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Thursday, April 12, 2012
INDIAN COAST GUARD STATION ANDROTH COMMISSIONED
Lakshadweep
and Minicoy Islands, Androth 12 April 2012
Indian Coast Guard Station Androth, the third
Coast Guard Station in the Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands, was commissioned
here today by VAdm KN Sushil, PVSM, AVSM, NM, ADC, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval
Command, in the presence of VAdm MP Muralidharan, AVSM, NM, Director General,
Indian Coast Guard. IG SPS Basra, YSM, PTM, TM, Commander Coast Guard Region (West)
and senior officials from the Central and UT Administration witnessed the Commissioning
Ceremony.
The Station is part of
ongoing efforts by the Coast Guard to strengthen coastal security in the island
territories. The Station would be instrumental in monitoring sea-lanes of
communication passing close to the islands, undertake surveillance in the
Indian EEZ, as also prevent maritime crimes such as piracy and poaching of
maritime resources.
The Coast Guard already operates two
stations in the strategically important islands at Kavaratti and Minicoy. A
District Headquarter was also commissioned at Kavaratti in Dec 10 by the Hon’ble
Raksha Mantri, Shri AK Antony, as part of a comprehensive security review undertaken
post 26/11. This has enabled day-to-day functioning of the Coast Guard to be directed
and effectively monitored from the island territories itself, rather than the
Coast Guard District Headquarter-4 located at Kochi as was the case previously.
Additionally, the Coast Guard is also in the process of setting up a chain of static
sensors with Automatic Identification System along the entire coastline of the
country to enable effective monitoring of shipping and fishing traffic. A Coast
Guard Air Station at Minicoy is also on the anvil.
In his address during the
Commissioning Ceremony, VAdm Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern
Naval Command dwelt upon the need for continuing coordination and synergy between
various stakeholders involved in maritime and coastal security to overcome
existing challenges. VAdm Muralidharan, Director General Indian Coast Guard highlighted
that several far-reaching initiatives
had been taken by the Coast Guard to augment force levels as also manpower to
meet existing and future maritime challenges. Setting up of Stations at
strategically important locations, such as this, would provide requisite fillip
to coastal security efforts, he stated.
The Station will function under the
administrative and operational control of Commander, Coast Guard Region (West)
through the Commander, Coast Guard District HQ-12 (L&M) located at
Kavaratti. Comdt P Shyam Kumar is the
Commanding Officer of the Station, which has a complement of 47 Coast Guard personnel.
Logitech Adds 'Touch' to its Wireless Portfolio
Strengthens existing wireless range by adding an array of new products,
Offering more options to meet customer requirements
NEW DELHI, India — 12 April 2012
— Logitech, the global provider of personal peripherals for computers
and other digital platforms, today unveiled their latest products in the
wireless product category in India. The latest addition to the family —
Logitech Touch Mouse M600 — is a wireless mouse featuring a touch
surface that lets you navigate intuitively with your fingers.
All
products are designed to deliver uncompromising performance in
beautiful packages for everyone. The Logitech Touch Mouse M600 lets you
scroll, swipe and surf wherever your fingertips rest on the mouse. Its
modern design, smooth edges and comfortable curves makes this touch
mouse feel comfortable in your hand and also adds to your style
quotient.
Commenting
on the new development, Mr. Subrotah Biswas, Country Manager of
Logitech India and South West Asia, said, “People are becoming more
accustomed to touch devices using fingertip gestures to navigate on
their smartphones and tablets. Today, one wants the device to react to a
touch of a fingertip.” He added, “Logitech is a customer centric
organization which strives to provide enhanced technology experience to
consumers and to give them the joy of being immersed in the digital
world.”
As
an emerging market, India offers great opportunities to Logitech in the
wireless space. A recent survey conducted in India shows that 50% of
consumers want a de-cluttered and “freedom from wire” life. More than
40% of the respondents were looking for convenience, ease of use and
comfort when they choose their devices. Also, the study revealed that
90% of consumers perceive wireless to be more trendy and fashionable
than wired devices. Around 53% users believe that they have much tidier
work stations than wired users (33%). To address the consumers’ demands
and requirements, Logitech has launched an array of new wireless
products ranging from mice, keyboards, combos and headsets.
“The
recent wireless survey has revealed that India has a huge opportunity
for the wireless technology adoption as only 10% of the consumers have
embraced this technology as of today; but on the contrary, there’s a
high awareness of wireless mice (98%) and keyboard (88%),” said Mr.
