Govt approves construction of second floor at Chintamani Public Hospital in Chikkaballapura
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka government issued an order on Monday approving the construction work of the second floor at the 100-bed Chintamani Public Hospital in Chikkaballapura district.
The hospital is at present functioning on the ground floor and first floor with an area of about 4,000 square metres, said the health department.
The project, estimated to cost Rs 9.98 crore, will use the funds of the Karnataka Examination Authority, stated the government order.
The project must also ensure that, before starting the construction work, technical approvals are obtained from the competent authority. Detailed estimates of the work should also be sent to the department for administrative approval, stated the government order.
The project should be implemented by inviting tenders in accordance with the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act 1999 and Rules 2000, added the order.
According to the health department, as per the structural stability analysis of the existing Chintamani Public Hospital building, two additional floors can be constructed.
The health department also said there was a proposal to upgrade the existing 100-bedded taluk hospital to a 150-bedded hospital at Chintamani, but it found that the existing facility does not have the required area of 6,500 square meter, as per Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) norms. It is therefore decided to construct an additional floor, according to the order.
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
