureaucrats. Former army chiefs M M Narawane, Deepak Kapoor and J J Singh also feature on the Sangh’s guest list. From the field of Arts, notable names like Dhrupad artists Dagar Brothers, actor Manoj Joshi and sculptor Ram Sutar may attend the event while eminent sportspersons like Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and cricketer Kapil Dev have also been invited. Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Dr Naresh Trehan and environmentalist Sunita Narain are some other eminent personalities who are expected to attend the event. Social workers and diplomats of USA, China also invited The Sangh has also invited ambassadors of various countries, including the neighbourhood. According to Ambekar, diplomats from the USA, China, Kuwait, Kazhakhstan, Nepal, Bhutan, Argentina and Australia among others are expected to attend the event. “Social workers from all communities have been invited. A separate programme will be held for religious leaders. The first two days of the event will see lectures by the Sarsanghchalak (Bhagwat) while he will give answers to written questions submitted by the invitees on the third day,” Ambekar said. Commemorating 100 Years While the 2018 conference was organised in Delhi alone, this time similar conferences will be organised in Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai till February. The initiative is part of Sangh’s larger outreach program to commemorate its centenary year. Addressing a press conference earlier, Ambekar had said more than 1,000 seminars and discussions, involving senior RSS functionaries, would be held across the country over the course of a year to commemorate 100 years of the RSS. There will also be discussions on RSS’s views on the “five transformations” (panch parivartan) and the expected participation of society in these efforts. “The focus would be on how India, progressing rapidly on the path of development, can fulfill its rising hopes and aspirations, with contributions from RSS volunteers. It will be emphasised that if India is to move toward new horizons, it must do so based on its own values and inner strength. There will be a critical look at colonial standards of development that originated during the period of subjugation, and discussions on how to bring forth the vast untapped potential of Indian society,” Ambekar said. Topics of national and societal importance in the present context, as well as India’s global role, would also be addressed.

RSS To Host Three Day Event Marking 100 Years

Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, noted doctor Naresh Trehan and environmentalist Sunita Narain will be present too. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has launched a three day lecture series at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi to mark its centenary year. The theme of the programme is “100 Years of Sangh Journey - New Horizons.” The event will highlight the organisation’s century long path, its role in nation building and the future that it envisions. RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat is leading the discussions. On the opening day, he will present his views on the journey of the Sangh and on themes such as social service, education, environment and technology. Later sessions will also touch on participation of women in leadership and the scope of innovation in shaping India’s growth. The gathering has drawn around 1,300 guests from politics, judiciary, diplomacy, armed forces and civil society. The outreach is seen as an effort to familiarise eminent figures with the work and ideas of the Sangh. The invitees were divided into 17 categories and 138 sub categories that represent a wide spectrum of national life. Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Suresh Gopi are among the political leaders expected. Former Chief Justices of India Ranjan Gogoi and J S Khehar are also on the guest list. Several ex ambassadors such as Kanwal Sibal and Navtej Sarna and former army chiefs M M Narawane, Deepak Kapoor and J J Singh will attend as well. From the field of arts actor Manoj Joshi, sculptor Ram Sutar and the Dagar Brothers have been invited. Sports icons like Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and cricketer Kapil Dev are also expected. Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, noted doctor Naresh Trehan and environmentalist Sunita Narain will be present too. The guest list also extends to diplomats from the United States, China, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Bhutan, Argentina and Australia. Social workers from diverse communities and religious leaders will participate in special sessions. Bhagwat will speak for two days and on the third day he will answer written questions submitted by the audience. The centenary outreach is not confined to Delhi. Similar conferences will be organised in Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai in the coming months. The wider plan involves more than 1,000 seminars and discussions across the country with the goal of opening dialogue on five major areas of transformation. These will include debates on development models, cultural values and India’s role as a global power. In a press briefing, RSS publicity in charge Sunil Ambekar said that the idea is to encourage clarity about the Sangh’s work and to bring forward untapped social potential. He said that India must move toward new horizons based on its own values rather than colonial models of growth.