Biswas.
The
Logitech Touch Mouse M600 is expected to be available in India from
April 2012, for a suggested retail price of INR 3,999/-. Other products
that are showcased under the wireless umbrella are mentioned below.
These products are the latest additions to the wide portfolio of
wireless products by Logitech and are ideal for audience across
segments.
Wireless Product Range
|
Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800
|
Wireless Solar Keyboard K750
|
Wireless Touch Keyboard K400
|
Cordless Number Pad N305
|
Logitech Wireless Keyboard K270
|
Wireless Keyboard K230
|
Wireless Desktop MK710
|
Wireless Combo MK520
|
Wireless Desktop MK320 - USB
|
Wireless Combo MK260
|
Wireless Combo MK220
|
Performance Mouse M950 - USB
|
Anywhere Mouse M905 - USB
|
Touch Mouse M600
|
Wireless Touchpad
|
Bluetooth® Mouse M555b - USB - Black
|
Wireless Mouse M515
|
Wireless Mouse M525 - Black China
|
Wireless Mouse M525 - Blue
|
Wireless Mouse M525 – Red
|
V470 Cordless Notebook Mouse Bluetooth
|
Wireless Mouse M310 – USB
|
Wireless Mouse M325
|
Wireless Mouse M235
|
Wireless Mouse M185
|
Wireless Mini Mouse M187
|
About Logitech
Logitech
is a world leader in products that connect people to the digital
experiences they care about. Spanning multiple computing, communication
and entertainment platforms, Logitech’s combined hardware and software
enable or enhance digital navigation, music and video entertainment,
gaming, social networking, audio and video communication over the
Internet, video security and home-entertainment control. Founded in
1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX
Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).
# # #
Logitech,
the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in
Switzerland and other countries. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its
products, visit the company’s website at www.logitech.com.
CPCB Report Condemns Incinerator of Jindal Ecopolis, Demand Scrapping
Residents,
Environmentalists and Workers Demand Scrapping of Chinese Waste to Energy
Incinerator
Construction
of Incinerators in Okhla, Ghazipur and Narela-Bawana in Contempt of Supreme
Court
CPCB
Report Condemns Jindal Ecopolis, Reveals Disaster
Management Plan Missing
April 12, 2012, New Delhi: Ongoing construction of
waste incineration based power plants is an irresponsible way of the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi government and central government to mask
today's waste problems and pass the toxic burden they release on to future
generations.
Environmental, resident and labour groups demand that all
governments to start eliminating all Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). This
means stopping all existing POPs sources, including dioxins. To achieve this,
all existing incinerators must be closed, any plans for new incinerators must
be scrapped and investment made into other, safer methods of waste disposal.
The 31 page report of the Union Environment Ministry
constituted Technical Experts Evaluation Committee of Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB) on the Timarpur-Okhla Waste to
Energy Incinerator Plant was communicated on March 22, 2012. The which
is owned by Timarpur-Okhla Waste to Energy Incinerator Plant by Prithivraj
Jindal’s JITF Urban Infrastructure Limited (Jindal Ecopolis) has violated every
rule in the rule book including environmental clearance conditions.
It revealed to the Experts Committee in September 2011
that it is using untested and unapproved Chinese incinerator technology
in
complete violation all laws and environmental clearance of 2007
including its
own project design document and environment impact assessment report.
The CPCB report, its critique and a Letter to the Prime Minister is
attached.
During MCD elections underway, it has come to light that
both Bhartiya Janta Party led MCD and Indian National Congress led Delhi
government are colluding for the construction of three Dioxins emitting
municipal waste incinerator based power plants for 66.9 MW power in Delhi
unmindful of disastrous public health consequences disregarding bitter
opposition from the residents of Okhla, Ghazipur and Narela-Bawana. In manifest
contempt of Supreme Court’s order, Central government’s Ministry of New &
Renewable Energy is providing Rs 1.5 crore/MW subsidy under its waste to energy
policy.
MCD, Delhi government and central government has shown
unpardonable callousness towards hazardous emissions from municipal
incinerators that cause serious environmental and health problems both to
people living near them and thousands of kilometres from the source. These
projects are destroying the livelihood of about 3.5 lakh waste recycling
workers and valuable resource material for compost
that is required to be treated by composting/anaerobic digestion/vermin
composting/other biological processing for stabilization as per Municipal Solid
Waste (Management & Handling) Rules.
