Panel rejects proposals for commercial activities near BRT Tiger reserve in Chamarajanagar: Report
Chamarajanagar: In a decision set to benefit wildlife conservation, authorities have rejected proposals for commercial activities near the BRT Tiger Reserve in Chamarajanagar.
The Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Monitoring Committee of BRT Tiger Reserve has decided not to grant approval for 11 new commercial ventures, including a hotel, a commercial complex, a warehouse, a petrol station, a residential layout, a community hall, and a wine store, as reported by The Hindu.
The members of the committee noted the places mentioned were within a one-kilometer radius of the reserve’s ESZ.
The committee referenced directives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, which prohibit new commercial construction within a one-kilometer boundary of protected areas or their ESZs. A Forest Department official confirmed that all the rejected proposals were located within this radius. However, it has been decided to survey the area for a proposed borewell at Biligirirangana Betta before making a decision, the report mentioned.
The committee also flagged two homestays in Yelandur, located within half a kilometer of the reserve boundary, deeming them illegal. Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Nag confirmed that notices had been issued to these unauthorised establishments.
“It has been more than two years since National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) submitted a report recommending action against illegal tourism establishments,” Giridhar Kulkarni, a wildlife conservationist, was quoted as saying by The Hindu. He pointed out that the Revenue Department issued notices in 2023 itself but eviction have not yet taken place. He further urged the authorities to remove these illegal homestays.
Meanwhile, the committee also rejected proposals to establish poultry farms and sheep-rearing activities bordering B.R. Hills in Yelandur and Chamarajanagar taluks, citing the risk of escalating human-animal conflicts.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
