Latest news with #Gondia
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
NGT admits plea challenging green clearance to stone quarry project in Dhenkanal dist
Cuttack: The east zone bench of the National Green Tribunal ( ), Kolkata has admitted an appeal challenging the grant of environmental clearance (EC) to a stone quarry project in Dhenkanal district. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The matter was heard on July 4, with the tribunal issuing notices to multiple govt authorities and the private project proponent. The appeal was filed by Nabin Nanda, a resident of Biswanathpur in the Kapilash region of Dhenkanal. Represented virtually by advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy, Nanda alleged that the clearance granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Odisha on May 5, 2025, for the Nihal Prasad Road Metal Quarry 'was illegal and environmentally damaging'. The bench, comprising Justice B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member), observed that the matter 'requires consideration'. While declining to stay the EC at this stage, the tribunal directed all respondents — including SEIAA, the State Pollution Control Board, district collector, tehsildar (Gondia), deputy director of mines (Talcher), and the private firm — to file their replies within four weeks. The matter will be heard next on August 12. The clearance was issued for extraction of black stone over 11.10 acres under Gondia tehsil, with a projected capacity of 3,12,825 cubic metres over five years. The appellant argued that the EC was granted without a valid district survey report, a mandatory document for such approvals. Though a revised survey report was prepared in Nov 2024, it has not yet been approved by SEIAA. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Nanda further pointed out that the project site is on agricultural land, surrounded entirely by other farmlands. He warned that excavation would block natural rainwater flow to these lower-lying agricultural areas, potentially rendering thousands of acres infertile. The site lies upstream of a critical rainwater harvesting structure — locally known as Dhanabarakhol dam — located just 290m away, which supports irrigation and provides water for livestock. Another key concern raised was the proximity of the project — about 500 metres — to the Nischinta Reserve Forest. Part of this forest has been earmarked for compensatory afforestation for a railway project in Angul district. The appellant raised concerns that the quarry could affect the ecological integrity of the area.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Shiv Sena (Shinde), Congress forge rare alliance for Bhandara milk union polls
Nagpur: In a surprising local political twist, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and Congress, bitter rivals in Maharashtra's mainstream politics, came together to contest the Bhandara District Milk Union elections scheduled for June 28. The development drew attention across party lines, with leaders calling the move a practical collaboration aimed at reviving the struggling cooperative institution. Shiv Sena MLA from Bhandara, Narendra Bhondekar, and former Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Nana Patole made a joint appearance in Bhandara to announce the alliance. Both leaders clarified that the move was not a political alliance but a strategic step to protect the interests of milk-producing farmers in the region. "This cannot be called a political coalition as cooperative polls are not fought on party symbols," Patole told TOI. "We have joined hands only to revive the functioning of the Bhandara milk union, which is collapsing due to administrative negligence and vested interests. We want a clean, farmer-centric cooperative governance model," the Sakoli MLA said. Bhondekar, echoing the sentiments, launched a veiled attack on former cooperative leaders, blaming them for the milk union's current financial mess. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo "Those who once called themselves 'Sahakar Maharshi' drove the union to crisis. We are here to restore confidence among farmers who lost trust in the cooperative sector," he said. A total of 25 candidates are contesting for 13 director posts in the upcoming polls. Monday marked the last day for the withdrawal of nominations. Patole indirectly hit out at NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) working president Praful Patel, alleging that his supporters had weakened the Gondia milk federation and were now targeting the Bhandara cooperative. "We won't allow Bhandara's dairy sector to go the same way as Gondia's. This alliance is a safeguard," he said. Political observers see the move as a tactical shift in Bhandara's local power equations, especially with elections for the District Central Cooperative Bank and municipal bodies expected in the coming months. Both leaders, however, downplayed such interpretations. Patole said decisions on future collaborations would depend on feedback from party workers.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Three from Vidarbha score perfect percentile in MHT CET (PCM group)
Nagpur: Three students from Vidarbha scored a perfect 100 percentile in the MHT-CET (PCM group), the results of which were declared on Monday. Apart from these three, 19 other students from the rest of Maharashtra (and other states) scored 100 percentile, as per the official statement by the State CET (Common Entrance Test) Cell. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Results for the MHT-CET (PCB group) are scheduled to be declared on Tuesday. Mohd. Alraza Hanif Shaikh (Gondia), Shirish Nilesh Pattewar (Yavatmal), and Chinmay Vikas Chavhan (Bhandara) are the students from Vidarbha who hit the bull's eye in the MHT-CET (PCM). Since city-wise topper names are not released officially, only information coming from coaching institutes and junior colleges is relied on. For Nagpur city, the probable toppers are Amogh Gotmare (99.82 percentile), Puneet Dhandale (99.55 percentile), and Shreyan Chaware (99.53 percentile), all students of Dr Ambedkar College. The MHT-CET 2025 (PCM Group) was conducted from April 19 to April 27. The examination was conducted at 207 centres within Maharashtra and 17 outside the state. An additional exam was also conducted on May 5 following major problems with the online exam on a specific date. Students complained that almost 20 questions displayed on the screen did not have correct options. There was a huge ruckus post the exam, and the govt was forced to take cognisance. Since the govt's findings confirmed the error, a re-exam was held only for students who appeared on that particular date. The questions were based on the syllabus of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Maharashtra. Approximately 20% weightage was given to the Class 11 curriculum, and 80% weightage was given to the Class 12 curriculum while setting the question paper. There was no negative marking; however, the difficulty level was on par with the JEE (Main) for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, and the difficulty level for Biology was on par with NEET.
