Barely a week passes without controversy for Jairam Ramesh, India's environment and forests minister. In late September, when a speeding train killed seven elephants in India's eastern state of West Bengal, Ramesh criticized the railway ministry with failing to do enough to prevent such tragedies (150 elephants have died in similar accidents since 1987). A series of meetings were hurriedly convened between top-level railway, forests and environment officials to find solutions.
The same week, Ramesh was able to persuade the developers of a new international airport near Mumbai to agree to modify their project in an effort to preserve 400 acres of mangroves and prevent the diversion of two rivers. This week, the environment ministry will send experts to study the new site plan; approval is expected to come within a month, according to The Economic Times newspaper.
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