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Uttarakhand
BJP leader Colonel (retired) Ajay Kothiyal has expressed regret that even four months after the cloudburst in Dharali of Uttarkashi district, the bodies of 147 people buried under the debris could not be recovered. "If the Army rescued seven out of 10 soldiers buried under the debris in Harshil, then why can't we rescue the 147 people buried in Dharali?" he asked, while participating in a discussion at the 'World Summit on Disaster Management' organised in Dehradun by Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology two days ago. Kothiyal alleged that nearly four months after the natural calamity, Dharali is still in tatters. Instead of finding proper ways for rehabilitation of the people there, disaster management officials, geologists, scientists and environmental experts are finding excuses to avoid the challenges, he alleged. On August 5 this year, a massive cloudburst over Dharali village in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand resulted in devastating floods and mudslides, .
Five passengers were killed after a bus fell into a ravine in the Narendranagar area of ??Tehri district on Monday. According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the accident occurred near Kunjapuri-Hindolakhal after the bus lost control and fell into a 70-metre-deep ravine. Five SDRF teams reached the spot upon receiving the information and a rescue operation was launched. Five passengers have been initially confirmed dead on the spot, SDRF officials said, adding that the injured are being rescued from the ravine and taken to the nearest hospital. An official said there were 28 passengers on board the bus.
In a relief to vehicle owners in the state, the Uttarakhand government has postponed levying the hiked fitness test fee for 15-year-old commercial vehicles until November 21, 2026. A notification to this effect was issued by the state's Transport Secretary Brijesh Kumar Sant on Friday. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that the central government recently increased the fitness fees for 15-year-old commercial vehicles by up to 10 times, but considering public sentiment in the state, the state government has decided not to impose this immediate burden on vehicle owners in Uttarakhand. "Our government's commitment is to provide relief to the public and take prompt decisions in the public interest. The recent increase in fitness fees for commercial vehicles by the Central Government has been postponed for one year in Uttarakhand," the CM said. "During this period, the previously determined fees will remain in effect. We do not want vehicle owners and those involved in the ...
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Uttarakhand government on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of Naini Saini Airport in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to officials, the "historic" agreement is a step towards providing smooth, safe, and sustainable air connectivity to the mountainous region of Uttarakhand. Located in Pithoragarh district, Naini Saini Airport spans approximately 70 acres and has a terminal building capable of handling 40 passengers during peak hours. The airport apron can also accommodate two aircraft at a time. With the acquisition, AAI will undertake the upgradation of the airport's infrastructure and streamlining of operational standards, which will lead to significant improvement in the regional connectivity of the state, officials said. The development of the airport will provide a new impetus to Uttarakhand's local art, cultural heritage, and tourism sector. It will also open up new opportunitie
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 8,260 crore in Uttarakhand. These projects cater to several key sectors, including drinking water, irrigation, technical education, energy, urban development, sports, and skill development. The projects inaugurated by the prime minister include Dehradun water supply coverage for 23 zones under AMRUT scheme, electrical substation in Pithoragarh district, solar power plants in government buildings, AstroTurf Hockey Ground at Haldwani Stadium in Nainital, among others. Prime Minister Modi is here to attend the celebrations to mark 25 years of the formation of Uttarakhand.
