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Cse In News

CSE opposes proposal to extend emission norms deadline for thermal power plants

Will have grave repercussions in the fight against air pollution, says Director-General Sunita Narain The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has cautioned the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) against agreeing to the Power Ministry’s proposal for extending the deadline of meeting emission norms for coal-based thermal power plants in the country. The Ministry of Power has requested the MoEF&CC to extend the deadline for all thermal plants from 2022 to 2024. “Extending the deadline once again will have grave repercussions for the fight against air pollution. It will also mean a complete mockery of the Supreme Court and Indian regulators’ efforts to control pollution from the coal-based thermal power sector over the last five years,” said Sunita Narain, Director-General, CSE. The extension was sought on the account of uncertainties and delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and other issues like import restrictions, lack of local availability of components, liquidity crunch in the power sector, credit refusals due to high stress in the sector, regulatory delays etc. “Most of the centrally-run power stations such as NTPC, NLC and DVC have shown progress in their efforts to meet the deadline,” says Soundaram Ramanathan, Deputy Programme Manager, industrial pollution unit, CSE. “The laggards largely consist of privately-run power stations such as Lanco, Sembcorp, etc. Instead of lobbying for these stations, the Power Ministry should support the MoEF&CC in implementing the norms.” The Power Ministry’s another recent proposal for a dilution of the sulphur dioxide norms cites an incomplete study by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the CSE said in a statement. “The Power Ministry’s move seems to have been influenced by the industry’s consistent efforts to dilute and delay the norms. The industry is obviously not bothered about the health risks posed by pollution from these coal-based power plants,” Narain said. “The Power Ministry’s request is nothing but rewarding those plants that have not taken adequate action on the 2015 notification till now. We request the MoEF&CC to incentivise plants that are meeting the norms and penalise units that are defaulting,” said Nivit Kumar Yadav, Programme Director, industrial pollution unit, CSE.

Experts point to growing impact of climate change on Himalayan river systems

Indian authorities are searching for more than 150 people missing in a flood that was believed to have been caused by a breach in a Himalayan glacier as experts pointed to the impact of climate change in the region. Water, sludge and debris careened down the Rishiganga river in the state of Uttarakhand on Sunday, crashing through at least two hydropower plants and sweeping away workers and locals in its path. Officials have confirmed more than 10 deaths and at least 150 people remain unaccounted for, with dozens of workers thought to be trapped in tunnels in the plants. Disaster response personnel and security forces were searching for the missing on Monday while teams of scientists travelled to the region to determine the cause of the surge. While the trigger for the flooding was unclear, experts believe it could have been the result of a glacial lake bursting its banks. Some raised the possibility that it was a mudflow, possibly sparked by an avalanche. They pointed to the region’s increasingly fragile ecosystem, as climate change has melted glaciers high in the Himalayan mountains that feed the Ganges river system. This puts downstream communities at risk and disrupts the water supplies on which hundreds of millions living in India’s northern plains depend. “It’s well established that there’s a huge impact of climate change on glaciers and it’s on the verge of reaching the tipping point,” said Samrat Sengupta, climate change programme director at the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. “Almost the whole economy of north India depends on this perennial river system.” Sengupta said not enough was known about the effects of rising temperatures on Himalayan glaciers. “India should be more worried. All our infrastructural investment, either agriculture or power, is based on this perennial river system water supply,” he said. “We should be more invested in research to understand what damage has happened.” Others pointed to the risk that excess construction in the region was destabilising the ecosystem. Kundan Singh, whose nephew from a nearby village was missing, told the Times of India newspaper: “What happened today was nature’s way of telling us things are horribly wrong.” Thousands of people died in Uttarakhand in 2013 by severe flooding sparked by intense rain in one of India’s worst natural disasters in recent years. Authorities said there was limited risk of further flooding after Sunday’s surge. “Rescue operations are ongoing in full swing and we are hoping to save more lives,” Trivendra Singh Rawat, chief minister of Uttarakhand, wrote on Twitter. Maharaj Pandit, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Delhi, said: “We’ve shown that the Himalayas is one of the more rapidly warming mountain regions in the world.” “Given ongoing climate change, a large number of precariously perched glaciers, glacial lakes and other water bodies are absolutely ready to burst even when a little water gets deposited in there,” he added.

Man vs Nature: SC panel says need to value natural capital along with economic progress

The committee pointed out that felling of 356 trees for construction of 5 RoBs on NH 35 in West Bengal, in a larger perspective is a complex issue, which entails environmental management and its relationship with human development. The expert committee comprises Soham Pandya, Nishikant Mukarji, Sunita Narain, Bikas Kumar Maji and Niranjita Mitra. The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) moved the top court against tree felling for the project. The committee emphasised that indiscriminate tree felling cannot be justified as development, instead suggested measures to create both economic and environmental wealth. According to a Ministry of Environment and Forests circular if a road length is less than 100 Km, there is no need to get EIA from any government agency. "Such argument, in present case, is an attempt to circumvent the law of the land. We feel deriving such conclusion is erroneous and needs rethinking on the part of implementing agency (West Bengal)," said the committee. The committee said the current compensatory afforestation policy is not sufficient to protect the environment. "To compensate for the trees that are cut, the present policy norm is that 5 trees are planted to compensate for the cut tree. This policy actually begs the issue. There is obviously no equivalence between a 100-year-old tree and fresh sapling," said the committee in a report. The committee recommended that given this enormous imbalance, the effort should be to achieve as fast as possible, the original lead area index (LAI), which has been lost with the cut tree. A majority in the committee concluded that 10 saplings should be planted to compensate for a tree with a small crown size; 25 saplings for a tree of medium crown size and 50 saplings for a tree with a large crown size. "There is enough land available for this measure to be successful and land is not a constraint," said the report. The committee pointed out that the compensatory planting often fails in the absence of an accountable mechanism to protect and nurture the newly planted saplings. It recommended organisational structure within the project organisation to be made accountable. The experts reckoned that the tree should be nurtured for at least 10 years against the existing 2 years and compensatory planting should begin parallel with the project. This project is a part of a mega project outlined by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in which 208 RoBs are to be constructed in 19 different states of the country with Rs 20,800 crore. Out of these 22 RoBs were identified in West Bengal. The case is related to 5 RoBs where 356 trees are to be cut to implement the project and no environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been done in this project, which covers 59 Km (Barasat to Bongaon) The committee also calculated that total cost of a tree per year, which is Rs 74,500. This means that 300 trees if allowed to live for a period of 100 or more years, will give products worth Rs 2.2 billion. On February 3, the Chief Justice asked advocate Prashant Bhushan, who was representing APDR, to draw a protocol where governments explore possibility of using either railway or waterways, instead of cutting trees. The top court will further hear the matter after two weeks.

