Category Archives: Green Initiatives / Environment

How Andhra Pradesh is taking to ‘natural farming’

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

ZBNF is considered ‘zero budget’ because costs of raising the main crop are offset by the income that farmers earn from intercrops.

Photo: Sayantan Bera/Mint
Photo: Sayantan Bera/Mint

Vijaywada/New Delhi:

About three years ago, Pawan Kumar, working as an IT professional at Hyderabad, decided to quit his job and return to his village to become a farmer. His father, a small farmer in West Godavari district, tried to discourage him but Kumar who had read about a new method of “natural farming” would not listen.

“My mother cried a lot… they told me no girl would marry a farmer but I am happy I came back. My father was initially reluctant to let me farm even an acre, but now he has allowed me to convert all five acres to natural farming,” says Kumar, 26.

Kumar is among 163,034 farmers in Andhra Pradesh practising zero-budget natural farming or ZBNF, where chemical fertilizers and pesticides make way for locally available cow dung and cow urine, jaggery and pulse flour. These are used to make a fermented culture which stimulates microbial activity in the soil, promoting better plant growth and protect crops against pest attacks.

Mulching, or covering the top soil with crop residues to increase water retention and supply the soil with essential nutrients; and intercropping, say coconut farms with cocoa or banana plantations with yams and pulses are also integral to ZBNF. The method was pioneered by Subhash Palekar, an agriculturalist from Maharashtra and a Padma Shri awardee from 2016.

On 2 June, the Andhra Pradesh government launched an ambitious scale-up of the ZBNF programme to take it to 6 million farmers by 2024. The programme will be promoted by a specialized wing of the government called Rythu Swadhikara Samstha. An interesting innovation here is that the agency has recruited over 100 natural farming fellows—agriculture graduates who are paid ₹30,000 a month to demonstrate the benefits of ZBNF by taking up farming in rented plots and staying in villages to answer farmers’ queries.

The programme will be financially assisted by the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF)—set up jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Agroforestry Centre and BNP Paribas—with targeted investments of ₹16,000 crore over the next six years.

“Our core objective is to scale investments in sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture that are transformative at many levels… we believe the target set by Andhra Pradesh is achievable, but this will require creation of a ‘natural farming’ brand to help market the produce and earn a better value for farmers,” said Satya Tripathi, chair of SIFF.

Driven by the promise of ZBNF, N. Satya Narayana, a farmer from Dommeru Village in West Godavari district converted all of his six acres of banana farm to natural farming last year. “Last month when a hailstorm flattened other farms, mine was unaffected as the plants were strong,” Narayana said, pointing to a bunch of bananas which looked fatter than those grown with chemical inputs. However, some farmers Mint spoke to also said that for field crops like paddy, there is an initial drop in yield which they managed to overcome by selling the produce locally at higher prices.

“Costs come down drastically under ZBNF, but some of the savings are used up by the rise in labour costs to prepare Jeevamrutham (fermented microbial culture which is used as the base fertilizer) and other inputs,” said V. Venkataraman, another farmer.

Crop-cutting experiments, which are conducted to assess yields, showed that ZBNF groundnut farmers’ yields from 2017 were 23% higher than non-ZBNF plots, while for paddy, yields were 6% higher, noted a 2018 brief prepared by the Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water.

“ZBNF is considered ‘zero budget’ because costs of (raising) the main crop are offset by the income that farmers earn from intercrops,” the brief said, adding, “once implemented across all farmlands, ZBNF can have considerable health benefits for over 50 million consumers in the state, who would be able to avoid exposure to inorganic chemicals present in crops.”

“ZBNF makes nutrients locked up in the soil bioavailable.. so consumers find food from natural farming sources to be tastier… studies have shown presence of vitamin B12 in bottle gourd, something the vegetable is never associated with,” said T. Vijay Kumar, adviser, agriculture to the state government and the chief architect of the programme.

