New Delhi, Sep 15: The Supreme Court on Monday said the issue concerning ecology and environmental conditions was not going to be limited to Himachal Pradesh only as the entire Himalayan range, which was “very violent” this time, was facing it.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said it would pass its order on September 23 in the suo motu matter concerning issues relating to ecology and environmental conditions prevailing in Himachal Pradesh.

“Ultimately, it is not going to be limited to Himachal only. It is the entire Himalayan range that is facing this. This time around, it has been very very violent,” Justice Mehta observed.

During the hearing, Himachal Pradesh’s advocate general and additional advocate general informed the bench about a report filed by the state in the matter.

“We will give you a brief order after summarising everything so that you can get specific instructions,” the bench said.

Senior advocate K Parmeshwar, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, said the report filed by the state covered many aspects, including tree cover.

“The report covers a number of aspects. It might not be possible to deal with all the aspects at one go. They have covered from tree cover to mining aspect, glaciers etc.,” he said.

Parmeshwar flagged that there were no specifics in the report.

He said the state had contended in the report that there were some concerns with glacier reduction and glacier movement but those specifics were not there.

“All that the report promises is to set up of a committee to look into these,” the amicus said, adding that the canvass was too broad.

The state’s additional advocate general referred to a part of the report which said Himachal Pradesh was actively working on creation of a state-level glacier registry.

The report said the integrated studies of Himalayan cryosphere was conducted by comparing glacier inventories of period from 2016 to 2019 with year 2001-2002 for various basins in Himachal Pradesh.

“The following findings of the scientific analysis reveals that while glacier numbers have largely remained stable or shown minor increases, their total area has declined, indicating gradual shrinkage…,” it said.

The report said the recent devastations in the form of high-intensity rainfall, cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, variations in snowfall patterns, and receding glaciers were manifestations of climate change, an undeniable global phenomenon resulting from extensive industrialization, rising greenhouse gas emissions and unsustainable practices at regional, national and global levels.

On the concern raised by the court regarding destruction caused by hydropower projects, the report said such projects might not be considered the primary cause of destruction in the state.

“Recent flash floods and cloudbursts have occurred in areas far away from hydropower installations. These destructive events were mainly caused by cloudbursts happening at higher altitudes and mountain peaks where no hydropower projects exist,” it said.

The report also said national highway projects in the state were undertaken after due diligence, planning and coordination with the various stakeholder departments, and includes public consultation where applicable.

On the court’s concern regarding destruction caused by deforestation due to developmental projects, the report said to rehabilitate and rejuvenate, the state through forest department undertakes tree planting in degraded area, and even on the evicted encroachment.

It said between 2018 and 2025, the state witnessed a surge in extreme weather events, with 434 incidents recorded across districts.

“These disasters claimed 123 lives and caused significant livestock losses, severely impacting rural communities reliant on agriculture, horticulture, and animal husbandry,” the report said.

On July 28, a different bench of the apex court had said the state might “vanish in thin air” if the situation did not change.

Observing that the situation in the state had deteriorated, the top court had said climate change was having a “visible and alarming impact” on the state.

The top court was then dealing with a petition against an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which declined to entertain a plea challenging the state’s June 2025 notification declaring certain areas as “green area”.

While refusing to interfere with the high court’s order, the apex court said the obvious reason for issuing the notification was to curb construction activities in a particular area.

The bench had said according to experts and various reports, the major causes of destruction in the state were hydropower projects, four-lane roads, deforestation, multi-storey buildings, etc.

It observed Himachal Pradesh was nestled in the lap of the Himalayan mountains and it was important to seek the opinion of geologists, environmental experts and locals before undertaking development projects.

Kolkata, Sep 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the Armed Forces for the success of ‘Operation Sindoor’, and urged the defence ministry to implement steps to achieve greater self-sufficiency and innovation to meet future challenges, an official said.

Inaugurating the 16th Combined Commanders’ Conference (CCC) at the Eastern Command headquarters of the Army at Vijay Durg, the erstwhile Fort William, here, the PM reviewed the reforms implemented in the last two years, and the plan for the next two years.

Modi also unveiled the ‘Indian Armed Forces Vision 2047’ document.

