PM arrives in Mangaluru to inaugurate, lay foundation for slew of projects
Mangaluru (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived here on Friday to inaugurate and lay the foundation for mechanisation and industrialisation projects worth around Rs 3,800 crore, and address a mega event.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was among those who received the Prime Minister in the coastal city.
He is slated to fly to New Mangaluru Port Authority (NMPA) premises at Panambur by a chopper.
After inaugurating or laying foundations to various projects there, he will arrive at the Goldfinch city grounds here to attend a public meeting.
The projects that PM Modi will inaugurate or lay foundations include inauguration of the project worth over Rs 280 crore for mechanisation of Berth No. 14 for handling containers and other cargo undertaken by the NMPA, laying the foundation stone of five projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore undertaken by the port.
He will also inaugurate two projects undertaken by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) -- BS VI Upgradation Project and Sea Water Desalination Plant -- worth Rs 1,830 crore and Rs 680 crore, respectively.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Centre rejects claims of diluting Aravalli protections, says 90% of range will remain safeguarded
New Delhi: Union Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav refuted claims that the Centre had weakened safeguards for the Aravalli hills, saying that the government is still steadfast in its commitment to protecting the delicate ecosystem and that almost 90% of the Aravalli landscape will remain protected.
Responding to growing criticism over a revised definition of the Aravalli range, Yadav said on Sunday misinformation was being spread about the changes, as reported by Hindustan Times. He clarified that the Aravalli system extends across four states- Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat and has been under judicial scrutiny for decades, with a related petition pending before the courts since 1985.
ALSO READ: Woman in Shishila bitten by cobra while working in plantation dies
Addressing concerns around the “100-metre” criterion, the minister said it was being widely misunderstood. He explained that the figure does not refer to the top 100 metres of a hill, but to the entire vertical spread of the hill from top to bottom. He added that gaps between two hill ranges would also be treated as part of the Aravalli system. With this interpretation, he said, nearly 90 per cent of the region would fall within the protected zone.
Yadav emphasised that mining activities would remain under strict regulation. He said the total Aravalli area spans around 1.47 lakh square kilometres, of which only about 217 square kilometres, roughly two per cent, has been identified as eligible for mining. Even within this limited area, he noted, the Supreme Court has directed that a sustainable mining management plan be prepared, following which clearance from the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education would be mandatory before any activity could begin.
The minister further underlined that mining is entirely prohibited in the Delhi portion of the Aravallis and that all existing protected areas and forest reserves in the capital would remain unchanged. He also referred to the Centre’s Green Aravalli programme, which has been underway for the past two years, and said the government was being portrayed unfairly through what he described as a false narrative.
Opposition parties like the Congress and the Samajwadi Party expressed concern over the potential ecological impact of the revised definition. Critics have warned that any kind of weakened protection could have long-term consequences for biodiversity, air quality and climate resilience in north India.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a post on X, linked the survival of the Aravalli range directly to the future of Delhi and the National Capital Region, calling the hills a natural shield against pollution and environmental degradation. He warned that continued damage to the range would worsen air quality, biodiversity loss and extreme temperatures, with severe consequences for public health, particularly for children, the elderly and the sick.