Air pollution back to pre-pandemic levels in Karnataka

HUBBALLI: A study conducted by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found air pollution has returned to, or even exceeded, pre-pandemic levels during the winter season in the five southern states. Air quality improved dramatically during the nationwide lockdown, but pollution levels steadily rose during the second half of 2020 which coincided with restrictions being eased and economic activity resuming. It wiped out the gains made on the environment front during the lockdown. The study finds Karnataka has the highest total burden of health costs. Air pollution has spiked in Hubballi, Chikkaballapura, Vijayapura and many other cities after the onset of winter. Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, CSE’s Urban Lab team of Sustainable Cities programme told TOI that, generally, winter isn’t harsh in the southern cities. “Yet pollution build-up has been noted,” Somvanshi said. “Although the average level of PM2.5 for the summer and monsoon months in 2020 was considerably lower than in previous years, PM2.5 levels this winter have risen beyond that of 2019 in most cities. The region cannot rely only on the natural advantage of warmer winters and sea breeze to avoid bad air.” The analysis is based on publicly available granular real-time data (15-minute averages) from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official portal. Somvanshi said the air quality trend does not include investigation of local sources of pollution. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, CSE, said the study dispels the myth about safer air in the south compared to other regions. “Health impacts are nearly equally bad. This demands quicker regional reforms to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning,” she said.

Delhi air worse this January than last year

NEW DELHI: The capital’s air was more polluted this January than in the same month last year, Central Pollution Control Board data shows. The average air quality index (AQI) for January this year was 324 as compared to 286 during the same period in 2020. Track the pollution level in your city This January, Delhi saw six “severe” air days as against two in 2020. However, the average AQI in January 2021 was marginally better than 2019 and 2018. Experts said the region saw only one western disturbance this January while the count was six last time. More western disturbances led to high wind speed, low temperature and more number of rainy days. Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at India Meteorological Department and head of Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, said, “Under the influence of a western disturbance, the region receives rain, which helps in bringing down the pollutants. Delhi received rain from January 3 to 6 in 2021, but there were more rainy days in 2020.” The wind speed also picks up when a western disturbance passes a region, he added. Besides, the mean minimum temperature in January 2021 was 7 degrees Celsius, which was lower than the average recorded during the same month in 2020. With seven cold wave days this January, the low temperature trapped pollutants closer to the surface. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment, said a combination of factors made January 2021 more polluted than 2020. Besides the meteorological factors, “the economy that was hit by Covid-19 pandemic also bounced back”, Roy Chowdhury pointed out. “The January smog happens without stubble burning. It is purely because of pollutants due to local emissions getting trapped. It shows that how much stronger our action needs to be. We need much higher level of ambition, scale and speed to implement the cleaner action plan,” she added. Though Delhi’s air was more polluted this January, it was better than 2019 and 2018. The average AQI recorded in both January 2019 and 2018 was 328 as against 324 this year. With seven “severe” air days in 2019, the number was higher than this January. However, only two “severe” air days were recorded in 2018. The number of monitoring stations was 38 each in 2021 and 2020, 35 in 2019 and 17 in 2018.

Coorg beekeepers rue decline in honey trade, seek govt handholding for revival

The beekeepers and producers of ‘Coorg Honey’ said they want the authorities concerned to take their brand across the country and beyond and bring back the halcyon days when the hill district used to be the country’s top honey producer. Be sweet with Coorg Honey. Those were the words of Sri Shambhavananda Swamiji from Sri Ramakrishna Mission who developed a unique method of beekeeping known as ‘Coorg Standard Hive’ in the hilly district of south Karnataka- Coorg (Kodagu). Now, the beekeepers want the state government to not only make the practice sustainable but also go big on promoting brand ‘Coorg Honey’. Citing a recent investigation by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which found that honey sold by major brands in India was laced with modified sugar syrup, the beekeepers and producers of ‘Coorg Honey’ said they want the authorities concerned to take their brand across the country and beyond and bring back the halcyon days when the hill district used to be the country’s top honey producer. After becoming the first president of Sri Ramakrishna Saradashrama in Coorg way back in 1928, Swami Shambhavananda initiated a bee-keeping project in the district knowing that the lush, hilly terrain presented an ideal setting for the practice which could also contribute to the local economy. In 1936, Swamiji set up the ‘Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Cooperative Society Ltd’, which, in time, became the first honey producers’ cooperative in the country. Over the last few years, the practice of bee-keeping and honey collection in the district has declined, to the extent that the Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Cooperative Society Ltd is now forced to procure honey from North Indian states just to keep their brand alive. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Kodira Praveen Chengappa, former president of Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Cooperative Society Ltd, said, “Everyone who comes to Coorg, which is one of the country’s top tourist destinations, wants to take home a pot of ‘Coorg Honey’. However, the beekeepers in the district are not producing honey now like they used to. Since the production has reduced, our society has little option but to buy honey from beekeepers in Chikamagaluru, Karnataka, Bihar, Punjab and other places, who collect pure and original honey. We do a strict quality check then if the honey meets our standards, we sell it under the ‘Coorg Honey’ brand name.” Advertisement Kodira Praveen Chengappa taking honey from his honey bee box. (Express Photo Darshan Devaiah BP) Apis Cerana bees, known as the honey bees of Coorg, still flock around the colourful indigenous flowers, lining the Western Ghats, drawing nectar. However, the practice of beekeeping has been severely hit. “Earlier, many trees were planted and wildflowers, including coffee blossoms, paddy, ragi, were cultivated, drawing bees by the droves. However, honey collection has been severely dented as the use of pesticides these days is killing the bees,” Chengappa said. Apiculture or beekeeping used to be one of the important farming activities in Coorg and contributed substantially to the income of local farmers. “In 1936, Shambhavananda Swamiji started the first honey producers’ co-operative in India at Virajpet in Coorg district. Later, in 1938, he founded the Ramakrishna Ashram and started to impart beekeeping lessons to local youth, who took an interest in the practice, at his office and a honey processing unit. He also sent local enthusiasts to beekeeping training centres in Pune and Coimbatore. He also marketed ‘Coorg Honey’ in Mumbai and other cities,” Chengappa said. Though the production of ‘Coorg Honey’ has declined drastically, the former boss of the co-operative said the demand for the brand remains undiminished and with a bit of hand-holding from the government and other authorities concerned, the district could return to its glory days of honey making. Advertisement Bee hive boxes kept inside a coffee estate in Coorg. (Express Photo by Darshan Devaiah BP) Traditional beekeepers, who have been harvesting honey since ages, are struggling these days as the honey bees of Coorg are declining in number, largely because of the use of pesticides. They said that radiations from mobile towers in the district are proving fatal for the bees. Nagesh, an apiarist at Bittangala village in South Coorg who has been into beekeeping for three decades, told indianexpress.com, “I request our farmers not to use pesticides as it is because of these chemicals that the honey bees are dying. I have also seen the bees dying because of radiation from mobile towers. As much as 30 to 50 per cent of bees are dying due to mobile tower radiation and another 80 per cent because of the use of pesticides.” Nestled in the midst of rolling hills and dense forests, Coorg experiences periodic shifts in climate and temperature, making it a favourable haunt for four major species of honey bees. According to Nagesh, a Coorgi, the honey tastes different as seasons roll and also at time of crop cultivation. “During the harvesting of coffee beans, the honey tastes very different compared to the season when paddy is cultivated,” Nagesh said, adding that the main four species of honey bees found in Coorg are Ponn thene (Apis dorsate) in forest areas, Potti thene (Apis cerena), Kaddi thene (Apis floria) and M ooli thene(Apis trigona), which are domesticated. Beekeepers in Coorg keep around 30 to 50 bee boxes within an area of one to one-and-a-half kilometres, depending on the source of bee forage, in their coffee estate or areca nut farms. Nagesh said bee colonies, these days, is very hard to find as they are facing the risk of a colony collapse disorder where the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear. A beekeeper in Coorg can harvest 2-3 kgs of honey from one box. “Earlier we used to harvest 10 to 20 kgs of honey from one box. During the peak time, honey can be extracted once in 15 days from one box if there are strengthened colonies. However, that is not possible now,” Nagesh said. The horticulture department has started providing Bee Hive Boxes and training to interested people at the beekeeping training centre in Bhagamandala, North Coorg. Founded in 1953, the centre provides three months of training, where students are taken through the basics of bee collecting, bee hiving and honey collecting or extraction, among other practices. Prakash Mandanna, a beekeeper who took his lessons in the practice at Bhagamandala training centre, said, “After enrolling for a training course 10 years ago, I started beekeeping. However, six years later, the bees were afflicted with diseases such as Thai sac brood. Planting of exotic trees such as Silver Oak, Eucalyptus and Acacia Auriculiformis in the coffee estates affected pollinators and altered the native flora of Coorg.” “The loss of forest cover and native trees is also an important reason for less honey bee production in Coorg. The government should focus on revival of bee production through the expansion of forest cover and forage plants in the district,” Mandanna told indianexpress.com. He said the need of the hour is for the state horticulture department to promote beekeeping among the youth in the district. “Our government has undertaken various initiatives to promote beekeeping but the problem is that people are losing interest in the practice as the bees are not available in plantations and forests now. The horticulture department should come forward and support beekeeping in Coorg,” he said. Officials in the horticulture department said various initiatives have been taken up in recent years to increase production of honey and provide subsidy to farmers interested in Apiculture. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Dr Hemalatha, senior assistant director, Horticulture (Apiculture), said, “We have three different schemes at central, state and district levels to help farmers who are interested in apiculture. As part of the state sector, we are giving a budget for beekeeping development and under the central sector scheme, we are providing pollination support. We are also giving residential beekeeping training at the Bhagamandala centre in Coorg where approximately 15 to 20 interested farmers can take a training in beekeeping every year and earn a stipend.” She said the horticulture department is also reaching out to farmers across the state, who are interested in beekeeping. “Our schemes are aimed at helping farmers interested in Apiculture and we are spreading the word through local newspapers and grama sabha meetings. Honey Mela is also organised every year in Bengaluru to promote Apiculture,” Hemalatha said.