But how is natural farming different from organic farming? “In organic and traditional agriculture, cow dung is used as a fertilizer, in ZBNF it is an inoculum… so, dung from one cow is adequate for up to 30 acres,” Kumar adds.

source: http://www.livemint.com / Home> Politics / by Sayantan Beera / June 12th, 2018

Two frog species discovered in Eastern and Western Ghats

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion
The new frog species – ‘Fejervarya kalinaga’, the new frog species discovered in the Eastern Ghats. | Photo Credit: arranged pic
The new frog species – ‘Fejervarya kalinaga’, the new frog species discovered in the Eastern Ghats. | Photo Credit: arranged pic

They are indicators of healthy ecosystem and live in wide habitat ranges

In a significant discovery, two species of frogs have been recorded in the Indian peninsular — Fejervarya kalinaga from the Eastern Ghats and Fejervarya krishnan from the Western Ghats. “The Eastern Ghats species of Fejervarya kalinga attains significance since it is endemic to moist high altitude forest of the region. Its type locality is from Mahendragiri in Odisha (west of Srikakulam). In Andhra Pradesh it is found in high elevation region of Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam (Araku, Chintapalli, Sileru) and Papikonda National Park of East Godavari district. It is one of the very few species of herpetofauna endemic to the Eastern Ghats,” said Prudhvi Raj, post doctoral research fellow of the Wildlife Institute of India and the lead author of the paper for the latest findings.

Mr. Raj has been working on various aspects of amphibians for the past five years. The discovery is a collaborative effort of institutions like the Wildlife Institute of India, the Zoological Survey of India and the North Orissa University. “These new species are habitat specialists, living in perennial hill streams and have been unnoticed due to their secretive habit and morphological similarities with similar looking species of cricket frogs,” Mr. Raj told The Hindu.

‘Fejervarya krishnan’, the new frog species that discovered in the Western Ghats. | Photo Credit: arranged pic
‘Fejervarya krishnan’, the new frog species that discovered in the Western Ghats. | Photo Credit: arranged pic

The species from the Eastern Ghats is widely distributed in the hilly mountains and named after the ancient kingdom of Kalinga — the historical region comprising Odisha and part of Andhra Pradesh that is north of River Godavari. The Fejervarya krishnan, found near the Jog Falls in Shimoga district of Karnataka, is named after the eminent biologist the late KS Krishnan for his colossal contribution in the field of biological sciences. Krishnan was professor emeritus at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bangalore and was one of the key persons in embarking the School in Herpetology sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology.

The Kalinga cricket frog was first spotted from various localities of the Eastern Ghats by Prof. Sushil Kumar Dutta, a renowned herpetologist and former professor at the North Orissa University, and the Krishnan cricket frog by Mr. Raj from a single locality near the Jog Falls.

‘Largest species’

Sharing details, Mr. Raj said: “The Kalinga cricket frog is one of the largest of its group and grows up to 6.5 cm, whereas the other has an average size of 2 cm.” Cricket frogs are indicators of healthy ecosystem and live in wide habitat ranges in agricultural fields, streams, swamps and wetlands.

Others who worked on the paper include KP Dinesh (scientist at the Zoological Survey of India, Pune), Abhijit Das (scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun), Niladri B. Kar (post-doctoral research scholar at the North Orissa University) and Pratyush P. Mohapatra (scientist at the Zoological Survey of India, Jabalpur).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Nivedita Ganguly / Visakhapatnam – June 06th, 2018

Enter the world of the sea turtle!

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, World Opinion
Learning curve: A life-size statue of Olive Ridley turtle at the Turtle Interpretation Centre in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: K_R_DEEPAK
Learning curve: A life-size statue of Olive Ridley turtle at the Turtle Interpretation Centre in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: K_R_DEEPAK

Interpretation centres in Vizag, Vizianagaram highlight their ecological significance

After more than a decade of Olive Ridley turtle conservation programme in the State, the Forest Department has set up first-of-its-kind turtle interpretation centres in the State in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram to boost the conservation of the sea turtle species, listed as “threatened” by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The centre in Visakhapatnam is developed at the pagoda-type cottage structure located at the R.K. Beach. It was earlier an Environment Education Centre launched in 2000 but was closed in 2007 due to criticism over maintenance. In its new look and with special features, the centre is expected to be a major draw for visitors.

