Latest news with #1981
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
City's only abattoir shut for flouting environmental norms
PUNE: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has ordered the closure of Pune's only civic-run slaughterhouse at Kondhwa for allegedly violating environmental norms. The facility, operated by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), was shut on Tuesday evening following an inspection that revealed direct discharge of untreated effluents into the city's drainage network, which eventually flows into the Mula-Mutha river via Bhairoba Nalla. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has ordered the closure of Pune's only civic-run slaughterhouse at Kondhwa for allegedly violating environmental norms. (HT) The complete closure operations, being implemented from Wednesday, has sparked concern among traders and butchers over potential meat shortages in both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, especially when the month of Ashad as per Hindu calendar has started, with demand for meat going up. Fears have also been raised over a possible surge in illegal animal slaughter, which poses a serious public health risk due to the absence of ante-mortem inspection meant to prevent diseased or unfit animals from entering the food chain. The MPCB issued the closure order on June 24, followed by a prosecution notice on June 30, under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Officials confirmed that the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) disconnected the electricity supply as part of the enforcement. However, the slaughterhouse continued operations using a diesel generator, in violation of the order. Additionally, PMC failed to disconnect the water supply as mandated. An MPCB official said, 'The facility has been discharging waste directly into drainage lines, which has been entering residential drainage systems. PMC's failure to comply with repeated instructions has now led to the closure. Since Wednesday, slaughtering activity has completely stopped.' The abattoir has a sanctioned capacity to process 150 large animals and 200 small animals per day, though it rarely operates at full capacity. However, it remains the only operational slaughterhouse for meat vendors across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. PMC levies a nominal charge of ₹80 for large animals and ₹15 for small animals per slaughter. Now, with the closure, butchers are facing a crisis. The MPCB's crackdown followed complaints from residents of Nancy Garden and nearby areas in Wanowrie on February 28, 2025. An inspection was conducted the same day, and directions issued. Closure orders followed on May 8 and were reiterated on June 24, followed by prosecution action. Regional officer B. M. Kukade of MPCB said, 'PMC has failed to comply with consent conditions and has been willfully causing pollution, endangering public and aquatic health. The civic body and those responsible for daily operations have been asked to explain why prosecution should not be launched under the Water Act.' Widespread Impact The shutdown has disrupted meat supply to lakhs of consumers and rendered several families, dependent on the meat trade, without livelihood. Local butcher Sadiq Qureshi said, 'The slaughterhouse has existed since British times. The Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) was installed in 2013 following government directions. Residential societies came up later in the area, and during the monsoon, their drainage systems - connected to slaughterhouse lines - got clogged. This was later made into an issue.' Qureshi added that community members met MPCB and PMC officials and submitted a request to restart the facility. 'Hundreds of families will lose income if the slaughterhouse remains shut,' he said. According to PMC officials, the slaughterhouse machinery is 10-15 years old and suffers frequent breakdowns. A proposal to privatise the facility was made two years ago, but it was not approved due to administrative hurdles. PMC has now appointed M/s MITCON as consultants to upgrade the plant. Plans are underway to expand the ETP capacity from 60 KLD to 150 KLD and install a new blood processing unit of 5 KLD capacity. PMC promises compliance Dr Sarika Funde-Bhosale, chief veterinary officer, PMC, said, 'We will comply with all MPCB directives. The procurement process for augmenting the ETP and installing the blood processing unit has begun. These facilities will be operational soon.' She further said that due to the shutdown of the Kondhwa facility, around 100 animals per day are no longer being slaughtered. 'This was communicated to the MPCB. Meanwhile, bio-waste from earlier operations is being processed as compost with the help of JCB and Hyva machines as per PMC's general body resolution,' she added.
