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Jaipur, Dec 24 (IANS) The desert state of Rajasthan shivered under a cold wave as intermittent rain swept across various regions, dipping temperatures. The unseasonal showers have intensified the winter chill, particularly in eastern and western parts of the state.

According to meteorological officials, light rainfall was recorded in several areas. Bhadra in Hanumangarh district witnessed the highest rainfall, measuring 9 mm.

In addition to the rain, several parts of the state reported dense fog, further adding to the chill.

The cold wave was particularly pronounced in western Rajasthan, with several areas experiencing “cold to very cold” days, while parts of eastern Rajasthan recorded “cold days.”

Dungarpur emerged as a climatic anomaly, recording the state’s highest maximum temperature of 26.1°Celcius while also witnessing the lowest minimum temperature of 5.0°C.

The cold spell was especially severe in cities such as Ganganagar, Churu, and Pilani (Jhunjhunu), where maximum daytime temperatures struggled to reach 17°C.

In many regions across the state, maximum temperatures have dropped by as much as 10°C, intensifying the chill and leaving residents grappling with harsh winter conditions.

The Meteorological Centre in Jaipur has issued a yellow alert for dense fog across 18 districts, including major cities like Jaipur, Alwar, Sikar, and Jodhpur.

On Tuesday morning, dense fog enveloped these regions, disrupting visibility and adding to the biting cold.

The department has also issued an alert for rainfall across 27 districts, including Jaipur, on December 27.

With unseasonal weather patterns persisting, Rajasthan’s residents brace for continued cold and wet conditions in the coming days.

The Met department said active Western Disturbances will re-enter Rajasthan on December 26, bringing the possibility of cloud cover and light to moderate rain in the southeastern parts of the state on December 26-27.

–IANS

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Indore, Feb 28 (IANS) Even as the Supreme Court on Thursday gave the Madhya Pradesh government the go-ahead for the disposal of Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) waste at the Pithampur industrial site, the political controversy surrounding the issue continues to escalate.

The opposition Congress has accused the ruling BJP of presenting “incorrect data” and “misleading reports” before the court while allegedly concealing facts related to water contamination around the Pithampur industrial area.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari on Friday criticised the BJP government, stating that despite Indore and Pithampur being strongholds of the party, its leaders have remained silent on the issue.

“At present, there are two senior ministers from Indore, and they should speak up to protect public health. This UCIL waste will cause cancer among the people of Pithampur,” Patwari alleged.

The Congress leader, who hails from Indore, challenged the BJP government to conduct a groundwater survey around the Ramky factory premises to reveal the truth.

“I challenge the MP government to conduct a groundwater survey around the Ramky factory premises. If there is no poison in Union Carbide’s waste, then Ramky should get the water tested in the 10 km area around the company. If cancer-causing elements are not found, then I will publicly apologise! The court directed the state government to decide on the waste disposal based on facts, but the government is suppressing critical information,” Patwari said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order allowing the shifting of toxic waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy site to Pithampur in Dhar district for disposal.

A bench of Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih disposed of a petition challenging the December 3, 2024, High Court order directing the state government to remove the toxic waste from the UCIL site.

The bench noted that the High Court’s order was based on recommendations from an expert committee comprising directors of the National Environmental Engineering Institute (NEERI), the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), and the chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The court observed that both NEERI and NGRI are “institutes of repute and recognition” in their respective fields, and courts have often relied on their expert views in environmental matters.

The state government, the Supreme Court stated, made its decision based on the expert panel’s approval. The High Court had also expressed concerns over the slow progress in handling the waste disposal issue and was actively monitoring the matter.

“It is evident that only after the High Court’s intervention did the process move forward. Since the High Court is overseeing the matter, we find no reason to interfere with its order,” the bench ruled.

The top court also directed civil society members and other intervenors to present their concerns before the High Court, which would take them into consideration. Parties were further allowed to submit suggestions to the High Court or the state government, which would then forward them to the expert committee for review.

On January 1, around 377 tonnes of hazardous waste from the defunct UCIL factory were transferred to the Pithampur industrial area, about 250 km from Bhopal and 30 km from Indore, for disposal.

The 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, occurred when highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3. The disaster claimed 5,479 lives and affected over five lakh people.

–IANS

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Jammu, March 11 (IANS) Sajad Gani Lone of the Peoples Conference (PC) on Tuesday clashed with ruling National Conference (NC) MLAs in J&K Assembly over the establishment of a medical college in Handwara town.

The PC MLA, during the Question Hour, stood up after NC MLAs Mir Saifullah, Javed Mirchal and Qaiser Jamshed Lone demanded that the medical college in Handwara town be shifted between Handwara and Kupwara towns.

Sajad opposed the move asserting that his basic concern was that the allotted funds should not lapse. This resulted in sparring between Sajad and NC MLAs.

Sakina Itoo, Minister for Health and Medical Education, intervened saying that she had taken up the issue with the central government seeking extension in the fund utilisation period in this case.

Sajad then wanted to know whether the J&K Government had received some response from the Centre to their request.

While Sajad said he had been abused by political rivals for getting the medical college sanctioned, the NC MLAs accused him of doing so by snatching the medical college from Kupwara town.

Lone launched a counter offensive by accusing the NC of depriving Kupwara of the proposed engineering college by getting it shifted to Safapora in Sonawari constituency of Bandipora district.

While the heated exchanges were going on, minister, Sakina Itoo stood up saying that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had brought “thousands of such medical colleges”.

She said not going into the question of who brought the medical college, she has decided to hold a probe into how was the medical college in Handwara constructed in a flood prone area.

In another development, all the Opposition members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded that thousands of daily wagers across J&K should be made permanent as most of them were now well past the age of applying for any fresh recruitment schemes.

The NC members tried to counter the BJP move by getting up and tried to silence the Opposition MLAs.

Answering a question, Javed Ahmad Dar, agriculture minister, said that the wildlife protection department and the agriculture department were working in close collaboration to ensure that the crops of the farmers were not damaged by wild animals.

It must be mentioned that wild animals like porcupines, bears, wild boars and Nilgai have been causing huge damage to crops in mountainous and forested areas of J&K.

–IANS

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