Articles by Manoj R Nair
Mumbai pioneered ‘urban forests’ and then abandoned the idea
Creation of urban forests has been part of the agenda of India’s environment departments
Updated on Jun 30, 2019 11:36 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair, Mumbai
With no official nod for halal funds, money scams arise
Some finance experts have been campaigning for the formal recognition of Islamic banking, arguing that it will bring more Muslims into the financial mainstream
Updated on Jun 23, 2019 11:57 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Juvenile fishing: Eating ocean fish into extinction
Research by the Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation of Maharashtra says illegal fishing methods such as using banned nets are killing juveniles that have not had a chance to breed
Updated on Jun 17, 2019 12:54 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
A story of failed restoration plans
There are demands that the building, which was once the fashionable Watson’s Hotel, should be saved. The building is an important architectural landmark.
Published on Jun 10, 2019 04:34 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Mumbai | Manoj R Nair
Mumbai’s 2nd-largest natural area Thane Creek needs to be saved
Thane creek, located between Mumbai harbour is 26 km long and its narrower upper areas have mudflats, salt pans and diversity-rich mangroves forests which urgently need to be saved.
Published on Jun 03, 2019 12:05 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Mumbai | Manoj R Nair
Thane creek wetlands need to be saved
The wetland and the adjacent Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary are globally significant, serving as a stop for migratory birds
Updated on Jun 02, 2019 11:42 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair, Mumbai
Waterhole census: Should Mumbai worry about the health of its forest?
Is the waterhole census report worrying? Should Mumbai be worried about the decline in the number of animals reported in its forest?
Published on May 26, 2019 11:41 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair, Mumbai
Now focus on SGNP after Tungareshwar ashram eviction
Tungareshwar, which is around 85.70 sq. km in area, is connected to other protected natural areas like the Nagla block of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary
Updated on May 19, 2019 11:40 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Why we need a policy on light pollution
Light pollution does not raise the alarm that air or water pollution does and this is the reason why there are no guidelines or safety standards in most parts of the world
Published on May 12, 2019 11:11 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Why sewage workers continue to die: No prosecution of accused
Municipal agencies have to provide equipment such as pumps at dangerous sites like clogged sewers. But contractors do not want to spend on the safety equipment
Updated on May 05, 2019 11:45 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Construction is eating into the protective buffer around Mumbai’s forests
The ban on construction in a 1-km radius, had been removed in the final ESZ notification
Updated on Apr 28, 2019 11:09 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Measles vaccine: Mumbai, unlike NY, takes softer approach against refusers
Vaccination is not mandatory in India and, unlike New York, Mumbai’s public health department has not imposed punitive actions against refusers, but it has been forced to crack the whip occasionally
Published on Apr 21, 2019 11:55 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Why no Sindhi TV channel? DD says it is too expensive
Sindhi speakers want the government to set up a television channel in their language since private broadcasters, which operate in all the major languages of the country, have not been successful in sustaining services
Updated on Apr 14, 2019 10:44 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair, Mumbai
Ban on Parsi newsletter shows an old press tradition
The ban on the distribution of the newspaper in community housing estates, which houses nearly 5,500 families, was ordered by the BPP’s chairperson Yazdi Desai
Updated on Apr 07, 2019 11:31 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Thane church breaks law, shows lack of burial land
Two weeks ago, in an act of civil disobedience to protest against the municipal corporation’s failure to provide them with more burial land, church members buried the body of a 95-year-old in a plot that is not demarcated as a graveyard in municipal records
Published on Apr 01, 2019 12:29 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Lessons for Mumbai from the American measles outbreak
Two counties along the Washington-Oregon border in the USA have reported 72 cases of measles, mostly among unvaccinated children
Published on Mar 17, 2019 11:06 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
‘Man-animal conflict’: Is it time to drop the term?
Ten days ago, a leopard was rescued from a Thane shopping mall, nearly four km from the boundaries of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). News reports mentioned the incident as a ‘ man-animal conflict’, but ecologists and forest officials want us to discard the term.
Published on Mar 04, 2019 12:46 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Parsi prayer hall at Mumbai crematorium: Success or failure?
The traditionalists, who are called the orthodox, say the facility has failed to convince community members to adopt unconventional funerals.
Published on Feb 24, 2019 11:02 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Jews in Mumbai find new ways to keep religious traditions alive
In 2016, Maharashtra recognised Jews as a religious minority, but since the Indian census does not identify them as a distinct group, there is no data on their population
Updated on Feb 18, 2019 08:33 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Population control: Not the panacea for all states
A Member of Parliament has drafted a law that proposes to restrict the number of children per couple to two
Updated on Feb 04, 2019 12:28 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Before pet trade ban we should regulate the cruel business
India has no rules to regulate the business and has just set up standards for animal housing and care
Updated on Jan 13, 2019 11:11 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair, Mumbai
Why states should focus on improving living conditions and worry less about population decline
A demographic group, after reaching replacement rate, will continue to grow for the next few decades, mostly because the proportion of people in the reproductive age – born during the periods of fast population growth - is still high
Published on Jan 06, 2019 10:46 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
The decades-old dispute over Jain guru worship
Followers of Shwetamber Tapgachha said they believe in the performance of Navangi Pooja of their living monks and observance of certain rituals, which they were prevented from doing by a temple trust run by another sect
Updated on Dec 23, 2018 11:23 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Mumbai should ban open burning of garbage
After Delhi’s air quality in Diwali reached levels that required emergency interventions, the city started enforcing a rarely-used order from the National Green Tribunal that makes burning of garbage in the open an offence punishable with a fine. Last week, factories in the city’s outskirts were forced to shut down after it was found that the industrial units were resorting to open burning of waste.
Updated on Nov 18, 2018 11:46 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Mumbai’s urban heritage conservation movement is winning accolades
This year, two restored architectural landmarks from Mumbai – the Ruttonsee Muljee Jetha Fountain and University of Mumbai’s Rajabai Clock Tower – won the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
Updated on Nov 11, 2018 10:52 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
We need to expand the reach of the manual scavenging law
According to the National Commission for Safai Karamacharis, one person dies every five days in the country while cleaning sewers or septic tanks
Updated on Nov 05, 2018 12:03 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Entire Aarey needs protection, not just the trees in the Metro car-shed area
The tribunal has asked the petitioners to go to higher judicial authority, either Bombay high court or the Supreme Court.
Updated on Oct 22, 2018 12:52 AM IST
Hindustan Times |
Manoj R Nair
Now that sanitation rates have improved, can sewage treatment get attention?
While sanitation has received attention, the country is struggling to safely dispose of the contents of its toilets and industrial effluents.
Updated on Oct 08, 2018 12:12 AM IST
Hindustan Times |
Manoj R Nair
Why community is a tense subject at Bandra Gymkhana
The resolution moved by members to permit the annual event was passed with 568 votes in favour and one dissenting voter.
Updated on Oct 01, 2018 12:01 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair
Spending money on garbage
Mumbai is expected to spend around ₹280 crore in the current financial year – almost 1% of its municipal budget – on disposing of its garbage
Updated on Aug 06, 2018 12:18 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair