Land Preservation Act

The absence of a building permit system is cited as one of the primary reasons for the extensive damage to houses in the subsidence-hit area of Joshimath in Uttarakhand, according to a post-disaster needs assessment conducted by government agencies. Starting January 2, a number of houses and civil structures in an area located near Joshimath-Auli road began to display major cracks due to land subsidence, prompting the relocation of 355 families. According to local residents, land subsidence had been noticed over several years but became increasingly severe from January 2 to January 8. A 35-member team consisting of professionals from the National Disaster Management Authority, UN agencies, Central Building Research Institute, National Institute of Disaster Management, and other agencies conducted a "Post Disaster Needs Assessment" from April 22 to April 25 to assess the damage caused and to identify the assistance required for the long-term recovery and reconstruction of the affecte

The central government has spent Rs 26,957.32 lakh on conservation, preservation and maintenance of monuments and sites of national importance in 2021-22, Parliament was informed on Thursday. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, in a written response to a query, also shared data on the revenue generated through entry fee at monuments and sites at 143 locations in the country during the last three years. There are 3,696 centrally-protected monuments in the country which fall under the purview of the Archaeological Survey of India, including 743 sites in Uttar Pradesh, 506 in Karnataka, and 412 in Tamil Nadu. Reddy also shared details on the expenditure on conservation, preservation and maintenance of monuments and sites of national importance during last three years. In 2019-20, the figures stood at Rs 43,538.76 lakh while the corresponding figures for 2020-21 was Rs 26,083.41 lakh, and Rs 26,957.32 lakh for 2021-22, according to the data shared.

Court stays implementation of amendment which took away forest cover from Aravali region in Gurugram, Faridabad