Lively ambience

Sharing details with The Hindu, Chief Conservator of Forest Rahul Pandey said: “A lot of thought and planning has gone into making it lively and provide an enhanced visitor experience. From big-sized images of the types of sea turtles seen along the coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh to a presentation of the fascinating life cycle of Olive Ridleys and giving information like the number of hatcheries, the centre will play an important role in spreading awareness about them.” The centre in Visakhapatnam is developed at the cost of ₹25 lakh while the one in Vizianagaram is coming up in collaboration with the Chennai-based organisation Tree Foundation at the cost of ₹10 lakh. The centres will be thrown open to the public from May 10.

The external walls of the centre don a refreshing look with art work on the theme of sea turtles by artist Ravi. As one enters, the first thing to catch the attention is a life-sized structure of an Olive Ridley, moving its head and opening its mouth. The huge images on the walls of the well-lit room effectively highlight the criticality of the need to save sea turtles and the ecological significance of the flippered visitors. “We will charge a nominal entry fee to meet the maintenance cost. A team of four people will be working towards managing the centre,” Mr Pandey said.

Eggs collection

Incidentally, Visakhapatnam recorded a significant increase in the number of eggs collected from the coast that rose from 1,82,124 in 2017 to 1,95,000 eggs this year. The Forest Department in association with the Visakha Society for Care and Protection of Animals has set up 31 hatcheries in the coastal belts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam. While last year 18,000 hatchlings were released into the sea, the department expects the number to nearly double this year. “We released 12,000 hatchlings last month and are expecting another 15,000 in the coming few days,” Mr. Pandey added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Nivedita Ganguly / Visakhapatnam – April 28th, 2018

Setting an example in eco-protection

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Nature
Ch. Srinivasa Rao planting saplings along with his family in a road that connects Jegurupadu and Rajavolu. | Photo Credit: S_RAMBABU
Ch. Srinivasa Rao planting saplings along with his family in a road that connects Jegurupadu and Rajavolu. | Photo Credit: S_RAMBABU

‘Planting saplings is my passion’

Chilukuri Srinivasa Rao, a government primary school teacher at Kadiyam in East Godavari district, has been tirelessly promoting greenery by planting saplings for over two decades. Mr. Srinivasa Rao is also motivating others to take up the cause. He says he is very upset when people fell trees.

This teacher bought a Tata Nano car to which he had attached a small tray to accommodate some saplings, crowbar, spade and water can. Wherever he spots a stretch without trees, he stops by and plants one. He urges people nearby to water them.

“I use to get plants with the support of Palla Venkanna nursery and the Forest Department and planted them in several schools in the district under ‘Badi Thota’ programme. I use to spend 20% of my salary to purchase saplings and for its protection every year. This became a habit for me,” he added.

Many awards

Mr. Rao got many awards and rewards from various quarters. He says receiving ‘Paryavarana Mithra’ puraskaram during the International Bio-Diversity meet in Hyderabad in 2012 from former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was his memorable moment. He has also received an award from the State Biodiversity Council for his unrelenting efforts to improve green cover. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu honoured him with Ugadi puruskaram.

Family support

His wife and two sons also help him. On Sundays and vacation days, his family along with pet dog ‘Mythri’ moved around in the car to plant saplings.

“We trained Mythri to dig one foot to plant a sapling,” he said. Mr. Srinivasa Rao also distributes saplings at functions. His writings on environment were made part of syllabi for IV Class students of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Besides penning stories and poems stressing the need for planting more saplings, he took part in many conferences, rallies and workshops. He wrote about 40 articles in A.P. government’s official magazine `Andhra Pradesh’ on biodiversity.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by B.V.S Bhaskar / Kadiyam (East Godavari) / April 26th, 2018

Girl students design solar-powered vehicle

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Students of Bullayya College of Engineering for Women take a ride in the vehicle. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam
Students of Bullayya College of Engineering for Women take a ride in the vehicle. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam

‘It took 45 days to complete the project’

Unlike the normal four-wheeler, this vehicle does not have a clutch or a gear but operates through a switch to move forward and backward and comes with a brushless DC motor sans any noise.