A 14 page critique of the CPCB’s
report was released at the Press Conference. The weakest point about the report
is that it has done the technical evaluation of the plant after it has become functional.
It should have been done prior to granting of permission for construction of
waste incinerator based power plant. Representatives of GTZ (German Technical
Cooperation) led by Dr. Juergen Porst, Senior
Advisor stressed the need for a Disaster Management Plan in the very first
meeting of the CPCB’s Technical Expert Committee. This does not find mention in
the recommendations of the report. This finds reference in the minutes of the
meeting annexed with the report. It underlines the possibility of disaster from
the Timarpur-Okhla Waste to Energy Incinerator Plant, which is situated in a
residential area. It is noteworthy that a hazardous plant in Bhopal’s
residential area that led to world worst industrial disaster in 1984 also did
not have any disaster management plan.
In the report, Dr A B Akolkar,
Director, CPCB emphasized that as per Municipal Solid Waste (Management &
Handling) Rules ‘biodegrdable waste’ is to be treated using biological method
rather than deriving RDF or by incineration as is being done by Jindal
Ecopolis. This clearly demonstrates that the Timarpur-Okhla Waste to Energy
Incinerator Plant violates the Municipal Solid Waste (Management &
Handling) Rules framed under Environment Protection Act, 1986.
The Review of Technical Evaluation
by Anant Trivedi, Member, Technical Evaluation Committee, CPCB reads:
"The Okhla plant has a capacity of 2050 tpd of domestic waste input.
However the plant design allows upto 10,000 tpd of input for incineration.
Toxic bottom ash quantity produced will be 20-30% of input. This amounts to at
least 410 tpd rising to a maximum of 3,000 tpd. Additionally there will be
toxic flyash of about 10% of the bottom ash.None of the landfill sites have the
capacity to take in so much toxic waste and mulba has been dumped every where
including all public spaces." He asks, "so what is proposed to
safeguard public health from this toxic substance?
The report apprehended that the
information that is submitted to the experts committee of CPCB might be used in
the on-going case in the Delhi High Court. It makes a shocking
revelation that although High Court has been hearing the case since 2009, the
project proponent did not inform the court about gross deviations from the
project design plan envisaged in the EIA report. As
per the minutes of the second meeting of the technical experts committee,
non-cooperative approach of the senior officials of Timarpur-Okhla Waste to
Energy Incinerator Plant was condemned on August 11, 2011. Representatives of
GTZ underlined that there was lack of transparency with regard to environmental
and health impact on the neighborhood residents. It was also noted that the
fugitive emissions and the expected emission of Dioxins and Furans has not been
quantified. The characteristic of ash and required standards was not mentioned.
Prof. T R Sreekrishnan, Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology
stated that disposal option for incineration instead of bio-methanation
proposed for green waste is in violation of what was mentioned in the EIA
report.
CPCB report steers clear of the
fact that fiscal incentives for projects of power generation from MSW through
new technologies violates Supreme Court’s Order: The court has put a stay on
subsidy for waste to energy projects except 5 pilot projects based on
Biomethanation technology. It has come to light that none of Delhi’s three
projects are based on biomethanation technology and are not the pilot projects
approved by the court. The Timarpir-Okhla project is getting incentives from
the government although the apex court has put a stay on subsidy. Although the
court’s order applies to Delhi’s other waste to energy incinerator projects as
well but plants in Narela-Bawana and Ghazipur are under rapid construction by
Ramky Company and GMR Company for generating 36 MW from 4000 tons of MSW in two
phases and 10 MW from 1300 tons of MSW respectively with impunity. The
speakers at the Press Conference were Prof. SS Khanna, former Senior Advisor,
Planning Commission, Dr Usha Ramanathan, Noted Jurist, Kavita Krishnan, Member,
Central Committee, CPI(ML) Liberation & Editor, Liberation, Gopal Krishna,
Convener, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), Shashi Bhushan Pandit, All India Kabadi
Mazdoor Mahasangh (AIKMM), Dr Kehar Singh, Secretary, East Delhi, CPI and CBR
Nair, General Secretary, Residents Welfare Association, Ghazipur.
For
Details: Gopal
Krishna, Convener, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), Mb: 9818089660, Email: krishna1715@gmail.com, Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com, Shashi Bhushan Pandit, All India Kabadi
Mazdoor Mahasangh (AIKMM), Mb: 9968413109, Asha Arora, Okhla Anti-incinerator Committee, http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ghoslaokhla
Posted just now by Nksagar
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