SWaCH cooperative faces threat as PMC plans Indore model

The future of SWaCH, India’s largest waste picker-run cooperative, hangs in the balance as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) considers adopting the Indore model of waste collection, a shift that could drastically alter the city’s current waste management system. On Sunday, nearly 1,500 waste pickers marked SWaCH’s 18th anniversary by raising concerns about the proposed changes. Recognised by the Ministry of Cooperation as a national model — alongside Gujarat’s SEWA, SWaCH currently serves over 900,000 households in Pune. Its decentralised, doorstep waste collection model allows waste pickers to earn directly from user fees and recyclable materials, while delivering high rates of segregation and recycling at minimal cost to the city. PMC’s plan to move toward a vehicle-based, gate-to-gate collection system threatens to dismantle this framework. According to SWaCH, the shift could displace up to two-thirds of Pune’s 3,900 waste pickers, approximately 2,600 workers, and undercut the cooperative’s user-fee system. “If citizens in one area stop paying because the service is covered by taxes, why would others continue paying us?” asked Vidya Naiknavre, a SWaCH worker. Experts echoed these concerns. “It’s shocking that Pune is looking to copy Indore, when it’s the Pune model that the rest of India should be emulating,” said Atin Biswas, programme director for Solid Waste Management at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). SWaCH representatives said they had planned to meet municipal commissioner Ram Naval Kishor and union minister of State Murlidhar Mohal, but both officials cancelled at the last minute. The gathering was so large that a second meeting had to be held outside.

India celebrates clean energy milestone, but coal still king

Non-fossil fuels now account for half of India’s installed energy capacity — years ahead of schedule — but the third-largest greenhouse gas polluter remains deeply reliant on coal for electricity generation. “A landmark in India’s energy transition journey,” Indian Minister of Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi sid after the world’s most populous nation released figures last month. “Five years early,” he added, referring to India’s 2030 target under the Paris Agreement, and marking a step to the country’s stated goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2070. However, while the 50 percent milestone is significant, climate expert Avantika Goswami said the figures — which refer only to potential energy production — tell just part of the story. “Overall, actual generation from renewable sources is still quite low,” Goswami said from the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. The reason is stark: Nearly three-quarters of electricity continues to come from heavily polluting coal-burning power plants. The challenge becomes even more apparent when examining India’s continued dependence on coal. Far from decreasing its usage, the globe’s second-largest consumer of coal pushed up production of the dirty fossil fuel by five percent last year, mining 1 billion tonnes, according to the coal ministry. “Coal remains crucial,” the Indian Ministry of Coal said. The stance highlights the practical challenges of India’s energy transition. Coal is needed to fulfil power demands while storage capacity lags behind the surge in renewable sources of power. “The coal sector remains a crucial contributor to India’s energy mix, powering over 74 percent of the country’s electricity and sustaining key industries like steel and cement,” the coal ministry said, celebrating what it dubbed “India’s coal boom.” This reliance places India in a challenging position globally. The country ranks behind only China and the US for carbon emissions overall. However, analysts point out that in a country of 1.4 billion people, per capita emissions are only one-third of the global average, according to official figures. “Looking at India’s per capita emissions, the effort it is making, India is doing pretty well,” said activist Harjeet Singh, head of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation. India has set itself the daunting challenge of reducing emissions by 45 percent by 2030. At the same time, electricity needs are expected to more than double by 2047, according to the country’s Center for Science and Environment. Supplying some of that demand “is likely to be met by the addition of renewables”, Goswami said. Half of India’s 484.8GW installed capacity is from non-fossil fuel sources. The majority comes from solar, totaling 119GW — the third-largest level globally. India is building one of the world’s largest solar and wind energy farms, spread over a desert the size of Singapore. It is followed by hydro and wind, and also nuclear power — which makes up less than 2 percent of the total mix. However, solar and wind create steady power only when the conditions are right, and India’s storage capacity is a meagre 505MWh — far lower than it can generate. The storage bottleneck was not lost on the renewable energy minister. Speaking at the inauguration of a battery storage systems plant in June, Joshi said India’s renewable energy potential was “growing fast” and “adding 25-30 GW every year.” “But without storage, we will either waste that energy or fall back on coal when renewables dip,” he added. Building storage based on batteries requires rare earth metals, with rival and neighbor China controlling 70 percent of the world’s supplies. “We still remain dependent on China,” said Harjeet Singh, the climate activist. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) was in New Delhi for talks on Tuesday, with the supply of rare earth metals on the agenda. One solution India is considering is pump-hydro energy storage projects. When wind and solar plants produce excess energy, water is pumped into high reservoirs. That stored energy can then be released to generate power when demand surges. However, Goswami believes the transition to cleaner power requires a multi-pronged approach. The transition to cleaner power must come from “emission intensity reduction” of often inefficient coal plants, combined with better integrated renewable energy in the grid that “will actually make the shift happen,” he said.