Green push: Delhi govt to lease only e-vehicles

Green push: Delhi govt to lease only e-vehicles Kejriwal made the announcement at the launch of a new campaign -- Switch Delhi -- to spread awareness about the subsidies provided by the city administration on electric vehicles (EVs). Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that his government will, in the next six months, change its policy to lease only electric cars as part of an effort to accelerate the adoption of electric cars in the Capital. Kejriwal made the announcement at the launch of a new campaign -- Switch Delhi -- to spread awareness about the subsidies provided by the city administration on electric vehicles (EVs). The Delhi government currently leases more than 1,000 cars. Addressing a digital press conference, Kejriwal said vehicles are one of the main contributors of air pollution in the national Capital, which suffers from a chronic bad air problem. The Delhi EV policy, announced in August last year, envisages that 25% of all new vehicle registrations should be Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) by 2024. “We have to make EVs a jan andolan (mass movement) now. So, we are launching the Switch Delhi campaign today to create awareness about EVs. The idea is to convince people to switch from their current vehicles to EVs, which have zero emissions. I also urge the youth, who are looking to buy their first car or bike, to go for an EV as the Delhi government is giving huge subsidies and there is no road tax or registration charges,” Kejriwal added. The subsidies are based on battery capacity – ₹10,000 per kWh to the first 1,000 e-cars or electric four wheelers, with a cap of ₹150,000 per vehicle. Of the over 6,000 EVs (that include e-rickshaws, two-wheelers and cars) registered in the city since the policy was announced last year, only 2,653 have received the subsidies so far, data seen by HT showed. This data did not specify how many subsidies went to electric cars, but officials familiar with the matter said, “Due to the high cost involved, electric cars constitute the least of all EV sales in the city, and so, a significant proportion of subsidy on cars remains unused.” The government also announced a subsidy of ₹5,000 per kWh of the battery capacity up to a maximum of ₹30,000 for purchases of electric two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws, rickshaws and freight vehicles. The government also announced a scrapping incentive for those who make the switch -- essentially paying them for their old vehicles. The incentive, ranging from ₹5,000- ₹7,500, is offered subject to evidence of matching contribution from the dealer or (Original Equipment Manufacturer) as per the policy. The chief minister also announced that the government will soon ask for bids to set up 100 charging stations across Delhi. The Capital currently has 72 charging stations that are managed by the government, civic bodies and private power distribution companies. A senior transport department official said that a centralised tendering system will be adopted to hire an energy operator to run, maintain and upgrade charging stations. “Land-owning agencies will be required to provide land for the installation of public EV charging stations,” the official added. Kejriwal urged companies having a large fleet of vehicles to shift to EVs. “I request resident welfare associations (RWAs), market associations and delivery fleets to participate in the campaign to promote the use of EVs and switch to such vehicles. The Switch Delhi campaign also seeks to convince companies, malls, cinema halls, restaurants... to get charging stations installed,” he said. Kejriwal said around 6,000 EVs have been bought in Delhi since the city’s EV policy was announced. Thus far, the government has paid out ₹9 crore in subsidies. On August 7 last year, Kejriwal announced the Delhi EV Policy 2020, with a focus on increasing the adoption of electric vehicles by incentivising the purchase of EVs. The target was to register 500,000 EVs in the city by 2024. Currently, around 122,000 electric vehicles are registered in the Capital, of which the majority are e-rickshaws. There are 150 models of EVs available in Delhi, with the least expensive car starting at a price of around ₹900,000. “This zero emissions mandate is needed to cut air pollution... But firm milestones are needed for time bound implementation. This move is an important message for green recovery post pandemic,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment.

