Page 2 - Uttarakhand Assembly

Four dead, over 100 police personnel injured in Haldwani violence

Four people died and over 100 police personnel were injured after violence erupted in Haldwani's Banbhoolpura area on Thursday during an anti-encroachment drive, a senior official said."Four people died in the violence-hit Banbhoolpura and more than 100 policemen were injured," said State ADG Law & Order AP Anshuman.Following the unrest, the district administration suspended internet services and ordered the closure of all schools and colleges."Internet services suspended after violence in Banbhoolpura of Haldwani in which so far 4 people have died and more than 100 policemen were injured. The administration has also ordered the closure of all schools and colleges," Nainital District Administration.Uttarakhand government has put high alert in the state as a precaution after the violence.Earlier, four companies of paramilitary forces were rushed to Haldwani in Nainital district after violence erupted on Thursday in Banbhoolpura during an anti-encroachment drive.According to the ..

Uttarakhand Assembly passes Uniform Civil Code Bill during special session

The Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code Bill, which may serve as template for other BJP-run states to enact similar legislation. The Bill was introduced in the assembly a day earlier and the opposition had suggested that it should be sent to a select committee of the House first. Once the Bill gets the governor's consent, Uttarakhand will become the first state after independence to get a common law on marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for all citizens, irrespective of their religion.

UCC bill to be referred to select committee: Oppn in U'khand Assembly

The Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday resumed the discussion on the Uniform Civil Code bill with the opposition Congress members moving a proposal to refer the legislation to a select committee of the House. Opposition legislators said they are not opposing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill but its provisions need to be examined in detail so that its flaws could be removed before its passage. Restarting the debate in the House, Congress member from Kichcha, Tilak Raj Behar, said Article 44 of the Constitution which is the basis of the bill talks about the UCC in the context of the whole country and not just one state. "We are not opposing the bill or its passage, but it should be referred to a select committee of the House before it is passed," he said. Pointing out a contradiction in the bill, Congress MLA from Jaspur, Adesh Singh Chauhan, said the bill leaves the tribal population out of its ambit but at the same time states that it will apply to the whole of the state. "If it .

Uttarakhand CM Dhami tables Bill on Uniform Civil Code in state Assembly

The ongoing special four-day session of the assembly began on Monday.

UCC panel submits voluminous report to Uttarakhand chief minister

A government-appointed panel to prepare a draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on Friday submitted a voluminous document to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who said the "long-awaited moment has arrived". The draft will be examined, studied and discussed before it is tabled in the assembly, he said. A special four-day session of the assembly has already been convened from February 5-8 to pass a legislation on the UCC. The draft in four volumes containing 740 pages was handed over to Dhami by the five-member committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai. All the panel members came to the chief minister's residence to submit the draft. Apart from Desai, other members of the panel are retired chief justice of Sikkim High Court Pramod Kohli, social activist Manu Gaur, former Uttarakhand chief secretary Shatrughan Singh and Vice Chancellor of Doon University Surekha Dangwal. On receiving the draft, Dhami said, "It is yet another step towards the

UCC committee submits draft to Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

With the assembly session scheduled from the February 5 the government will now place the bill in the house during the session

U'khand UCC: Draft to be submitted on Fri, special session for legislation

The Uttarakhand government-appointed panel to prepare a draft of the Uniform Civil Code will submit the document to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami here on Friday. A special four-day session of the Uttarakhand Assembly has already been convened from February 5-8 to pass a legislation on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The draft will be discussed in a meeting of the state Cabinet before it is tabled in the form of a Bill in the Assembly. Passing a legislation on the UCC will fulfil a major promise made by the BJP to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly polls, which saw the saffron party storm to power with a landslide victory for the second consecutive term - a feat achieved for the first time by any political party in the state which came into being in 2000. The second consecutive electoral win was interpreted by the BJP as the people's mandate for a UCC and the Dhami government decided at the very first meeting of the state Cabinet in March, 2022 to constitu

OBC reservation commission submits report to CM Dhami at his residence

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that the tenure of the expert committee preparing the draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the state has been extended by 15 days

EC publishes Uttarakhand's final electoral roll with 8.24 mn voters

The final electoral roll of Uttarakhand published by the Election Commission of India on Monday showed a total voter count of 82,43,423 in the state. Of the total electorate, 42,70,597 are males, 39,72,540 are females and 286 third gender voters, according to the published data. Sharing the electoral roll figures at press conference here, Uttarakhand Chief Electoral Officer V Shanmugham said there are a total of 93,357 service voters in Uttarakhand, including 90,763 men and 2,594 women. The highest number of voters were recorded in the 30-39 age group at 22,44,926, followed by 17,04,523 electors in the 40-49 age group, 16,59,290 in 20-29 age group, 11,86,686 in 50-59 years. A total of 7,50,563 voters are in the 60-69 age group, 4,14,114 aged 70-79 years, 1,54,259 voters aged above 80 years, and 129,062 in 18-19 age cohort, he said. There are 11,729 polling stations in the state, of which 3,461 are in urban areas, while 8,268 in rural areas.

