English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

Chennai water crisis worsens; Madras HC slams TN govt, CM says media exaggerating problem

Published

on

Chennai water crisis worsens; Madras HC slams TN govt, CM says media exaggerating problem

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A year after a NITI Aayog report said India is facing the worst water crisis in its history and 21 Indian cities will run out of groundwater by next year (2020), the fact has hit home in Chennai which is reeling under a severe water crisis.

While Tamil Nadu (TN) chief minister K Palaniswami blamed media for creating an “illusion” of water scarcity in Chennai, the crisis in the city and around got worse as its reservoirs ran completely dry, while the distress has already forced over 100 hostels, many hotels and restaurants to shut down temporarily, Chennai metro to turn off air conditioning in the stations and offices telling their staff to work from home.

The Madras High Court has also come down heavily on the Tamil Nadu government for not taking adequate measures to address the severe water crisis in the state. The court had earlier sought a reply from the Tamil Nadu government on measures taken to address the water crisis. The HC observed that the government did not take adequate steps even though the water crisis in the wake of poor monsoon was expected.

The high court was hearing a petition on the exploitation of groundwater for commercial purposes.

While the Tamil Nadu government said it took steps to handle the crisis (like allotting Rs 212 crore for digging deep borewells), the court directed the Public Works Department (PWD) secretary in the case to submit a state-wide comprehensive report on the number of reservoirs in the state, steps taken for desilting, amount sanctioned, and status of those works.

These facts notwithstanding, Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami yesterday (Tuesday, June 18) reportedly said: “People should also understand the situation and cooperate. The media should not create an illusion of water scarcity using some stray incidents.”

Palaniswami also said drought and deficient monsoon had resulted in depletion of groundwater levels, but maintained that the issue wasn’t big. The CM said the state was largely dependent on ground water to meet the requirements till the onset of northeast monsoon in October.

“The [northeast] monsoon will arrive only by October-November. Till then we have to meet the requirements only from groundwater sources,” he said.

A day before this, Rural and Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani said that the news reports of IT employees being requested to work from home due to water crisis was ‘manufactured’ and that authorities are capable of maintaining required water supply in Chennai until November.

TN Hariharan, managing director of Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board, told The Indian Express that the crisis is not as disturbing as it is being projected.

He said that regular supply of water from Chennai metro water was 830 million litres a day (MLD) and has now come down to 525 MLD. Hariharan added that the water sources such as Sholavaram, Red Hills and Chemabarambakkam lakes have totally dried up. However, they are maintaining water supply through other sources and it can be managed till November.

However, reports from Chennai said water shortage has severely hit not just the residents, but several industries too. So far, nearly 100 hostels in Chennai’s neighbourhoods have been shut down. As per the Chennai Hostel Owners’ Welfare Association, 350 owners of at least 100 hostels have stopped the operations and asked residents to leave the establishment, the Indian Express (IE) reported.

More hostels would be closed down in the next few weeks if the water crisis does not abate, KS Manoharan, the secretary of the association, told IE.

Shobana Madhavan, president of the association, said despite booking private tankers weeks ago, many hostel owners are still waiting for water. To make matters worse, the private water tankers have also increased their rate to to Rs 3,500-4,000, which was earlier Rs 1500, she told IE.

Another industry hit by the water shortage is the IT sector. Many IT firms have asked their employees to work from home. Restaurants too have drastically cut-down their operations.

Residents have had to stand in line for hours to get water from government tanks. The water shortage has led to violent clashes leading to two deaths in the city, according to reports.

The acute water shortage has forced the city to scramble for urgent solutions, including drilling new boreholes.

But the big concern is the dry reservoirs and low groundwater levels. Groundwater reserves came to the rescue earlier, but their depletion has added to woes.

In its report “Composite Water Management Index (CWMI)” in June 2018, National  Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog said India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history and 21 Indian cities – including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad – will run out of groundwater by next year, 2020, affecting 100 million people; 40 percent of India’s population will have no access to drinking water by 2030, the report said.

The report said millions of lives and livelihoods are under threat as 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress and about two lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water.

It said the crisis is only going to worse.  By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual ~6% loss in the country’s GDP.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Actor Imran Khan asked to leave India after CJP protest

Actor Imran Khan has been asked to leave India by October 28, days after participating in a protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Mumbai.

Published

on

Actor Imran Khan, nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, has been asked to leave India by the Mumbai Police, days after participating in a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Mumbai.

According to the notice, the actor has been given until October 28 to leave the country. The development follows his participation in the demonstration, which brought the actor into the spotlight over his involvement in a political protest.

Imran Khan is believed to hold US citizenship and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card rather than full Indian citizenship, according to the report.

What led to the notice against Imran Khan?

The notice came days after Imran Khan joined a protest called by the CJP in Mumbai. The group, described as a satirical political organisation, had called for the demonstration.

The actor’s participation was followed by action from the authorities, with the Mumbai Police directing him to leave India by the specified deadline.

The notice does not, by itself, mean that the actor has already left the country or has been deported. October 28 is the deadline mentioned for his departure.

