Picketers disrupt work, say: Adani Australian coal mine project would 'aggravate' drought

By A Representative
In a fifth picket in a row, and third at the site itself, work at Adani’s controversial Carmichael coalmine project was disrupted by a group of 20 people, who blocked access from the Adani work camp. The group cited Adani’s immense water usage at a time when much of the country is in extreme drought. The region’s drought situation has reportedly been declared critical, with fears that several places could run out of water by the end of the year.
Horticulturalist Hamish Fairbrother, from Townsville, noted Adani, a powerful Indian tycoon implementing the ambitious project, is beginning construction on a massive dam which will suck water from surrounding farms, towns, and native ecosystems.
“At a time when the country is experiencing history-changing weather conditions – when whole towns are running out of water, rivers are drying up and extreme fire threats being described as the new normal, the government is allowing Adani to use billions of litres of water in order to mine and wash coal. This is irresponsible and reprehensible”, he argued.
In June, the Federal Department of the Environment conceded in court that it did not take into consideration public submissions to Adani’s North Galilee Water Scheme. There were over 2,000 public submissions to the plan, which gives Adani permission to use 12.5 billion litres of water a year from the Suttor River. It is now in the process of reviewing that decision.
According to Fairbrother, “The government has already admitted it ignored the submissions of the public when it came to Adani’s immense water usage. The fact they are still supportive of this project in the face of an extreme drought and the threat of worse from climate breakdown is a betrayal of Australian people and the water that sustains us.
“Careful water management is a necessity for life on this dry continent. If our government will not protect this precious resource by rejecting the Carmichael mine, everyday people need to personally take strong action to stop it from being built.”

The “Dr” debate masks a larger crisis in allied-health education

By Dr P K Gupta* India’s allied-health professions have long operated in a fragmented landscape of universities, hospitals, State authorities and private institutions, each with its own nomenclature, curriculum and standards. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 was meant to correct this by creating a unified national framework for education, professional regulation and institutional recognition. Few dispute the need for such oversight. The real question is whether standardisation is quietly becoming synonymous with longer courses, additional internships and new professional titles—changes that risk masking deeper gaps in clinical training, institutional capacity and affordability.

Vande Mataram and the politics of distraction: When patriotism replaces performance

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan There is an old saying: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Samuel Johnson was not criticising love for one’s country; he was warning against those who weaponise patriotic symbolism to escape accountability. In India today, that warning feels uncomfortably relevant.

Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha* In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine.

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