Dip in rain, sunshine hours in U'khand's Terai region over 40 yrs: Research

The Terai region of Uttarakhand has recorded a significant reduction in rainfall and a noticeable shift in temperature patterns over a 40-year period starting from 1981 and this might negatively impact crop production in the area, according to a new research. The research conducted by scientists at the G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Uttarakhand found out that the minimum temperature in the region has risen noticeably, while the maximum temperature has not changed significantly, indicating a narrowing range of temperatures. This shift could cause crops to mature prematurely, leading to reduced crop yields, according to the study published in the "Mausam Journal" of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) last week. "The actual decrease in rainfall, sunshine hours and evaporation over 40 years in the Terai region of Uttarakhand is about 58.621 mm, 1.673 hour and 1.1 mm," the study said. The decrease in these climate factors could be attributed to reasons such

Move fast on Destination U'khand Investors Summit agreements: CM Dhami

CM Dhami emphasised that the top priority of the state government is to connect the youth with employment and self-employment

Uttarakhand HC questions state govt on delay in announcing municipal polls

The Uttarakhand High Court has sought a reply from the state government as to why the schedule of municipal polls has not yet been announced despite the tenure of municipalities having come to an end on December 2. A division bench of the high court comprising Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Vivek Bharti Sharma on Wednesday asked the urban development secretary to appear before the court to give a reply on January 9. The order came on a PIL filed by a Jaspur resident, Anees, saying that the tenure of municipalities of the state ended on December 2. However, the state government has not yet made an announcement for polls. The Supreme Court has laid down the rule that the election schedule should be declared six months before the end of the five-year tenure of municipalities. This would ensure that the new board can be formed within the stipulated time. But the government has not yet announced the election schedule.

CM Dhami appoints 11 BJP leaders as vice presidents of councils, committees

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has appointed 11 more senior BJP leaders as vice-presidents of various councils and committees in the state. The second list of 11 party leaders appointed to different posts include Dedvendra Bhasin, Vishwas Dabur, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Vinod Uniyal, Shyamveer Saini, Rajkumar, Dipak Mehra, Vinay Rohila, Uttam Dutta, Dinesh Arya and Ganesh Bhandari. The first list of 10 appointments had been issued in September. Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt congratulated all the party leaders on their nomination to the posts and hoped they will take public welfare schemes to the grassroots. "All party workers nominated to the posts are seniors who have experience and capability. Public welfare programmes launched by the government are bringing about a positive change in the lives of people. I hope those appointed as vice presidents of these bodies will help take the benefits of these programmes to people at the grassroots. I am confident they

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Protection umbrella being laid for rescue team

A BSNL official, said they are in the process of sending a small landline phone to the stranded workers through the pipe. "Through this, they will be able to talk directly to their families," he said

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: CM Dhami tracks ops from temporary office camp

The ongoing rescue work entered its 13th day on Friday, with the trapped workers deemed safe and in good spirits

Rescue operations at Silkyara tunnel to take 12-14 hours more: Khulbe

An iron mesh that came in the path of the drilling machine creating an escape passage for the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel was removed on Thursday morning but has delayed the rescue operation by 12 to 14 hours, a senior official said. Former advisor to the prime minister's office Bhaskar Khulbe said removing the mesh in a claustrophobic environment inside the pipe was difficult. "It took us six hours to remove it. But the good news is that we have cleared the hurdle which came yesterday after drilling up to 45 metres had been done," Khulbe told reporters. Now the process of assembling to go beyond 45 metres which requires welding the pipes has been restarted. The drilling will also resume soon, he said. It will take around 12 to 14 hours more to complete the whole operation of reaching the workers. After that, it will take three more hours to take out the workers one by one. That will be done with the help of NDRF, Khulbe said. Union Minister of State for Road Transport

Almora-Haldwani NH in Uttarakhand blocked due to debris after landslide

The Almora-Haldwani Road National Highway in Uttarakhand has been blocked for vehicular traffic due to debris near Kwarb Bridge

Dhami holds review meeting amid heavy rain, asks officials to ensure action

The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure the safety of citizen and the availability of all possible facilities for them

Heavy rains wash away part of Badrinath highway, pilgrimage disrupted

A 100-metre stretch of the Gauchar-Badrinath highway at Kamera was washed away on Monday following heavy overnight rainfall, disrupting the pilgrimage to the Himalayan temple. The route will remain closed for Badrinath pilgrims for two-three days, according to an official statement issued here. Efforts are underway on war footing to repair and open the route to traffic at the earliest, it said. A part of a road also caved in at Bhattnagar near Gauchar and five vehicles parked along the roadside got buried in the debris, the state emergency operation centre here said. The rubble is being cleared, it said, adding no one was hurt in the incident.

Distribution of compensation to affected people begins in Joshimath

The Uttarakhand government has started distributing compensation to affected house owners in land subsidence-hit Joshimath under the state's rehabilitation policy, an official statement said. The process began on Friday on the direction of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, with three Joshimath residents getting Rs 63.20 lakh as compensation on the first day. The beneficiaries included retired subedar-major Manglu Lal, Krishna Panwar and Baldev Singh Panwar, residents of one of the worst-affected Suneel ward of Joshimath, it said. Other affected people in the town will also be getting their compensations soon after the administration finishes verifying the documents, the statement added.