India celebrates clean energy milestone but coal still king

But while the 50 per cent milestone is significant, climate expert Avantika Goswami says the figures — which refer only to potential energy production — tell just part of the story. ‘Overall, actual generation from renewable sources is still quite low,’ Goswami told AFP from the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Non-fossil fuels now account for half of India’s installed energy capacity — years ahead of schedule — but the third-largest greenhouse gas polluter remains deeply reliant on coal for electricity generation. ‘A landmark in India’s energy transition journey,’ renewable energy minister Pralhad Joshi proclaimed after the world’s most populous nation released figures in July. ‘Five years early,’ he added, referring to India’s 2030 target under the Paris Agreement, and marking a step to the country’s stated goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070. But while the 50 per cent milestone is significant, climate expert Avantika Goswami says the figures — which refer only to potential energy production — tell just part of the story. ‘Overall, actual generation from renewable sources is still quite low,’ Goswami told AFP from the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The reason is stark: nearly three-quarters of electricity continues to come from heavily polluting coal-burning power plants. The challenge becomes even more apparent when examining India’s continued dependence on coal. Far from decreasing its usage, the globe’s second-largest consumer of coal pushed up production of the dirty fossil fuel by five per cent last year, mining one billion tonnes, according to the coal ministry. ‘Coal remains crucial,’ the ministry said. The stance highlights the practical challenges of India’s energy transition. Coal is needed to fulfil power demands while storage capacity lags behind the surge in renewable sources of power. ‘The coal sector remains a crucial contributor to India’s energy mix, powering over 74 per cent of the country’s electricity and sustaining key industries like steel and cement,’ the coal ministry said, celebrating what it dubbed ‘India’s coal boom’. This reliance places India in a challenging position globally. The country ranks behind only China and the United States for carbon emissions overall. But analysts point out that in a country of 1.4 billion people, per capita emissions are only one-third of the global average, according to official figures. ‘Looking at India’s per capita emissions, the effort it is making, India is doing pretty well,’ said activist Harjeet Singh, head of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation. India has set itself the daunting challenge of reducing emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. At the same time, electricity needs are expected to more than double by 2047, according to the country’s Centre for Science and Environment. Supplying some of that demand ‘is likely to be met by the addition of renewables’, Goswami said. Half of India’s 484.8 GW installed capacity is from non-fossil fuel sources. The majority comes from solar, totalling 119 GW — the third-largest level globally. India is building one of the world’s largest solar and wind energy farms, spread over a desert the size of Singapore. It is followed by hydro and wind, and also nuclear power — which makes up less than two per cent of the total mix. But solar and wind create steady power only when the conditions are right, and India’s storage capacity is a meagre 505 MWh — far lower than it can generate. The storage bottleneck was not lost on the renewable energy minister. Speaking at the inauguration of a battery storage systems plant in June, Joshi said India’s renewable energy potential was ‘growing fast’ and ‘adding 25–30 GW every year’. He added: ‘But without storage, we will either waste that energy or fall back on coal when renewables dip.’ Building storage based on batteries requires rare earth metals, with rival and neighbour China controlling 70 per cent of the world’s supplies. ‘We still remain dependent on China,’ said Harjeet Singh, the climate activist. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi was in New Delhi for talks on Tuesday, with the supply of rare earth metals on the agenda. One solution India is considering is pump-hydro energy storage projects. When wind and solar plants produce excess energy, water is pumped into high reservoirs. That stored energy can then be released to generate power when demand surges. But Goswami believes the transition to cleaner power requires a multi-pronged approach. The transition to cleaner power must come from ‘emission intensity reduction’ of often inefficient coal plants, combined with better integrated renewable energy in the grid that ‘will actually make the shift happen’.