Inaction Endangers Health, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Fails to Take Strong Action Against Honey Adulteration

Inaction Endangers Health, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Fails to Take Strong Action Against Honey Adulteration The recent investigation that leading brands were involved in the adulteration of honey shocked Indian consumers. Despite widespread media coverage and call for regulation, the Centre for Science and Environment found that the regulatory body remains lax towards the issue. A report from MANYA SAINI. AN investigation by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in December 2020 revealed the extent of the food adulteration business in India with 17 leading producers of honey out of 22 failing the test of purity. The revelation caused widespread reverberations across the country. At a recent webinar, CSE said that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has failed to take action to combat the menace. Food adulteration is a thriving but highly nefarious business in the country. In the case of honey, CSE laboratory results showed that modified sugar syrup imported from China was mixed with pure honey. The three brands to successfully pass the test were Saffola, Markfed Sohna and Nature’s Nectar. The most significant aspect of the CSE investigation remains that the adultered honey passed all the required standard testing of the FSSAI. The sophisticated and highly evolved practices of honey adulteration have surpassed current directives and thus need heavy revision. Some of the suggestions include a focused approach towards traceability, law enforcement, public testing and regulating the import of sugar syrups. Also Read: Food Adulteration in India is Endangering Health and Boosting Business Denial and Advertising A study by TAM Media Research on advertising volumes revealed that expenditure on honey grew nine times in December 2020 as compared to November 2020. Amid the allegations and findings of CSE becoming public knowledge, leading brands took to all three mediums, print, television and digital to placate the raging consumers and assure them of the quality of their honey. Some of them even had labels strung around the honey containers saying that they were 100% pure. The sophisticated and highly evolved practices of honey adulteration have surpassed current directives and thus need heavy revision. Some of the suggestions include a focused approach towards traceability, law enforcement, public testing and regulating the import of sugar syrups. Amit Khurana, programme director, food safety and toxins unit, CSE, said, “The companies are making such claims because there is no deterrent action. This is exactly why the FSSAI should have come forward, as it is now proved that its tests can fail to detect adulteration.” Amid inaction by the regulatory body, Dabur, counted among the most trusted honey brands of the country, has launched a campaign where it has invited customers to download a purity certificate from their website. Similar is the case with Patanjali, whose founder Baba Randev has shot a television advertisement with claims that the company’s honey is assured of its quality on over 100 parameters. The two are one of the many, who have denied or undermined the findings of the laboratory tests conducted by CSE. The consumers continue to tussle with the brands, while civil society organisations call for new regulations in the honey sector. Traceability – The Way Forward Traceability, simply put, is tracing the food to its original source through a designed system and network. In a recent webinar held by the CSE, Sunita Narain, the director-general observed that while traceability exists for exported food products, a similar channel needs to be developed for food consumed and produced domestically. While organic produce finds itself held at a higher standard, the same accountability must extend to conventional products as well in the interest of public safety and nutrition. Adit Nadig, co-founder of TraceX Technologies during the webinar observed, that the added advantage of this is the empowerment of consumers who would be in a position to question and verify the claims of brands when they present their standards of purity. While organic produce finds itself held at a higher standard, the same accountability must extend to conventional products as well in the interest of public safety and nutrition. “Traceability is inescapable and it is the need of the hour,” said Tarun Bajaj, director of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). India through both policy actions of the regulatory bodies, as well as consumer awareness, needs to take active actions to combat food adulteration. Millions of people in the country buy honey and similar products associated with generations of strongly held beliefs of immunity and traditional knowledge. Food and its production must be protected, as it is deeply rooted in the health, nutrition and livelihood of the people.

1 पेड़ की कीमत 75 लाख! SC ने कहा- ऐसे तो कंगाल हो जाएगी सरकार

सुप्रीम कोर्ट की तरफ से गठित एक कमिटी ने 356 पेड़ों का मूल्य 220 करोड़ रुपए आंका है. मामला सेतु भारतमाला परियोजना के तहत 5 रेलवे ओवरब्रिज के निर्माण से जुड़ा है. नई दिल्ली: सुप्रीम कोर्ट की तरफ से गठित एक कमिटी ने बताया है कि एक पेड़ साल भर में 75 हज़ार रुपए का ऑक्सीजन और खाद पैदा करता है. इस लिहाज से पुराने और मजबूत पेड़ों की कीमत 75 लाख या उससे ज़्यादा हो सकती है. कोर्ट ने कहा है कि वह कमिटी की रिपोर्ट और दूसरे तथ्यों को ध्यान में रखते हुए सरकारी परियोजनाओं के लिए पेड़ों को काटने पर प्रोटोकॉल तैयार करेगा. मामला पश्चिम बंगाल में सेतु भारतमाला परियोजना के तहत 5 रेलवे ओवरब्रिज के निर्माण का है. इनके जरिए भारतीय सड़क नेटवर्क को बांग्लादेश और म्यांमार के सड़क नेटवर्क से जोड़ा जाना है. इससे पूर्वी एशिया के देशों के साथ व्यापारिक संबंध मज़बूत होंगे. पूर्वोत्तर भारत के आर्थिक विकास में भी तेज़ी आएगी. परियोजना के लिए 356 पेड़ काटे जाने हैं. एसोसिएशन फ़ॉर प्रोटेक्शन ऑफ डेमोक्रेटिक राइट्स नाम की संस्था ने वकील प्रशांत भूषण के ज़रिए इसका विरोध करते हुए याचिका दाखिल की है. नेशनल हाईवे 112 को रेलवे क्रॉसिंग मुक्त करने के लिए बन रहे इन ओवरब्रिजों के निर्माण का विरोध करते हुए एनजीओ ने कहा है कि जो पेड़ परियोजना के लिए काटे जाएंगे, वह काफी पुराने और मजबूत पेड़ हैं. उन्हें नहीं काटा जाना चाहिए. सरकार को आर्थिक विकास के नाम पर पर्यावरण का नुकसान करने की अनुमति नहीं दी जा सकती. सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने पुराने पेड़ों की कीमत का आकलन करने के लिए 5 पर्यावरणविदों की एक कमिटी बनाई थी. सोहम पांड्या, निशिकांत मुखर्जी, सुनीता नारायण, बिकाश कुमार माजी और निरंजिता मित्रा की इस कमिटी ने कोर्ट को बताया है कि एक पेड़ साल भर में जितना ऑक्सीजन देता है, उसकी कीमत 45 हज़ार रुपए होती है. पेड़ के चलते ज़मीन को जो पोषण मिलता है, जो कंपोस्ट खाद तैयार होती है तो उसकी सालाना उत्पादकता 75 हज़ार रुपए है. इस हिसाब से एक पुराने और मजबूत पेड़, जिसकी आयु 100 साल बाकी है, की कीमत कम से कम 75 लाख रुपए होती है. कमिटी ने 356 पेड़ों का मूल्यांकन 220 करोड़ रुपए आंका है. यह भी कहा है कि अगर आगे चल के सड़क को चौड़ा करने की योजना बनी तो 3 हज़ार करोड़ रुपए के पेड़ काटने पड़ेंगे. सुप्रीम कोर्ट के चीफ जस्टिस एस ए बोबड़े की अध्यक्षता वाली 3 जजों की बेंच ने कमिटी की तरफ से की गई मेहनत की सराहना की. लेकिन कोर्ट ने कहा, "अगर सरकारी परियोजनाओं के दौरान इस तरह से पेड़ों की कीमत कर उसे परियोजना की लागत में जोड़ने को कहा गया, तो कोई भी सरकार कंगाल हो जाएगी. इस मसले पर संतुलित तरीके से विचार कर एक प्रोटोकॉल बनाने की ज़रूरत है." विशेषज्ञ कमिटी ने यह सुझाव भी दिया है कि पेड़ को काटने की बजाय उसे जड़ समेत दूसरी जगह स्थापित करने पर ज़ोर दिया जाना चाहिए. किसी प्रोजेक्ट के लिए पेड़ काटने है पड़ें तो उसकी बजाय सिर्फ 5 पौधे लगाने की नीति गलत है. तने के ऊपरी हिस्से के आकार के आधार पर कटे पेड़ के बदले नए पौधे लगाए जाने चाहिए. यह संख्या 10 से लेकर 50 तक हो सकती है. कोर्ट ने मामले की सुनवाई फिलहाल 2 हफ्ते टाल दी है. एनजीओ के वकील और सरकार से मिल कर सरकारी परियोजनाओं के लिए पेड़ों को काटे जाने पर एक प्रोटोकॉल तैयार करने के लिए कहा है.

