Indian crew capsule star attraction at Bengaluru space expo
Bengaluru, Sep 7: The Indian space agency's crew module, that was used and recovered in a 2014 unmanned mission, has been a star attraction at the 6th Bengaluru Space Expo being held here.
"An unmanned crew capsule that can accommodate up to three astronauts that was tested in 2014 to orbit around the Earth has been exhibited at the space expo for visitors to view," an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official told IANS here.
A similar capsule, which is a living space and control centre for astronauts, will carry Indians to space for the country's maiden human space mission "Gaganyaan".
Showcased in the space agency's pavilion, the capsule has been the cynosure of all eyes at the three-day space expo at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre.
Hundreds of school students and other visitors, making a beeline to the venue, are thronging the pavilion for a glimpse of the crew module and a model of Indian-made spacesuit that will be donned by the country's astronauts for their space mission.
The recovered capsule, made of heat protecting tiles, was launched aboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk III to re-enter the planet -- surviving temperatures as high as 1,500 degrees Celsius.
The exhibition has also featured pavilions dedicated to student-made satellites and launchers, space start-ups from across the country, and space agencies from countries including Russia, France and Taiwan.
The French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), Russian space agency's launch service provider Glavkosmos and Taiwan's National Space Organisation (NSPO) were among the space agencies that showcased the satellites and launchers.
Space food packed for Russian cosmonauts put on display by the Glavkosmos also caught the visitors' attention.
The biennial space expo, touted to be the largest space conference in Asia, is being held from September 6-8, with the participation of over 100 exhibitors, space agency representatives and delegates from the US, the UK, France, Russia, and Taiwan, among other countries.
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SC bars Centre from granting retrospective environmental clearances
New Delhi, May 16 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said the right to live in a pollution free atmosphere was a part of the fundamental right as it struck down Centre’s office memorandum allowing ex post facto or retrospective environmental clearances to projects in violation of norms.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan made scathing remarks in its judgement delivered on a plea filed by Vanashakti organisation and said, "The Union Government, as much as individual citizens, has a constitutional obligation to protect the environment.”
The court said it "must come down very heavily" on the Centre's attempt to do "something which is completely prohibited under the law".
It added, "Cleverly, the words ex post facto have not been used, but without using those words, there is a provision to effectively grant ex post facto EC. The 2021 OM has been issued in violation of the decisions of this court…."
The bench, therefore, declared the 2021 office memorandum (OM) and related circulars “arbitrary, illegal, and contrary to the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006".
The Centre, as a result, was restrained from issuing directions for grant of ex post facto clearances in any form or manner or for regularising the acts done in contravention of the EIA notification.
“Under Article 21 of the Constitution, the right to live in a pollution free environment is guaranteed. In fact, the 1986 Act has been enacted to give effect to this fundamental right… Therefore, even the Central Government has a duty to protect and improve the natural environment,” it said.
The court ruled these measures unlawfully permitted the regularisation of projects that had violated environmental laws.
“This court in several decisions has held that the right to live in a pollution free atmosphere is a part of the fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” Justice Oka, writing for the bench, said.
Referring to a March 14, 2017 a notification of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the bench said it was made applicable to projects or activities that have started the work on site, expanded production beyond the limit of EC, or changed the production mix without obtaining EC.
“There is already a concluded finding of this court that the concept of ex post facto or retrospective EC is completely alien to environmental jurisprudence and the EIA notification,” it added.
The violation of the condition of obtaining prior EC must be dealt with heavy hands, it said.
“In environmental matters, the courts must take a very strict view of the violations of the laws relating to the environment. It is the duty of the Constitutional courts to do so,” it said.
The bench illustrated the drastic consequences of large-scale environmental degradation on human lives in Delhi and several other cities.
“At least for a span of two months every year, the residents of Delhi suffocate due to air pollution. The AQI level is either dangerous or very dangerous. They suffer in their health. The other leading cities are not far behind. The air and water pollution in the cities is ever increasing,” it said.
The bench said the OM was violative of fundamental rights of all persons guaranteed under Article 21 to live in a pollution free environment and it also infringes the right to health guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Trashing the OM, the bench asked, “Can there be development at the cost of the environment? Conservation of environment and its improvement is an essential part of the concept of development.”
The top court further opined courts should come down heavily on such attempts.
"As stated earlier, the OM deals with project proponents who were fully aware of the EIA notification and who have taken conscious risk to flout the EIA notification and go ahead with the construction/continuation/expansion of projects. They have shown scant respect to the law and their duty to protect the environment,” it noted.
Apart from the violation of Article 21, such an action was stated to be in complete violation of Article 14 (right to equality) aside from being violative of the 1986 Act and the EIA notification.
The bench, however, said the ex post facto environmental clearances granted in certain cases both under the 2017 notification and the 2021 OM, at the present stage, wouldn't be disturbed.