A team of 17 final year students of Dr. Bullayya College of Engineering for Women designed the solar-powered BLDC-driven electric vehicle.

With 50% of the total cost being borne by students and the rest supported by the college management, the four-seater vehicle involved a total expenditure of ₹75,000. The maximum speed of the vehicle is 40 km per hour and can carry 300 kg weight.

“We wanted to bring out cost-effective energy-saving solution and set an example for other students,” says P. Rama Lakshmi, EEE student and meber of the team.

Run by both electric charging and solar power, the eco-friendly vehicle is designed with a power rating of 1500 watts and attached with four batteries of 12 volts each which can be recharged on the go.

“There is so much fun involved in bringing the automobile project into life which was earlier considered to be men’s domain,” says D. Gayatri, another student who was part of the project.

Team work

Giving credit to teamwork, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of EEE G. Anand says it took 45 days for the all-girl team to complete the project under his guidance.

Secretary and correspondent of the college G. Madhukumar says such designs will make students to think innovatively and apply the knowledge learnt in classrooms.

“The eco-friendly four-wheeler can be used as a golf cart or in the railway station to help commute senior citizens and differently-abled or assist patients in hospitals,” he told The Hindu, indicating that the vehicle will be kept on the campus.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – April 21st, 2018

A forest retreat at Mamandur away from city life

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
The newly built tent accommodations at Community Based Eco-Tourism project site in Mamandur. | Photo Credit: B_VenkatSandeep
The newly built tent accommodations at Community Based Eco-Tourism project site in Mamandur. | Photo Credit: B_VenkatSandeep

Tent rooms with all basic amenities set up to woo visitors

Beyond a rustic dilapidated arch on the Chennai-Kadapa highway, a serpentine dirt trail leads to one of the most picturesque Forest Department bungalows in the thick of the Seshachalam forests. Perched atop a hillock at Mamandur village, the colonial-era structure built in 1920 stares down the vast expanse of the entire property.

Surrounded by the accommodation developed by the Forest Department as part of the Community Based Eco-Tourism (CBET) project, the location offers an ideal getaway from the regular humdrum of the urban life.

To enrich the experience of staying in a forest retreat, the officials have introduced ‘tent rooms’, much to the delight of the visitors. Unlike the regular ones, the tent accommodations introduced at the CBET, Mamandur have minor reinforcements. The rooms are extended from a brick and mortar bathroom, sloping roofs and is enveloped by a regular tent cloth.

“Owing to the rise in demand from visitors, particularly those hailing from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, we have set up three tented rooms, in addition to the existing ten-bed dormitory and two regular rooms,” Divisional Forest Officer D. Phani Kumar Naidu tells The Hindu.

Mr. Naidu said they have focused on all basic amenities including air conditioning facility, and have strengthened the restaurant section by employing the services of the locals, especially the Yanadi tribes.

Traditional cuisines

“As the area is located on the fringes of the temple city of Tirupati, we want the visitors to have a good access to proper food— a taste of local cuisines at the modern canteen. We are also planning to train the locals in hospitality so that they can offer better services to the visitors. We have also set up a meeting hall which can be used for both as corporate and family retreats,” he said.

Further, canopy walks, guided birdwatching trails, medicinal plantations, boating, trekking routes and much more are in the pipeline. Facilities at Talakona, among the popular getaways near Tirupati, have also received a major boost.

Animal lovers’ paradise

With a flourish of saucer pits at the entrance of the CBET, Mamandur, one can see animals, such as Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer and etc. moving in the area at the dawn and dusk, with the expected occasional sighting of Black-naped Hares or Wild Dogs along the fire lines originating from the property. The bird lovers can spot the typical scrub habitat birds and the nocturnal Indian Nightjar.

“The views from the tents were splendid as we could spot animals basking in the setting sun at the surrounding courtyard near the rooms. We also trekked along the Bavikadu Line,” said Ch. Naresh, a visitor from Visakhapatnam.