Age multiplied by Rs 74,500 is the cost of a tree in India: SC panel

Age multiplied by Rs 74,500 is the cost of a tree in India: SC panel A bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde had set up a committee in February to evaluate the true value of a tree. We all know that trees are priceless because they provide us with the oxygen we breathe. However, for the first time in India, guidelines on the valuation of trees has been set. A Supreme Court-appointed committee has submitted a report in this regard. According to the report submitted, a tree's monetary worth will be counted as - its age multiplied by Rs 74,500. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde had set up a committee in February to evaluate the true value of a tree, when a PIL had challenged the West Bengal government's decision to cut 356 trees to construct five railway overbridges costing Rs 500 crore. The committee comprised Soham Pandya, B K Maji, Niranjita Mitra, N K Mukarji and Sunita Narain. The committee members in January 2020 were asked by the Bench to determine the economic value of trees, based on cost of oxygen they release, and other benefits to the environment. The five-member committee of experts added that a heritage tree with a lifespan of well over 100 years could be valued at more than Rs 1 crore. The report was filed in February last year but made public on Wednesday.

Supreme Court seek response from Centre, West Bengal Govt, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights on valuation of trees

Supreme Court seek response from Centre, West Bengal Govt, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights on valuation of trees The court was hearing an appeal of the NGO, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) against the final order of the Calcutta High Court which allowed the felling of 356 trees for the construction of Railway over bridges on NH 35 in West Bengal. The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought response from the central government, West Bengal government and the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights on the report submitted by a committee setting a guideline on the valuation of trees. The bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justices A.S Bopanna and V.Ramasubramanian was hearing an appeal of the NGO, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) against the final order of the Calcutta High Court which allowed the felling of 356 trees for the construction of Railway over bridges on NH 35 in West Bengal. The Apex Court on January 9, 2020 constituted a committee of 5 namely Nishikant Mukerji (managing director, Tiger Environment Centre), Soham Pandya, (secretary and executive director at the Centre of Science for Villages), Sunita Narain(director, Centre for Science and Environment), Bikash Kumar Maji (assistant chief engineer, ROB unit, West Bengal government) and Niranjita Mitra (division forest officer, North 24 Parganas) to examine the issue of loss of trees and to consider the alternatives to the proposed felling of heritage trees. The Expert Committee in compliance of the Courts order has submitted a report taking into account a Cost/Benefit analysis and the capital. The report takes into account the financial value of a full grown tree, which is often ignored by project proponents. As per their analysis, the value of 300 full grown trees which are cut 100 years before their natural age is at least 2.2 billion (220 crores). Also Read: Native challengers to WhatsApp, Twitter The committee has further said, “from the available information and the site visit, what is clear is that these are not ordinary trees. This matter concerns the protection of what can be called ‘historical trees’, which have ‘Irreplaceable value’. Compensatory afforestation cannot replace trees of this value.” The Court also expressed its inclination towards laying down a protocol to be followed for such projects and to make sure that alternatives are considered which are less environmentally damaging.

