
4 Mizoram districts declared swine fever epicentres
The Hindu
The viral disease has killed more than 1,000 pigs in less than a month
Certain areas in four districts of Mizoram have been declared as epicentres of the African swine fever (ASF) that has so far killed 1,119 pigs in a month. Joint Director (livestock health) of the State’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department Lalhmingthanga said Lungsen village and Lunglei Electric Veng in Lunglei district, Armed Veng and Edenthar areas in Aizawl district, Keitum village in Serchhip district and Vaipi-I in Siaha district have been marked ASF epicentres. “Five of Mizoram’s 11 districts — Aizawl, Lunglei, Serchhip, Mamit and Siaha — are currently affected by ASF. Mamit has not been declared as an epicentre although some ASF-related pig deaths have been reported there,” he said.
In , the grape capital of India and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years, environmental concerns over a plan to cut 1,800 trees for the proposed Sadhugram project in the historic Tapovan area have sharpened political fault lines ahead of local body elections. The issue has pitted both Sena factions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. While Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, and Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), remain political rivals, their parties have found rare common ground in Tapovan, where authorities propose clearing trees across 34 acres to build Sadhugram and a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub, as part of a ₹300-crore infrastructure push linked to the pilgrimage.