ETAuto qanunsuz söküntü və çirklənmə mərkəzi aşkar edib

The sound of a constant metallic thud reverberates through the lanes in Phase II at Mayapuri Industrial Area. A man is hammering at the rusted bonnet of an old car. Beside him, another man bends over a motorcycle, dismantling its engine with his bare hands, while two others load metal bales of compressed car bodies into trucks using a crane. Around them, piles of bike body frames, still slick with grease and engine oil, broken wheel hubs and smashed parts of motor cars lie scattered on parts of the road. This is Delhi's largest scrap market, where end-of-life vehicles are torn apart in violation of all safety and environmental norms. Though these units were shut down in 2019 on the orders of the National Green Tribunal, which took cognisance of TOI’s 2018 report on the place, the illegal work began again. Locals complain that apart from occupying road space, the unscientific dismantling of vehicles is causing air, water and noise pollution. Hundreds of these dismantling units have thrived in west Delhi's Mayapuri Industrial Area’s Phase II, including blocks B, C, D, E, and W. Hundreds of vehicles, especially two-wheelers, are stripped down in mere hours. But under the rules, a registered scrapping vehicle facility (RSVF) needs consent and authorisation from Delhi Pollution Control Committee to operate because of a plethora of rules related to management of hazardous, electronic and plastic waste. These units do not meet the norms under the Central Pollution Control Board’s Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Facilities for the Handling and Scrapping of End-of-Life Vehicles, alleged Mayapuri Rewariline Industrial Welfare Association. In fact, Delhi currently has only one RSVF, which is an ‘orange’ industry or a moderately polluting unit, according to the Union road transport and highways ministry. When TOI visited Mayapuri on Wednesday, it found a large number of scrappers operating in C, E and W blocks. They had encroached on the public road to store the broken-down parts of vehicles, while terraces of the buildings held the front body portions of cars and trucks. Significantly, the workers were not using any protective gear. CP Jain, who has run a factory here for 55 years here, said, “This illegal industry was curbed in 2019, but the units have begun operating again in contempt of NGT’s orders. They dismantle vehicles in the open and keep the scrap on the road, reducing the four-lane road to one.” Rajiv Chopra, treasurer of the Mayapuri Industrial Welfare Association, added that the use of cranes caused prolonged traffic jams. Satish Sinha, associate director of Toxics Link, an environmental research and advocacy organisation, reminded, “In 2010, Mayapuri became the epicentre of a nuclear radiation scare due to the dismantling of a discarded medical device containing radioactive Cobalt-60. All sorts of waste are handled here.” Sinha said most informal recyclers use rudimentary tools and processes and do not have information on the composition of the material they handle, many of which can be hazardous and could release toxicity into the environment. “Vehicle service stations have effluent treatment plants to treat discharged chemicals. However, such plants do not exist here. If the soil in Mayapuri is checked, for sure it is contaminated by untreated chemicals seeping into the ground,” he said. “Dismantling vehicles in an unscientific manner is not only dangerous for the workers but also for everyone living in and around the area. The quantum of waste being generated is so large that it adds to Delhi’s air pollution load.” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (Research and Advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, reiterated that small-scale units engaged in scrapping of ELVs needed to comply with the CPCB norms for safe dismantling and pollution control. “Their operations and waste disposal require continuous monitoring to prevent contamination of air, soil, and water,” she said. "These clusters require support to build common infrastructure for safe operations and treatment. At the same time, it is necessary to expand the capacity of the formal automated scrappage centres for advanced material recovery and material separation.” She added as these small-scale units were a source of livelihood and would continue to operate, so it was necessary to rationalise their operations and integrate them with the formal scrapping centres. In 2018, TOI reported how thousands of these units were running despite three NGT orders in 2013, 2014 and 2015 banning gas-cutting of discarded bodies, transformers and electronic waste in the open. Previous reports estimated the Mayapuri scrap market’s annual turnover at Rs 6,000 crore. Acting on TOI’s report, NGT formed a special task force to take remedial steps. STF surveyed the area and found that almost all units had “encroached upon public space”, that the “conduct of trade was injurious to theJ health of the community” and “vehicles remained stuck on roads for hours, causing huge air pollution”. In 2019, DPCC issued notices to 765 units that were in violation of norms. There were violent scenes when at least 30 people, including policemen, were injured after the scrap dealers clashed with a team of officials sent to seal the illegal units. Despite repeated attempts, both DPCC and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi did not respond to TOI’s queries in the matter.