सुप्रीम कोर्ट की समिति ने बताया आखिर कितनी होती है एक पेड़ की कीमत

सुप्रीम कोर्ट की समिति ने बताया आखिर कितनी होती है एक पेड़ की कीमत अगर आप पेड़ की आर्थिक कीमत जानना चाहते हैं तो यह 74,500 रुपये प्रति वर्ष होती है। यानी पेड़ जितने साल पुराना है, उसको 74,500 रुपये से गुणा कर लें। अब जो रकम आती है, वह उस पेड़ की आर्थिक कीमत है। अभी से पहले भारत में एक पेड़ की आर्थिक कीमत का पता लगाना मुश्किल था, लेकिन अब सुप्रीम कोर्ट द्वारा गठित एक समिति ने पेड़ों की कीमत को लेकर गाइडलाइंस जारी कर दी है। एक करोड़ रुपये से अधिक हो सकती है 100 साल पुराने पेड़ की कीमत समिति ने कहा कि 100 साल से अधिक पुराने पेड़ की कीमत एक करोड़ रुपये से अधिक हो सकती है। इस हिसाब से कई बार जिस प्रोजेक्ट के लिए सैकड़ों पेड़ काटे जाते हैं, वह पूरा प्रोजेक्ट काटे जाने वाले पेड़ों की आर्थिक और पर्यावरणीय कीमत से कम का होता है। सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने पिछले साल जनवरी में पेड़ों से मिलने वाली ऑक्सीजन और दूसरे फायदों के आधार पर कीमत का पता लगाने के लिए समिति गठित की थी। पेड़ों की कीमत सिर्फ लकड़ी के दामों से तय नहीं की जा सकती पेड़ की कीमत सिर्फ लकड़ी के दामों से तय नहीं की जा सकती पेड़ की कीमत हिंदुस्तान टाइम्स के अनुसार, इस समिति ने मुख्य न्यायाधीश एसए बोबड़े वाली बेंच को अपनी रिपोर्ट सौंप दी थी। बेंच ने कहा कि पेड़ों की कीमत सिर्फ उनसे मिलने वाली लकड़ी के दामों के आधार पर नहीं लगाई जा सकती। इसके लिए पेड़ों से होने वाले फायदों को भी देखने की जरूरत है। सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने पश्चिम बंगाल में पांच रेलवे ओवरब्रिज के लिए काटे जाने वाले 365 पेड़ों से जुड़े की मामले की सुनवाई के दौरान समिति बनाई थी। समिति ये लोग थे समिति में शामिल इस समिति में टाइगर एन्वायरमेंट सेंटर के प्रबंधक निदेशक निशिकांत मुखर्जी, सेंटर ऑफ साइंस फॉर विलेज के सचिव सोहम पांड्या, सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट की निदेशक सुनीता नारायण, पश्चिम बंगाल सरकार में रेलवे ओवरब्रिज यूनिट के सहायक मुख्य इंजीनियर विकास कुमार माजी और 24 उत्तरी परगना के डिविजन फॉरेस्ट ऑफिसर निरंजित मित्रा को शामिल किया गया था। समिति ने पिछले साल फरवरी में अपनी रिपोर्ट कोर्ट को सौंपी थी, लेकिन अब इसे सार्वजनिक किया गया है। रिपोर्ट हर साल 45,000 रुपये की ऑक्सीजन देता है एक पेड़- समिति समिति ने कहा है कि एक पेड़ की साल की आर्थिक कीमत 74,500 रुपये होती है। इनमें से 45,000 रुपये सिर्फ ऑक्सीजन और 20,000 रुपये जैव उर्वरकों के होते हैं। सूक्ष्म पोषक तत्व और खाद को मिला दें तो कई पेड़ों के दाम उन प्रोजेक्ट्स की कीमत से ज्यादा हो जाते हैं, जिसके लिए इन्हें काटा जाता है। पश्चिम बंगाल के पेड़ काटने के प्रस्ताव पर समिति ने कहा कि इन पेड़ों की कुल कीमत 220 करोड़ रुपये होती है। समिति की सिफारिश कोर्ट ने अभी तक स्वीकार नहीं की सिफारिशें कोर्ट ने अभी तक स्वीकार नहीं की सिफारिशें बता दें कि सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने अभी तक यह रिपोर्ट स्वीकार नहीं की है और केंद्र सरकार, पश्चिम बंगाल सरकार और मामले में शामिल एक NGO से प्रतिक्रिया मांगी है। कोर्ट ने बुधवार को सुनवाई के दौरान कहा, "समिति की सिफारिशें सरकारों को दिवालिया कर देंगी। इसलिए हमें कुछ सुझावों में सुधार की जरूरत है।" समिति ने अपनी सिफारिशों में यह भी कहा है पेड़ों को काटने की बजाय उन्हें दूसरी जगह शिफ्ट करने पर ध्यान दिया जाना चाहिए। जानकारी दो सप्ताह बाद अगली सुनवाई वहीं सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने प्रयासों के लिए समिति की सराहना करते हुए कहा कि इसने भविष्य के प्रोजेक्टों के लिए कई गाइडलाइंस तय की है। अब दो सप्ताह बाद इस मामले की अगली सुनवाई होगी, तब तक संबंधित पक्षों के जवाब आ जाएंगे।

Monetary worth: Kashmir’s Chinar may value ₹2.49 crore

The Chinar trees of Naseem Bagh planted by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan are nearly 335 years old and each one of them may cost up to 2.49 crore ( 24.9 million) rupees, according to a monetary assessment made by a Supreme Court-appointed committee. Kashmir is home to nearly 35,400 Chinar trees – which is classified as Royal Tree of Kashmir and requires lopping permission from the administration – some of which were five to six centuries ago. The Supreme Court-appointed committee put the monetary worth of a tree at 74,500 rupees multiplied by its age, setting a guideline for the first time in India on the valuation of trees, reported Hindustan Times. Out of this, as per the report, the cost of oxygen alone is ₹45,000, followed by the cost of biofertilisers, which are worth ₹20,000. Men walking during heavy snowfall in Srinagar. Photograph by Umer Asif for The Kashmir Walla. The report was submitted before a Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, that had asked the committee to determine the economic value of trees based on the cost of oxygen they release and other benefits to the environment. The report added that the five-member committee of experts added that a heritage tree with a lifespan of well over 100 years could be valued at more than ₹1 crore. It also claimed that the monetary value of a project is sometimes far less than the economic and environmental worth of the felled trees. The court was hearing a case relating to cutting down of 356 trees for construction of five railway over-bridges (ROBs) in West Bengal, appointed a committee of five experts — Nishikant Mukerji (managing director, Tiger Environment Centre), Soham Pandya, (secretary and executive director at the Centre of Science for Villages), Sunita Narain (director, Centre for Science and Environment), Bikash Kumar Maji (assistant chief engineer, ROB unit, West Bengal government) and Niranjita Mitra (division forest officer, North 24 Parganas).