Fox News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
MORNING GLORY: When Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic controllers, voters never forgot. Nor did the Soviets
In 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) left their posts and went on strike. 13,000 of the 17,500 members of PATCO went out to the picket line, seeking higher wages, more benefits, a 32-hour workweek and exemption from various Civil Service rules. Approximately 13,000 of the 17,500 PATCO members participated. The problem: The strike was illegal and federal law clearly said so. President Ronald Reagan issued the strikers an ultimatum: Get back to work or be fired. Some returned. Most did not and most were fired. Reagan was going to enforce the law. Many noticed the firmness with which Reagan acted and how quickly he did so, especially the Soviets, who never doubted Reagan's word thereafter. The PATCO strikers of 1981 were replaced with a combination of 3,000 supervisors, those who had not gone out on strike, and 900 military controllers. An aggressive hiring and training program made up the difference. In 1996, President Bill Clinton ended Reagan's prohibition on rehiring PATCO strikers as air traffic controllers and a few hundred returned to work after more than a decade-and-a-half in the wilderness. Since the PATCO strike, many presidents have faced "PATCO moments," for example when President Barack Obama laid down a "red line" for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, warning Assad not to use chemical weapons against his own people. Assad used the weapons anyway and despite the horror, Obama blinked and did not strike Syria, settling for a fake deal done with the Russians to remove Syria's chemical arsenal (an arsenal with which the Israelis are dealing with still to this day as Assad hid and held on to many of his worst WMDs.) The world —and history— watched and immediately had Obama's measure as a weak man of passing significance, almost a "pop president." President Donald Trump now faces two PATCO moments. The first is unfolding in Los Angeles. Trump has opened strongly. But as longtime journalist John O'Sullivan pointed out to me this week, the key question is, will Trump do the same thing twice when a second riot erupts somewhere else, or is this a one-off. My bet is that Trump will simply not let federal agents be attacked anywhere, anytime. We shall see. Then there is Iran. Trump seems genuinely to prefer to avoid a bombing campaign against the Iranian nuclear facilities and their missiles factories. But Trump has laid down a red line too, just as Reagan and Obama did —no enrichment, period— and Trump doesn't want the Obama reputation attached to him and the country. Trump sounded less upbeat this week about the latest round of talks with the Iranians and there is certainly an attempt underway by the mullahs to string the U.S. along. Trump is not the sort of man who takes easily to being played. If federal agents are either killed or seriously injured by the mobs, my bet is Trump follows his Los Angeles precedent. And if Iran rushes to "break out" with a nuclear weapon or simply refuses to abandon enrichment, Trump's choices will be stark: Accept an enormous set-back to the West and his own legacy, or act. Time is running short. It is a "PATCO moment." Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor, and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel's news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University's Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.
Car and Driver
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Photos of the 1981 Honda Accord SE
Read the full review The SE was the new fancy-trim Accord sedan for 1981, and it was the most expensive Honda to date.
News.com.au
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Jennifer Lopez looks unrecognisable in new film
Jennifer Lopez has left fans stunned after debuting a striking new look – and many are saying they barely recognised her. The 55-year-old singer and actress shared a first look at her most theatrical role yet, starring as Ingrid Luna in Kiss of the Spider Woman, a new film adaptation of the 1993 Broadway classic. In the just-released trailer, Lopez is seen in two contrasting, era-defining looks – first appearing as a near-platinum blonde paired with a bold red lip and later with a sharply cut bob and spiky fringe. Hailed as, 'The role Jennifer Lopez was born to play,' the Jenny From the Block singer's looks are a far cry from her usual red carpet aesthetic. Set in Argentina in 1981, Kiss of the Spider Woman focuses on Luis Molina, a gay hairdresser who is imprisoned because of his sexuality. While in captivity, Molina fantasies about a glamorous siren named Ingrid Luna (Lopez) as he tries to escape his current reality. While the storyline is set against a backdrop of dictatorship and oppression, it unfolds largely through stylised fantasy – giving Lopez the chance to fully embody her love of glitz and glamour. Naturally, fans couldn't contain themselves over the star's bold transformation. 'OMG. I didn't even recognise her, she looks amazing!,' said one eager viewer. 'JLo deserves her Oscar,' said another. 'They could never make me hate you, JLo,' praised a third. Lopez and her ex-husband Ben Affleck made headlines earlier this year while finalising their highly-publicised divorce after less than two years of marriage. In an interview with Nikki Glaser last October, the singer revealed she was looking to find happiness within herself now. 'Being in a relationship doesn't define me. I can't be looking for happiness in other people. I used to say I'm a happy person, but was still looking for something for somebody else to fill.' Kiss of the Spider Woman will be in theatres October 10.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Chandigarh pollution control committee issues notices to government bodies to curb air pollution