West Delhi’s Mayapuri back to scrap chaos: Illegal units encroach roads, rules flouted; pollution risks loom

The sound of a constant metallic thud reverberates through the lanes in Phase II at Mayapuri Industrial Area. A man is hammering at the rusted bonnet of an old car. Beside him, another man bends over a motorcycle, dismantling its engine with his bare hands, while two others load metal bales of compressed car bodies into trucks using a crane. Around them, piles of bike body frames, still slick with grease and engine oil, broken wheel hubs and smashed parts of motor cars lie scattered on parts of the road. Encroachments on both sides of roads due to storage of dismantled materials, leading to traffic snarls. This is Delhi's largest scrap market, where end-of-life vehicles are torn apart in violation of all safety and environmental norms. Though these units were shut down in 2019 on the orders of the National Green Tribunal, which took cognisance of TOI's 2018 report on the place, the illegal work began again. Locals complain that apart from occupying road space, the unscientific dismantling of vehicles is causing air, water and noise pollution. Hundreds of these dismantling units have thrived in west Delhi's Mayapuri Industrial Area's Phase II, including blocks B, C, D, E, and W. Hundreds of vehicles, especially two-wheelers, are stripped down in mere hours. But under the rules, a registered scrapping vehicle facility (RSVF) needs consent and authorisation from Delhi Pollution Control Committee to operate because of a plethora of rules related to management of hazardous, electronic and plastic waste. These units do not meet the norms under the Central Pollution Control Board's Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Facilities for the Handling and Scrapping of End-of-Life Vehicles, alleged Mayapuri Rewariline Industrial Welfare Association. In fact, Delhi currently has only one RSVF, which is an 'orange' industry or a moderately polluting unit, according to the Union road transport and highways ministry. When TOI visited Mayapuri on Wednesday, it found a large number of scrappers operating in C, E and W blocks. They had encroached on the public road to store the broken-down parts of vehicles, while terraces of the buildings held the front body portions of cars and trucks. Significantly, the workers were not using any protective gear. CP Jain, who has run a factory here for 55 years here, said, "This illegal industry was curbed in 2019, but the units have begun operating again in contempt of NGT's orders. They dismantle vehicles in the open and keep the scrap on the road, reducing the four-lane road to one." Rajiv Chopra, treasurer of the Mayapuri Industrial Welfare Association, added that the use of cranes caused prolonged traffic jams. Satish Sinha, associate director of Toxics Link, an environmental research and advocacy organisation, reminded, "In 2010, Mayapuri became the epicentre of a nuclear radiation scare due to the dismantling of a discarded medical device containing radioactive Cobalt-60. All sorts of waste are handled here." Sinha said most informal recyclers use rudimentary tools and processes and do not have information on the composition of the material they handle, many of which can be hazardous and could release toxicity into the environment. "Vehicle service stations have effluent treatment plants to treat discharged chemicals. However, such plants do not exist here. If the soil in Mayapuri is checked, for sure it is contaminated by untreated chemicals seeping into the ground," he said. "Dismantling vehicles in an unscientific manner is not only dangerous for the workers but also for everyone living in and around the area. The quantum of waste being generated is so large that it adds to Delhi's air pollution load." Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (Research and Advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, reiterated that small-scale units engaged in scrapping of ELVs needed to comply with the CPCB norms for safe dismantling and pollution control. "Their operations and waste disposal require continuous monitoring to prevent contamination of air, soil, and water," she said. "These clusters require support to build common infrastructure for safe operations and treatment. At the same time, it is necessary to expand the capacity of the formal automated scrappage centres for advanced material recovery and material separation." She added as these small-scale units were a source of livelihood and would continue to operate, so it was necessary to rationalise their operations and integrate them with the formal scrapping centres. In 2018, TOI reported how thousands of these units were running despite three NGT orders in 2013, 2014 and 2015 banning gas-cutting of discarded bodies, transformers and electronic waste in the open. Previous reports estimated the Mayapuri scrap market's annual turnover at Rs 6,000 crore. Acting on TOI's report, NGT formed a special task force to take remedial steps. STF surveyed the area and found that almost all units had "encroached upon public space", that the "conduct of trade was injurious to theJ health of the community" and "vehicles remained stuck on roads for hours, causing huge air pollution". In 2019, DPCC issued notices to 765 units that were in violation of norms. There were violent scenes when at least 30 people, including policemen, were injured after the scrap dealers clashed with a team of officials sent to seal the illegal units. Despite repeated attempts, both DPCC and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi did not respond to TOI's queries in the matter.