India, France, and a Night of Ideas to come CLOSE/R

Purana Qila, Delhi. 28th January, 8:00 pm. With the amazingly illuminated Purana Qila in the background, the French institute in India organized the Night of Ideas for the third consecutive year. The goal of the Night of ideas (“La Nuit des idées”) is to celebrate the stream of ideas between countries, cultures and generations on diverse topics. This year, from Fiji to San Francisco via India and Tel Aviv, as the night progressed, the public embarked on an exceptional 24-hour digital experience for a true round-the-world trip of thought. But while all the Nights across the world were primarily are online, in Delhi the French institute in India took up the challenge of organizing an outdoor, on-site event, attended, among other dignitaries, by Ms Barbara Pompili, French Minister of Ecological Transition, on the occasion of her maiden official visit to India. It was a chilly winter evening in Delhi when Minister Barbara Pompili arrived on stage accompanied by the French Ambassador, Mr Emmanuel Lenain. But the ambience was so warm with the light of the full moon overhead that despite the low temperature, the enthusiasm of the public and the speakers alike warmed hearts. “Close(r)” was the topic chosen for this year’s Night of Ideas to debate on how the Covid crisis separates us physically (social distancing, closure of borders) but at the same time unites us. And how in this context, our relationship to time and space has changed over the past year. After a mouth-watering nocturnal stroll in the populated food streets of Old Delhi with Chef Manish Mehrotra and Ambassador Lenain, the first debate started with four eminent speakers. French Minister Barbara Pompili pointed out how the pandemic had highlighted the multiple links of interdependency in our lives, and the need to face the consequences of our actions on climate change and act to address them. When the moderator, journalist Sahar Zaman, asked Ms Pompili how the ecological crisis is a challenge for the conception of humankind as a species, the Minister underlined: “With the Covid-19 pandemic, maybe for the first time ever, we have realised a very simple truth: we are all in the same boat. There is no planet B. And, for me, it is a turning point in the way we cope with the ecological crisis. I believe we can write another future for our planet and generations to come. We have this window of opportunity. It is a small one. But I sense a collective will to succeed, together, as a species. To change our culture of life, to redefine the position we give ourselves in this world.” Surrounded by doyens of their fields, the Minister interacted with Dr Sunita Narain, ecological activist, Dr Susmita Mohanty, spaceship designer, and author and parliamentarian, Dr Shashi Tharoor. Dr Mohanty said that “we have to recalibrate our perception of time as homo sapiens”. Shashi Tharoor asked “Have we really become closer?! He added, “Solidarity is not an instinctive response to Covid, we are moving away from great solidarity with the battle for the vaccine”. After an aesthetically conceived documentary produced by the Alliance française on <em>Hyderabad by Night,</em> torn between the flyovers and the karst landscape, the second debate welcomed the famous Prof. Françoise Combe, specialist of cosmology and galaxies at Collège de France, and innovator and engineer Sonam Wangchuk from Ladakh. Prof. Combe shared:” The 21st century explored not only the solar system but we discovered millions of galaxies where we can expect that some life, as bacteria, probably exists among the other 4000 planets”. Sonam cautioned us that the geological and climate situation in the Himalayas is an “SOS message to the world”. As the audience curled up in warm customised shawls offered by the French institute in India, the Indian artist Natasha Sachdeva questioned her body in space in a normative world. Moving on from environment and science, the next discussion focused on culture, history and economy. Actress Nandita Das, economist Sanjeev Sanyal, writer William Dalrymple, and political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot exchanged views on the changes in our cultural habits of interaction, and the difficulty for economists to plan the future. Sanjeev Sanyal noticed that there is a positive impact of Covid the last ten months: “the Indian ministries often compared to silos” have to work together. He remined us that “traditionally India used to organize huge meetings such as Kumbh Mela in the largest scale” and wishes that “this way of working, continues between the Centre and state governments.” As the audience curled up in warm customised shawls offered by the French institute in India, the Indian artist Natasha Sachdeva questioned her body in space in a normative world. Moving on from environment and science, the next discussion focused on culture, history and economy. Actress Nandita Das, economist Sanjeev Sanyal, writer William Dalrymple, and political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot exchanged views on the changes in our cultural habits of interaction, and the difficulty for economists to plan the future. Sanjeev Sanyal noticed that there is a positive impact of Covid the last ten months: “the Indian ministries often compared to silos” have to work together. He remined us that “traditionally India used to organize huge meetings such as Kumbh Mela in the largest scale” and wishes that “this way of working, continues between the Centre and state governments.”

FSSAI has not taken strong action against honey adulteration, CSE says

FSSAI has not taken strong action against honey adulteration, CSE says CHENNAI: The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Thursday that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has not taken adequate action on the issue of honey adulteration. An investigation in December 2020 by the CSE unravelled the ‘food fraud’. The finding revealed that 77% of honey samples (17/22), which the CSE got tested in Indian and German laboratories, had failed the tests of purity and were found adulterated with sugar syrups. Only three out of 13 brands had passed all tests. The brands that passed were Saffola, Markfed Sohna, and Nature’s Nectar (one sample). The brands that failed included Dabur, Patanjali, Apis, Zandu, Baidyanath, Hitkary, Dadev, Indigenous, Hi Honey and Societe Naturelle. “We are concerned about the way the FSSAI has addressed this issue. There is no strong and public action to send the right message to honey-selling companies and reassure consumers,” said Sunita Narain, director general, CSE, in a release. “While some actions are being considered, there is no clear message from the FSSAI that there exist such syrups that can bypass Indian standards. In such a situation, the companies continue to claim that their honey passes all FSSAI parameters and thus mislead the consumers,” said Narain. The CSE investigation also highlighted the fact that laboratory tests conducted as per the FSSAI’s standards could not detect adulteration in honey samples. The CSE has called for regulating syrup imports, public testing, better enforcement and traceability to check this nefarious business of honey adulteration. “Honey adulteration not only impacts our health, but also our livelihood and food productivity," said Amit Khurana, programme director, food safety and toxins unit, CSE. It shared laboratory results of two additional samples with the FSSAI on December 17, 2020. These results showed very clearly that deliberate adulteration of up to 50% with sugar syrups was not detectable by the specific marker test for rice syrup (SMR), the CSE said. “This has put paid to the FSSAI’s contention (as declared in a meeting on December 4 with the CSE team) that conducting the SMR test is important to detect adulteration with rice syrup. Our additional tests -- along with the tests on the spiked samples conducted previously – show that modified syrups have been designed to bypass the Indian standards of 2020,” said Khurana. CSE researchers pointed out that the FSSAI had written to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Department of Revenue, to make mandatory the end use declaration by importers as per HS (harmonized system) codes. It has also commissioned a study and asked for data from companies. "Besides these actions, it has convened a meeting with experts from its scientific panel, which focused on revision of standards (developed over the last several years and considered better compared to other countries)," said the release. The CSE investigation received responses from across the country and the world – ranging from consumers of honey, to agencies like the Central Consumer Protection Authority, National Human Rights Commission, etc. Most of these responses have called for necessary action by the FSSAI. "Following the expose by the CSE, media reports quoting Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) have pointed to the likelihood of action on sugar syrup imports from China. If syrup imports are regulated, it will solve one part of the problem as syrups are now being manufactured in India as well. Therefore, we need better enforcement and traceability of honey,” said Khurana. “It is clear that the business of adulteration has constantly evolved to beat laboratory tests. While India needs to regulate syrup imports, it also needs better public testing, enforcement and traceability in the honey sector. We need food to work for our nutrition; for nature and for livelihoods of communities," said Narain.