He was briefed on the operational readiness of the forces in the context of the “new normal” created by Operation Sindoor, future of warfare amid emerging technology and tactics, an official statement said.

“The Prime Minister complimented the Armed Forces for the success of Operation Sindoor,” it said.

Operation Sindoor was launched in May in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people.

It was conceived as a punitive and targeted campaign to dismantle the terror infrastructure across the Line of Control and deeper inside Pakistan, showcasing a calibrated, tri-services response embodying precision, professionalism and purpose, the defence official said.

Addressing the conference, Modi also praised the integral role played by the Armed Forces in nation building, anti-piracy, safe return of Indian citizens from conflict zones, as well as providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) assistance to friendly countries.

“In line with 2025 being the ‘year of reforms’ in defence, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Defence to swiftly implement concrete steps to achieve greater jointness, atmanirbharta and innovation to meet future challenges and to prevail against any eventuality,” the statement said.

The conference is being attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, among others.

Held once in two years, the three-day Combined Commanders’ Conference is the apex-level brainstorming forum of the Armed Forces, which brings together the nation’s top civilian and military leadership to exchange views and lay the groundwork for the future development of India’s military preparedness.

Focusing on reforms, transformation and change and operational preparedness, the theme for this year’s conference is ‘Year of Reforms – Transforming for the Future’, in line with the ongoing modernisation and transformation of the Armed Forces, the statement said.

Over the next two days, the conference would conduct a holistic review of various structural, administrative and operational matters based on the feedback from across the forces, preparedness of the forces in the face of increasing global uncertainties, it said.

Deliberations were held on a wide range of strategic issues, including force modernisation, jointness, integration and enhancing operational readiness for multi-domain warfare.

The CCC was last held in Bhopal in 2023, which was inaugurated by Modi.

The PM, who arrived in Kolkata on Sunday evening from Assam, left the city in the afternoon for Purnea in Bihar.

This was Modi’s fourth visit to Bengal in the past five months and the second within a month.

New Delhi, Sep 15: US chief negotiator Brendan Lynch is arriving here late on Monday for a day-long talk on the proposed India-US bilateral trade deal, according to a senior commerce ministry official.

Five rounds of negotiations for the India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA) have been held, and the sixth round of talks, scheduled from August 25-29, was postponed following the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods by the US.

“Tomorrow’s talks will be a precursor to the sixth round of negotiations,” the official said.

The US chief negotiator is expected to reach India tonight. Lynch is the Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia.

He oversees the development and implementation of US trade policy with regard to 15 countries in the region, including management of the US-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) as well as coordination of activity under Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFAs) with regional partners.

India’s exports have been affected following the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs on shipments to the US.

New Delhi, Sep 15: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim order on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, saying the spirit of the verdict was in favour of “democratic India” and assured that the Centre would re-examine the provision requiring five years of practising Islam for the creation of Waqf.

The apex court, in its interim order on Monday, declined to stay the Waqf Act in its entirety, noting that a statute carries a presumption of constitutionality and can be stayed only in the rarest of cases.

However, a Bench comprising the Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice A.G. Masih stayed the provision mandating five years of practising Islam for the creation of Waqf, until rules are framed.

Reacting to the order, Rijiju told reporters, “I am satisfied with the judgment of the Supreme Court. This will benefit the poor, homeless and backwards classes of Muslims. Since the Supreme Court is the top court, it will surely have an impact. In a way, the decision has upheld the one that was made in Parliament. We will go through the provision of the practising Muslim once again.”

He criticised the Opposition and those protesting the Act, asserting that challenging the authority of Parliament was not justified.

“I have not read the judgment yet; however, the spirit of the order is in favour of democratic India. Some people just unnecessarily challenge the Parliament’s authority in the Supreme Court. One can challenge the provision but not the authority of the Parliament,” he said.

The Supreme Court also stayed the provision that allowed a designated officer to decide whether a Waqf property encroached on government land, ruling that entrusting such powers to an executive officer would breach the principle of separation of powers.

Additionally, the court directed that until adjudication by the tribunal takes place, no third-party rights can be created against any parties involved.