Kenneth Anderson connect

For those familiar with the works of Kenneth Anderson, an Indian-born British writer and hunter on his jungle adventures, especially his stories — The striped terror of Chamala Valley, The Mamandur man-eater, The evil one of Umbalmeru and etc, all stories originating from various regions of Seshachalam forests—the location is a treat as one can connect with the books well. Mr. Anderson is said to have spent some time at the bungalow while hunting a man-eater in the area.

As a mark of his remembrance, a dog-eared copy of his book ‘Man-eaters and jungle killers’ accompanied by his monochrome picture with his pets (including a hyena), rests in a display box at the bungalow.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by B. Venkat SandeepTirupati / April 17th, 2018

E. Godavari achieves milestone

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology
Shining example: Chief Minister says it will now be replicated in other districts of the State. | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR
Shining example: Chief Minister says it will now be replicated in other districts of the State. | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR

CM to declare it the first district with 100% LED street lights in country

East Godavari district of the State has achieved the milestone of being the first LED street lighting district in the country.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will declare it tentatively on April 24 on the occasion of Panchayat Raj Divas. By installing around 3.1 lakh LED street lights in the rural areas of the district, around 34 Million Units (MUs) of energy could be saved annually.

Andhra Pradesh has been identified as the best State in the country in implementation of energy efficiency and conservation programmes by the World Bank.

Role model

In a tele-conference with Minister for IT and Panchayat Raj Nara Lokesh and Principal Secretary Jawahar Reddy, Mr. Naidu said the State’s quest to enhance people’s quality of life in cities as well as villages had made it a role model for others.

‘Happy lives’

Mr. Naidu appreciated the Minister’s efforts with the support of the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) in completing the street-lighting project in a record period of over five months and said it will now be replicated in other districts across the State by installing 28 lakh to 30 lakh LED lights which would save around 333 MUs of energy annually.

“My idea is to pay equal attention to basic amenities for the people in urban as well as rural segments like water, roads, housing and street-lighting. I want people of the State to lead happy lives,” he said.

Mr. Lokesh said of the total number of 50 lakh LED street lights installed across the country, Andhra Pradesh’s share was 11.61 lakh street lights, covering 20 % of the total number, leaving behind big States like Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. He said coordination between many wings of the government had resulted in the achievement.

He asked Mr. Jawahar Reddy to prepare a comprehensive report on the overall impact of LED street lighting programme in East Godavari comparing it with other rural areas across the globe.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – April 16th, 2018

Vizag’s East Point Golf Club is a golfer’s paradise

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Sports
Women playing golf at the 134-year-old East Point Golf Club, which will be upgraded to Category A to host international tournaments | Photo Credit: K_R_DEEPAK
Women playing golf at the 134-year-old East Point Golf Club, which will be upgraded to Category A to host international tournaments | Photo Credit: K_R_DEEPAK

The 134-year-old golf club may soon be hosting international and national level golf tournaments

If you are an ardent golfer, you’ll probably find the idea of vacationing and golfing at the same time, extremely enticing. With a perfect blend of salubrious climate, invigorating natural beauty and a top-notch golf course that is on the way of a makeover, Vizag has a symphony that not many places can offer for a golf holiday. This uniqueness of the place is now being tapped to put Vizag in the top of the international golfing map.

Nestled amid lush hills with a green carpet of grass all around, the 134-year-old East Point Golf Club (EPGC) may soon be hosting international and national level golf tournaments. Plans are afoot to turn the 100-acre 18-hole golf course at Mudasarlova to category-A course. “An additional land of 12.72 acres adjoining the existing land was given to EPGC by the government recently. We are planning to redesign the golf course to category-A from its present category-B status,” says T S Varma, secretary of East Point Golf Club says.

With an aim to put Visakhapatnam on the global golf tourism map, EPGC is also in talks with AP Tourism to host a tournament for golfers from Singapore. “We have reached out to the AP Tourism Department to showcase Vizag as a golf tourism destination. There are plans to host a golf tournament for a group of 50-100 golfers from Singapore and showcase the best of AP Tourism to international travellers,” says Varma.