Coorg beekeepers rue decline in honey trade, seek govt hand-holding for revival

Coorg beekeepers rue decline in honey trade, seek govt hand-holding for revival The beekeepers and producers of ‘Coorg Honey’ said they want the authorities concerned to take their brand across the country and beyond and bring back the halcyon days when the hill district used to be the country’s top honey producer. Be sweet with Coorg Honey. Those were the words of Sri Shambhavananda Swamiji from Sri Ramakrishna Mission who developed a unique method of bee-keeping known as ‘Coorg Standard Hive’ in the hilly district of south Karnataka-Coorg (Kodagu). Now, the beekeepers want the state government to not only make the practice sustainable but also go big on promoting brand ‘Coorg Honey’. Citing a recent investigation by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which found that honey sold by major brands in India was laced with modified sugar syrup, the beekeepers and producers of ‘Coorg Honey’ said they want the authorities concerned to take their brand across the country and beyond and bring back the halcyon days when the hill district used to be the country’s top honey producer. After becoming the first president of Sri Ramakrishna Saradashrama in Coorg way back in 1928, Swami Shambhavananda initiated a bee-keeping project in the district knowing that the lush, hilly terrain presented an ideal setting for the practice which could also contribute to the local economy. In 1936, Swamiji set up the ‘Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd’, which, in time, became the first honey producers’ co-operative in the country. Over the last few years, the practice of bee-keeping and honey collection in the district has declined, to the extent that the Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd is now forced to procure honey from North Indian states just to keep their brand alive. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Kodira Praveen Chengappa, former president of Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd, said, “Everyone who comes to Coorg, which is one of the country’s top tourist destinations, wants to take home a pot of ‘Coorg Honey’. However, the beekeepers in the district are not producing honey now like they used to. Since the production has reduced, our society has little option but to buy honey from beekeepers in Chikamagaluru, Karnataka, Bihar, Punjab and other places, who collect pure and original honey. We do a strict quality check then if the honey meets our standards, we sell it under the ‘Coorg Honey’ brand name.” Advertisement Kodira Praveen Chengappa taking honey from his honey bee box. (Express Photo Darshan Devaiah BP) Apis Cerana bees, known as the honey bees of Coorg, still flock around the colourful indigenous flowers, lining the Western Ghats, drawing nectar. However, the practice of beekeeping has been severely hit. “Earlier, many trees were planted and wildflowers, including coffee blossoms, paddy, ragi, were cultivated, drawing bees by the droves. However, honey collection has been severely dented as the use of pesticides these days is killing the bees,” Chengappa said. Apiculture or beekeeping used to be one of the important farming activities in Coorg and contributed substantially to the income of local farmers. “In 1936, Shambhavananda Swamiji started the first honey producers’ co-operative in India at Virajpet in Coorg district. Later, in 1938, he founded the Ramakrishna Ashram and started to impart beekeeping lessons to local youth, who took an interest in the practice, at his office and a honey processing unit. He also sent local enthusiasts to beekeeping training centres in Pune and Coimbatore. He also marketed ‘Coorg Honey’ in Mumbai and other cities,” Chengappa said. Though the production of ‘Coorg Honey’ has declined drastically, the former boss of the co-operative said the demand for the brand remains undiminished and with a bit of hand-holding from the government and other authorities concerned, the district could return to its glory days of honey making. Advertisement Bee hive boxes kept inside a coffee estate in Coorg. (Express Photo by Darshan Devaiah BP) Traditional beekeepers, who have been harvesting honey since ages, are struggling these days as the honey bees of Coorg are declining in number, largely because of the use of pesticides. They said that radiations from mobile towers in the district are proving fatal for the bees. Nagesh, an apiarist at Bittangala village in South Coorg who has been into beekeeping for three decades, told indianexpress.com, “I request our farmers not to use pesticides as it is because of these chemicals that the honey bees are dying. I have also seen the bees dying because of radiation from mobile towers. As much as 30 to 50 per cent of bees are dying due to mobile tower radiation and another 80 per cent because of the use of pesticides.” Nestled in the midst of rolling hills and dense forests, Coorg experiences periodic shifts in climate and temperature, making it a favourable haunt for four major species of honey bees. According to Nagesh, a Coorgi, the honey tastes different as seasons roll and also at time of crop cultivation. “During the harvesting of coffee beans, the honey tastes very different compared to the season when paddy is cultivated,” Nagesh said, adding that the main four species of honey bees found in Coorg are Ponn thene (Apis dorsate) in forest areas, Potti thene (Apis cerena), Kaddi thene (Apis floria) and M ooli thene(Apis trigona), which are domesticated. Beekeepers in Coorg keep around 30 to 50 bee boxes within an area of one to one-and-a-half kilometres, depending on the source of bee forage, in their coffee estate or areca nut farms. Nagesh said bee colonies, these days, is very hard to find as they are facing the risk of a colony collapse disorder where the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear. A beekeeper in Coorg can harvest 2-3 kgs of honey from one box. “Earlier we used to harvest 10 to 20 kgs of honey from one box. During the peak time, honey can be extracted once in 15 days from one box if there are strengthened colonies. However, that is not possible now,” Nagesh said. The horticulture department has started providing Bee Hive Boxes and training to interested people at the beekeeping training centre in Bhagamandala, North Coorg. Founded in 1953, the centre provides three months of training, where students are taken through the basics of bee collecting, bee hiving and honey collecting or extraction, among other practices. Prakash Mandanna, a beekeeper who took his lessons in the practice at Bhagamandala training centre, said, “After enrolling for a training course 10 years ago, I started beekeeping. However, six years later, the bees were afflicted with diseases such as Thai sac brood. Planting of exotic trees such as Silver Oak, Eucalyptus and Acacia Auriculiformis in the coffee estates affected pollinators and altered the native flora of Coorg.” “The loss of forest cover and native trees is also an important reason for less honey bee production in Coorg. The government should focus on revival of bee production through the expansion of forest cover and forage plants in the district,” Mandanna told indianexpress.com. He said the need of the hour is for the state horticulture department to promote beekeeping among the youth in the district. “Our government has undertaken various initiatives to promote beekeeping but the problem is that people are losing interest in the practice as the bees are not available in plantations and forests now. The horticulture department should come forward and support beekeeping in Coorg,” he said. Officials in the horticulture department said various initiatives have been taken up in recent years to increase production of honey and provide subsidy to farmers interested in Apiculture. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Dr Hemalatha, senior assistant director, Horticulture (Apiculture), said, “We have three different schemes at central, state and district levels to help farmers who are interested in apiculture. As part of the state sector, we are giving a budget for beekeeping development and under the central sector scheme, we are providing pollination support. We are also giving residential beekeeping training at the Bhagamandala centre in Coorg where approximately 15 to 20 interested farmers can take a training in beekeeping every year and earn a stipend.” She said the horticulture department is also reaching out to farmers across the state, who are interested in beekeeping. “Our schemes are aimed at helping farmers interested in Apiculture and we are spreading the word through local newspapers and grama sabha meetings. Honey Mela is also organised every year in Bengaluru to promote Apiculture,” Hemalatha said.