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Top cops' meet charts joint border coordination in anti-Maoist ops
Raipur: Ten days after the most successful anti-Naxal operation in Bastar in which CPI(Maoist) general secretary Basavaraju was gunned down, a high-level inter-state border coordination meeting on anti-Maoist ops was held at Rajnandgaon SP office in Chhattisgarh on Saturday. Senior police officers from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra gathered to discuss collaborative strategies to counter Naxal activities in the border regions. Top officers from eight districts — Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, MP's Balaghat and Mandla and Maharashtra's Gadchiroli and Gondia —attended the meeting. So did officers from ITBP and MP's Hawk Force. They focused on efforts to bolster coordination on state borders, particularly within the MP–Maharashtra–Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone. They said that authorities are focusing on developing joint strategies to neutralise Maoist presence, while intensifying operations aimed at encouraging surrenders and facilitating arrests. Key measures include establishing clear protocols for joint intelligence sharing, coordinated search operations, and synchronized patrolling efforts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Border surveillance is being strengthened through deployment of mobile checkposts and barrier-checks designed to intercept illegal materials such as arms, drugs, and other contraband potentially linked to Maoist activities. Continuous monitoring of infiltration routes and suspicious movements across districts remains a top priority in order to disrupt the Maoist network. Officials emphasized the importance of inter-agency cooperation to eradicate the Maoist threat from MMC zone. The meeting concluded with the adoption of a joint action plan focused on accelerated anti-Naxal operations, with a unified commitment to securing border areas, dismantling Maoist networks, and encouraging surrender through outreach and legal processes. Among the high-ranking officials who attended the are Balaghat Zone IG Sanjay Kumar, Rajnandgaon Range IG Abhishek Shandilya, Gadchiroli Range DIG Ankit Goyal, ITBP DIG Anwar Elahi, Rajnandgaon SP Mohit Garg, Kabirdham SP Dharmendra Singh, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki SP Y P Singh, Balaghat SP Nagendra Singh, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai SP Lakshya Sharma, Gondia SP Gorakh Dhamre, ASP-Gadchiroli Ops M Ramesh, Balaghat Hawk Force commander Shiyaz K M, Balaghat additional SP Rakesh Kumar Pandro and ITBP ops deputy commander Jith James. The meeting marks a crucial step toward cross-state synergy in internal security, aimed at ensuring peace and stability in Naxal-affected zones through collaborative law enforcement and strategic operations.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Naxal banners demand justice in Balaghat gang-rape case
Jabalpur: Suspected Naxalites have put up banners and posters demanding justice for the four tribal girls gang raped in Balaghat district. The incident has drawn reactions from insurgent groups, prompting a response from law banners and posters were discovered in the Jatara Nala Forest area under Songudda police station in the early hours of May 8, following a routine patrol by Balaghat police. The materials were reportedly put up during the intervening night of May 7–8 and bore the name of the Gondia, Rajnandgaon, and Balaghat Division Committee of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).The content of the banners calls for a united public outcry and continued struggle to secure justice for the rape victims. The messages strongly condemned the gang rape incident and accused the state apparatus of failing the victims. The posters also contained incendiary political rhetoric, urging people to resist what they referred to as "Manuvadi culture" and calling for the expulsion of organizations such as the RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Bajrang police immediately seized the materials and registered a case against suspected active members of the CPI (Maoist) operating in the Gondia-Rajnandgaon-Balaghat (GRB) division. The case has been registered under Rupjhar police station, and a search operation is underway to trace those responsible for the police have confirmed the involvement of Naxal elements and stated that enhanced security measures are being implemented in the affected regions. Investigations into both the original gang rape case and the Naxal propaganda effort are ongoing.