India is curbing solar output — here’s why it is happening and what it implies

Down To Earth cited NSEFI’s call for urgent government action, including fast-tracking transmission projects, compensation mechanisms, and battery storage deployment. Experts, such as those at the Centre for Science and Environment, warned that without upgraded infrastructure, India’s target of 280 GW solar capacity by 2030 could face serious risks. India is reducing solar output during periods of low demand to maintain grid stability and ease pressure on congested transmission lines, according to a Reuters report citing the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The ministry confirmed that some plants had come online ahead of schedule, while transmission projects faced delays, worsening bottlenecks. The National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), representing companies such as Adani, Tata, Amazon, SHV and Gentari, highlighted that curtailments in Rajasthan have been severe. Reuters reported producers losing over $26 million since April, with output reduced by as much as 48 per cent during peak hours. Down To Earth noted that about 3–4 gigawatts of capacity had been curtailed since March, resulting in losses of up to Rs 250 crore. Delays in transmission NSEFI said projects in Rajasthan had already been deferred by nearly 20 months due to infrastructure delays, but even those ready for commissioning remain stuck. Critical transmission projects such as the Khetri-Narela and Bhadla II-Sikar II lines are facing up to two years of delay, according to the federation’s letter to MNRE. Impact beyond Rajasthan While Rajasthan is worst affected, Reuters reported that Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra have also seen output reductions. Tamil Nadu’s Renewable Energy Producers Association found solar output 10 per cent lower than expected during April–June, though the state energy department described curtailment as a last-resort measure. Investor confidence at risk Down To Earth cited NSEFI’s call for urgent government action, including fast-tracking transmission projects, compensation mechanisms, and battery storage deployment. Experts, such as those at the Centre for Science and Environment, warned that without upgraded infrastructure, India’s target of 280 GW solar capacity by 2030 could face serious risks.