President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday inaugurated a foot overbridge and an equestrian facility at the Rashtrapati Niketan in Dehradun. The 105-ft-long foot overbridge on Rajpur Road will establish connectivity between Rashtrapati Niketan, an official retreat of the president, and the 132-acre Rashtrapati Udyan, a statement said. The overbridge has become an alternative for pedestrians who can now avoid busier routes. The foot overbridge is constructed by the Uttarakhand Public Works Department as per local Himalayan architecture at a cost of Rs 9 crore. A equestrian facility covering 0.7 acre has been developed at the Rashtrapati Niketan complex. The state-of-the-art facility, built by the Central Public Works Department, includes a stable with space for eight horses, treatment rooms, bathing and feeding rooms, and a dedicated viewing corridor for visitors. The two new facilities will now be available to the public every day, except Mondays, from 9 am to 5 pm Guided tours will also be
President Droupadi Murmu will be on a three-day visit to Uttarakhand from Sunday, during which she will also visit Neem Karoli Baba Ashram at Kainchi Dham, her office has said. Murmu will grace the second convocation ceremony of the University of Patanjali at Haridwar on Sunday, it added. "On November 3, the president will address the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly at Dehradun on the silver jubilee of Uttarakhand state," said the statement issued on Saturday by the Rashtrapati Bhavan. On the same day, she will grace a function to commemorate the 125 years of the establishment of the Raj Bhavan, Nainital. ?On November 4, Murmu will visit the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram at Kainchi Dham. "Before returning to New Delhi, the president will also grace the 20th convocation of Kumaun University at Nainital," the statement added.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday claimed 26,000 government jobs were created in the state in the last four years, and the figure will reach at least 36,000 by next year. Dhami shared the numbers at a press conference here held to mark the beginning of the silver jubilee celebrations of the establishment of Uttarakhand. "A few exams have been conducted, the results of which are yet to be declared. Adding all this, 10,000-12,000 more recruitments will be made within the next year," he said. Dhami said that since Uttarakhand will complete 25 years of its establishment on November 9, this is the right time to highlight the state's achievements. He said Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and brought about strong land laws, anti-forced conversion laws, anti-riot laws, and anti-counterfeiting laws. The state ensures 10 per cent reservation in government jobs for the kin of those who fought for statehood,
Green tax will be collected from vehicles coming to Uttarakhand from outside states from December, officials said. According to officials, the decision aims at controlling pollution, protecting the environment, and promoting cleanliness in the state. The collection of this tax will begin in December. State Additional Transport Commissioner Sanat Kumar Singh said Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed along the state's borders will capture the registration numbers of incoming vehicles. He said 16 cameras were already installed in the border areas, and their number has now been increased to 37. The transport department has appointed a vendor company to collect the green tax, Singh said. The data captured by the cameras will be sent to the vendor through software, which will then separate information related to Uttarakhand-registered, government, and two-wheeler vehicles, and send them to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) database, he added. He infor
The Uttarakhand government will provide free pre-recruitment training to young men and women interested in serving the country as Agniveers in the Army. Officials here said that on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Sports and Youth Welfare Department has prepared an SOP for this purpose. The training will be provided in all 13 districts of the state. The chief minister recently directed the department to provide training to the state's youth for Agniveer recruitment. It is mandatory to be a native or permanent resident of Uttarakhand or to be studying or serving in an institute in the state to be eligible for the free training. Furthermore, passing the high school examination with at least 45 per cent marks and a minimum of 33 per cent in each subject is mandatory. To receive the training, one must be over 16 years of age. Dhami said that in view of Uttarakhand's glorious military tradition, the government is providing pre-recruitment training to Agniveer
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday likened Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to an infiltrator, saying he is from Uttarakhand and should be sent back to the state. Speaking to reporters at Lohia Park in Lucknow on Sunday, on the death anniversary of Ram Manohar Lohia, Yadav said the BJP has fake statistics. "If one is to believe their statistics, they would be lost," he added. "People who are giving the statistics of exodus... We also have infiltrators in UP. The chief minister is from Uttarakhand. We want him to be sent to Uttarakhand. He is not the only infiltrator; he is also an infiltrator from the ideological point of view," Yadav claimed. The SP chief added, "He (Adityanath) was not a member of the BJP; he was a member of another (party). So, when will these infiltrators be removed?" Yadav's remarks come days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed some political parties treat infiltrators as a vote bank and questioned why infiltration does not take
Officers of the Uttarakhand GST headquarters carried out a raid and unearthed a tax evasion racket worth over Rs 20 lakh several lakhs of rupees, allegedly run in collusion with joint commissioner-level officials. "The state tax headquarters had been constantly receiving information and complaints that transporters were bringing goods to Haldwani in the Kumaon region while evading taxes," a senior official from the headquarters said. "One of these transporters was also reported to have the patronage and support of a senior departmental officer at the level of joint commissioner," he said. Officials said that this hindered any major action against this transporter at the local level. The state GST headquarters, then, decided to take action against the transporters on its own. "Teams from Rudrapur raided two transport companies in Haldwani early this week," sources said. They added that in a highly confidential manner, under heavy police security, two departmental teams from outside
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has pulled up the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board over continued violations by three common effluent treatment plants in Haridwar, Pantnagar and Sitarganj, and directed it to take immediate action, including levying environmental compensation. In an order issued on Tuesday, the CPCB said the plants, located in industrial areas developed by the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIIDCUL), were meeting neither the inlet effluent quality standards nor the treated effluent quality norms. The central board's inspection revealed that all three plants -- Haridwar of 9 MLD (million litres per day) capacity, Pantnagar (4 MLD) and Sitarganj (4 MLD) -- were consistently non-compliant with treated effluent quality standards for key parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and heavy metals like iron, chromium and nickel. Common effluent treatment plants (CETPs)