Imran Khan and his citizenship status

Imran Khan is known for his work in Hindi films, including Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na and Delhi Belly. He is also the nephew of actor Aamir Khan.

The report states that Imran Khan is believed to be a US citizen and hold an OCI card. OCI status does not confer Indian citizenship, although it provides eligible foreign citizens of Indian origin with specified privileges under Indian law.

The notice directing the actor to leave India follows his participation in the Mumbai protest. The reported development has brought attention to the intersection of immigration rules and the participation of foreign nationals in political demonstrations.

Continue Reading

India News

Election Commission orders voter roll revision in 17 states, UTs

The Election Commission has ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 17 states and Union Territories. Draft rolls are scheduled for November 12, with final rolls due on January 4, 2027.

Published

on

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 states and Union Territories, with the exercise aimed at facilitating voter registration and including eligible electors who may have been left out during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The order was issued on Thursday, October 15, amid continuing political controversy over the SIR process and concerns raised by opposition parties regarding the exclusion of names from electoral rolls.

Under the announced schedule, January 1, 2027, will be the qualifying date for the revision. The draft electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on November 12, while the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027. Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, two states included in the exercise, are scheduled to go to the polls by February 2027.

Which states and Union Territories are covered?

The Special Summary Revision will cover the following 17 states and Union Territories:

  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • Assam
  • Bihar
  • Chhattisgarh
  • Goa
  • Gujarat
  • Kerala
  • Lakshadweep
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Manipur
  • Puducherry
  • Punjab
  • Rajasthan
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Uttarakhand
  • West Bengal

The Election Commission’s order follows earlier instructions issued to state election officials on September 29 to undertake a special drive to enrol eligible voters who had been left out, along with young and first-time electors.

Why has the Election Commission ordered the revision?

The announcement comes amid protests and political disagreements over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have raised concerns about names being excluded during the exercise.

Another point of contention has been an additional declaration required from applicants submitting Form 6 for voter enrolment while the SIR was underway. The declaration required applicants to map their parents to the last SIR, which was conducted around 20 years ago.

The Election Commission had clarified on October 7 that the additional declaration applied only in states and Union Territories where the SIR was being conducted. It said the regular forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would apply outside the SIR period.

The latest SSR order refers to applications for inclusion through Form 6 but does not mention the additional declaration.

What happens in states not covered by the current schedule?

The Election Commission has said that the schedule for the Special Summary Revision will be announced later in states and Union Territories where the SIR is ongoing or has recently been completed.

These include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and Telangana.

For Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, where the SIR has not yet started, the schedule for electoral roll revision will be announced in due course, taking local weather conditions into account.

The Election Commission’s latest order sets out a separate timeline for the 17 states and Union Territories covered by the current SSR exercise, while leaving the schedules for the other regions to be announced later.

Continue Reading

India News

India-US trade deal first phase finalised, drafting underway

The first phase of the India-US trade agreement has been finalised and is undergoing legal drafting, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said. The deal is expected to be operationalised once India secures a competitive advantage over peer countries.

Published

on

The first phase of the proposed India-US trade agreement has been finalised and is undergoing legal drafting, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. However, the agreement is yet to be fully finalised and implemented, with India seeking a competitive advantage over other countries before putting it into operation.

Speaking at the SRCC Centenary Conclave in New Delhi, Goyal said the first tranche of the bilateral agreement had been finalised and was going through the legal drafting process. He expressed hope that the process would be completed soon.

The minister said implementation would follow once India secured a comparable or competitive advantage over its peer countries in the American market.

India seeks an advantage over competing exporters

India wants its exporters to receive favourable market access and tariff terms compared with competitors. Goyal’s remarks indicate that the relative position of Indian goods in the US market remains an important consideration before the agreement becomes operational.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also spoke about the negotiations at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum this week. He said the discussions were approaching a possible resolution but noted that India’s position relative to competing economies remained an issue.

Jaishankar said the outcome would depend partly on the terms negotiated between India and the United States and partly on how India fares against other competing economies.

Trade negotiations moving forward, says Commerce Secretary

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said the negotiations were progressing in the right direction and that both countries hoped to conclude and sign the agreement at the earliest possible time.

He explained that the signing would depend on the formalisation of the broader tariff structure in the United States. Parallel work was also underway in Washington, including processes linked to Section 301.

Agrawal indicated that the two sides would move towards signing the agreement at a mutually agreed time after the relevant tariff framework was formalised.

Earlier this month, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said India and the United States were working to resolve outstanding issues, although an agreement was not imminent at that point.

India-US trade talks and bilateral relations

India and the United States have been negotiating the proposed bilateral trade pact since early 2025. The discussions aim to address tariff-related differences, reduce non-tariff barriers and improve market access between the two countries.

The negotiations have taken place against the backdrop of broader strains in bilateral relations, including disputes over tariffs and differences concerning other policy issues.

While the finalisation of the first tranche marks progress in the negotiations, the agreement still needs to move through the remaining legal and procedural steps before it can be signed and implemented.

The next steps will depend on the completion of legal drafting, the finalisation of the US tariff framework and the two countries’ agreement on the terms governing the pact.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com