1 2 Chandigarh: In a first, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC), to mitigate air pollution in the city, issued notices to different govt bodies, including the UT engineering department, municipal corporation, Panjab University, and Indian Railways, delineating steps to be taken to curb air pollution. CPCC gave 15 days to the different govt agencies to respond to the notices. Saurabh Kumar, member secretary, CPCC, said, "Chandigarh comes under non-attainment cities because of not meeting prescribed ambient air quality standards, especially in the winter season, and the level of pollutants of particulate matter concentration (PM2.5 & PM10) goes beyond the prescribed standards for ambient air quality. Dust pollution is one of the major sources of air pollution, contributing high levels of PM concentration, i.e. , PM10 & PM2.5." Notices were issued as the whole of the Union Territory of Chandigarh was declared an Air Pollution Control area under the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Under Section 17(1) of the Air Act, 1981, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee is to plan a comprehensive programme for the prevention, control, and abatement of air pollution and to secure execution thereof. The Committee is of the view that to tackle the problems of road dust resulting from road construction, re-modeling, repair, unpaved roads, and the open land from where soil is easily blown into the air because of traffic or winds, such activities are required to be monitored and regulated. The govt bodies like the municipal corporation and UT engineering department have been asked to take proactive steps in this direction as the owning/maintaining and road construction agencies have to play a greater role in the effective monitoring and implementation of dust control measures. Meanwhile, the Railways were issued notices as the loading and unloading area under its control in the Daria area of Chandigarh is causing a lot of air pollution in contravention of the provisions of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Kumar said, "To curb air pollution, particularly during the winters, collective institutional effort is required." **BOX1: SOME OF THE MEASURES OUTLINED** **UT Engineering Department** - Shall cover the central verge with eco-friendly honeycomb paver blocks or with other aggregates. - Shall explore the possibility of washing roads at night time with tertiary treated wastewater. - Shall also explore the possibility of laying pipelines for the transportation of tertiary water on each main road and sub-road so that a mechanism can be worked out for spraying water at fixed intervals. - Shall use the by-products generated out of the Construction and Demolition Waste Processing Plant as rejects to use on the exposed soil wherever required. - Dust mitigation plan shall be incorporated in all construction projects. - Thick vegetation cover or pebbles, whichever is feasible, on vacant exposed ground. **Addition to Above for Municipal Corporation** - The municipal corporation shall purchase an adequate number of vehicles (preferably e-Vehicles) to cover the entire city to sprinkle water during the morning hours on the roads before manual sweeping. - Shall work out the mechanism for proper collection of fallen leaves and their disposal as it further leads to air pollution. **Railways** - To make arrangements to sweep the entire jurisdiction of the railway, including the loading and unloading area, and shall identify potential dust hotspots and make arrangements for spraying water in all such areas to suppress the dust. - To provide provisions for the washing of wheels of the vehicles entering and exiting from the loading/unloading/weighing area. - To take measures to ensure that there should be no exposed ground in railway premises and cover the exposed soil either with thick vegetation or pebbles, whichever is feasible. - To cover all the loading and unloading areas, including the roads and weighing bridge area, with eco-friendly honeycomb paver blocks or any other suitable material to restrict dust suspension. **BOX2: WINTER AIR POLLUTION** In the past few years, the Chandigarh winters witnessed severe air pollution. At one point in November last year, it was reported to have the worst air quality in the country. On several occasions in the last couple of years, it was among the top three worst air-polluted cities in the country. On average, though, spanning the year-long period, the air quality hovers around moderate air quality. MSID:: 121653902 413 |