History

The club was started around 1884 primarily for the relaxation of the British, a purely white man’s domain. Originally, the golf course was located in the area where the VUDA Park and The Park stand today. It moved to its present location at Mudasarlova in 1964, thanks to the efforts of Raja PV Gajapathi Raju of Vizianagaram and other avid golfers then.

Over the years, with some efforts, golfing in the city received an accelerated push; as a result, today the club has 1,100 members out of which 300 are active golfers. “In today’s high work pressure life, the game is a great de-stresser and soothes your frazzled nerves,” say the golfers. On April 1, EPGC hosted its annual award ceremony ‘Captain’s Nite’. “This is one event in the calendar of the club that every golfer in the city looks forward to. Apart from a golf tournament on March 31 and April 1, the winners of the 12 tournaments held over the year were honoured and awarded on that day in front of the entire golfing fraternity,” Varma says. ‘Captain’s Nite’ saw a host of glittering events like performances by popular drummers groups and a dance group apart from other cultural events.

The game is rapidly shedding its ‘elitist’ tag and India is seen as an affordable golfing destination. “We do have a lot of potential for golf tourism in the country, though a lot needs to be done. At our East Point Golf Club, for instance, facilities like rooms for golfers to stay and convention centre are needed. But we are facing challenges with funding at present,” Varma says.

Way of life

Over the years, golfing has become a way of life for many in the city and also moved from being a man’s domain to include a vibrant team of women golfers. “I learnt the rules of golf even before I started playing as I would accompany my husband to the golf course and watch them play,” says Hajra Saleh. She was one of the first women to join EPGC back in 2003. “Those were the days when we didn’t have a practice range and the golf course was a huge patch of brown, unlike the rolling greens that exist now,” she recollects. Today, she has not only mastered the game, but also won several tournaments. Others like Sajeeda Kalagara feel that the game is therapeutic. “Just by simply looking at the golf course you feel so relaxed! You can socialise on golf courses and now we have a Whatsapp group of women golfers who meet regularly and play,” she adds.

There are many youngsters of the EPGC family who today are playing at the South Zone level. For instance, Sriya along with Prisha and Prabhav are selected to participate at the South Zone tournament of Indian Golf Union to be held shortly in Coimbatore. According to golf pundits, the game instils self-discipline, upright manners and an important set of values within children and hence is being seen as an effective way to boost emotional intelligence. “Golfing is addictive for everyone! Once you experience a day in the green grass surrounding the hills around the East Point Golf Club, it’s a feeling that is sure to linger longer than expected!” exclaims Hajra.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Society> History & Culture / by Nivedita Ganguly / April 06th, 2018

Visakhapatnam Railway Station achieves 100 per cent energy efficiency

Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology

It would save about Rs 3.17 lakh per annum with reduction of the connected load for Railways.

Visakhapatnam Railway Station of East Coast Railway has earned the unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient ‘A1 Category’ Railway Station over the Division.
Visakhapatnam Railway Station of East Coast Railway has earned the unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient ‘A1 Category’ Railway Station over the Division.

Visakhapatnam:

Visakhapatnam Railway Station of East Coast Railway has earned the unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient ‘A1 Category’ Railway Station over the Division. The station has achieved 100 per cent energy efficiency by replacing conventional lights with light-emitting diode lighting, among other steps. All these measures would save about Rs 3.17 lakh per annum with reduction of the connected load for Railways, said Divisional Railway manager, (Waltair) M.S. Mathur.

As a part of energy conservation measures, 1000 KWp On-Grid power from rooftop Solar Photo Voltaic systems on four service buildings i.e. on Electric Loco Shed, Diesel Loco Shed, Divisional Railway Hospital and on DRM’s office.  The Solar Grid-Power commissioned under PPP model including operation and maintenance of the systems for a period of 25 years. The project cost is about Rs 8 crores. As many as 3,360 solar panels have been provided for the generation of 1 Mega Watt power.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / March 22nd, 2018

Is this the fabled ‘ghost ship’that’s believed to have sunk over 300 years ago killing 400 on board?

Amazing Feats, Green Initiatives / Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

BalaramNaiduANDHRA07jan2018

Once upon a time there was a huge steam ship filled with passengers leaving a quaint town. But, the ill-fated ship sank with all of its 400 passengers on board. Ever since, the location where the ship sank in the sea has been haunted, with the souls of the gloomy, dead passengers haunting whoever passes by at night. They moan and take out their anger on the living, begging for attention and some relief from their after-life.


Thus goes the legend of a mysterious wreck in the Bay of Bengal popular among the fishing community of  Visakhapatnam.  And till recently, the wreck was nothing more than an apparition; a bed-time tale told to scare toddlers. Or so it was believed. But Vizag-based scuba diver, Balaram Naidu claims he’s discovered the remnants of that doomed ship lying in the Bay of Bengal.

“I don’t want to reveal where the wreck is yet, but the fishing community here has always had many interesting tales to tell about it,” says Balaram Naidu, owner of an adventure sports firm in the city.

From the pictures of the remnants of the said wreck that Balaram shared with Vizag Times, one can see various parts of the ship scattered around. “The shaft, motor, furnace and the rest of the main body are intact. The keel, decks and other parts of the ship have spread all over the place. The furnace even holds beautiful aqua life in it and is filled with fishes, eels and turtles,” explains Balaram.

But how did the adventure enthusiast even find the wreck in the first place? “We have been struggling to find wrecks in the sea for three years now and been taking the help of the fishing community to find them. But they can’t dive deep into the water, so they point out possible wreck sites to us and we dive to see if they’re actually there. We learnt about this site from the fishermen’s tales. We found the debris during our first few dives and it took us a while to find the wreck too,” he says, elated.

While the mention of the eerie wreck brings out excitement in Balaram, it incites fear in the fishing community. The fishermen are dead sure that this is the sunken ship that their forefathers warned them about. “I don’t know how old the ship is and when it sunk there. But generations of our children have grown up listening to tales of how 400 passengers on board died when this ship sank. I heard the story from my father, who heard the story from my grandfather and so on. My father is 85-years-old now, I think the ship sunk 300 years ago maybe. But this is the first time I’ve heard of someone actually finding it,” says Satti, a fisherman.

But why does the ship-wreck incite fear in these fishermen? “It’s not just me, anyone who has fished around that area will tell you that they feel scared to venture there. Because a lot of us who fished in that area at night, have felt someone hitting us on our backs. That’s why we avoid venturing there at night. Even when we do go that side, we go in large numbers and prefer not to catch fish there.”

Balaram however wants to find the ship’s origins and believes it sunk while it was leaving Vizag harbour. “The shaft is towards Vizag, this could mean that it sunk while it was leaving the harbour. I want to find out more details about the ship and I’m hoping its records can be found at the court. They will hopefully have the navigation records.”

For Balaram the finding of a coral in the sea few weeks back and now, the wreck just reinstates the fact that Vizag has the potential to be an attractive dive site. “In fact, it could be the best dive site in India,” he says. “Scuba divers love reef diving and wreck diving, and the latter is something a lot of divers opt for because it’s exciting.”

Previously too, Balaram Naidu had told Vizag Times that he is planning to present a proposal to the tourism department to develop Vizag as a wreck diving destination. If the proposal does indeed materialise, then civilians would be able to access the wreck of PNS Ghazi, that only divers of Indian Navy are privy to so far.

“I know for a fact that the remains of Ghazi lie 30 meters deep in the ocean and that the debris is entangled in fishing nets,” he says. Apart from the wreck of PNS Ghazi, and now this steam ship, the debris of a goods ship lies at the continental beach near Dolphin Hill.

“I will soon submit a proposal imploring the Tourism Department to turn the ship wreck we discovered now and PNS Ghazi into wreck diving sites. It can transform the tourism scenario not just in Vizag but all of India,” he sums it up.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / by Neeshita Nyayapati / TNN / January 06th, 2018