Page 17 - Uttarakhand

Operation to rescue Kedarnath pilgrims enters 3rd day; over 10K evacuated

The operation to rescue pilgrims stranded along a rain-ravaged trek route to the Himalayan Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand entered its third day on Sunday. More than 10,500 people have been evacuated, some airlifted by air force helicopters. Officials said around 1,300 pilgrims are stranded in Kedarnath, Bhimbali and Gaurikund, and are safe. Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and police are engaged in the rescue operation. The Indian Air Force's Chinook and MI17 helicopters airlifted some pilgrims from the area on Friday. Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police (SP) Vishakha Ashok Bhadane dismissed rumours of a large number of people missing following a cloudburst near the trek-route. "Almost all reported individuals have reached home," the official said and appealed to the public not to believe rumours. She said, "Many people may not be able to contact their families due to poor network and bad weather." The pilgrim, w

IMD issues red alert for Maharashtra, MP; orange alert for Kerala, Himachal

IMD weather update: The IMD said heavy rainfall is expected in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Konkan, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Assam, and Meghalaya

Central financial assistance sought for cloudburst-hit Himachal, U'khand

Central government should in bipartisan manner provide financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand where cloudbursts and accompanying landslides and floods have claimed nearly two dozen lives and several are still missing, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari demanded in Rajya Sabha on Friday. Raising the issue through a zero hour mention, he said six people have died and 50 are missing following cloudbursts in Shimla, Mandi and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh. Three national highways as well as dozens of other roads have shut due to flooding, stranding tourists and other commuters. In neighbouring Uttarakhand, 16 people have died and many are missing following heavy rains. "Due to cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, 22 people have died and 60 are missing," he said. He demanded that the central government should provide adequate financial assistance. "Last time, Himachal Pradesh was not given financial assistance," he said. Tiruchi Siva of DMK raised the we

Uttarakhand rains: 14 dead due to heavy rains, Kedarnath Yatra suspended

Uttarakhand floods: The Centre has deployed two Indian Air Force helicopters - a Chinook and an MI 17 - to assist with rescue operation in the state

IAF's Chinook, MI17 helicopters aid rescue operations in Uttarakhand

The IAF's Chinook and MI17 helicopters on Friday joined the rescue operations in Uttarakhand to evacuate over 500 pilgrims stranded on the rain-ravaged trek route to Kedarnath, with 10 of them being airlifted in the first round. The route suffered extensive damage as a result of a cloudburst in Junglechatti near Lincholi on Wednesday night. Ten pilgrims were airlifted by MI17 helicopter on Friday morning and dropped at Gauchar airstrip, officials here said. Two helpline numbers -- 7579257572 and 01364-233387 -- and one emergency number 112 have also been issued by the district administration to help people get information about their stranded kin among the pilgrims, they said. The pilgrims had got stranded beyond Bhimbali along Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route when a 20-25 metre stretch of the road was washed out by the violent currents of the Mandakini on Wednesday night. The trek route to the Himalayan temple is blocked by boulders at Ghoraparav, Lincholi, Badi Lincholi and ...

Cloudbursts in Himachal, Uttarakhand: More than 50 missing; 2 killed

More than 50 people are missing after multiple cloudbursts hit Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Uttarakhand on Thursday, August 1. Watch the video to know more.

Monsoon rains: IMD chief defends Kerala, U'khand, HP rainfall warnings

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued forecasts for significant rainfall activity along the west coast of India on a regular basis and a red alert for Kerala in the early morning of July 30, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Thursday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Kerala government did not heed the Centre's warning regarding a possible natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rains. Heavy rain-induced landslides claimed over 150 lives in Wayanad district on Tuesday morning (July 30). Responding to Shah's claim, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the IMD had only issued an orange alert in the district ahead of the landslides. However, he said that the district received over 572 mm of rainfall, which was significantly higher than what was predicted by the IMD. During an online press conference, the IMD chief said the weather department had issued an extended range forecast for significant rainfall activity along the we

Uttarakhand CM Dhami inspects rescue, relief ops in rain-affected areas

Chief Minister met affected people in the area and enquired about their condition

Heavy rains wash out roads in Rudraprayag, NDRF-SDRF on high alert

The Rudrapryag Police also alerted all pilgrims in the Rudraprayag district to be safe and postpone their Kedarnath Dham Yatra

Six killed, several injured in Uttarakhand as heavy rains cause flooding

Six people, including three of a family, were killed and as many injured in Uttarakhand as heavy rains led to house collapses, flooding of areas and rise in water levels in many rivers of the state, officials said on Thursday. In Devchauli in Chamoli district, a woman and a child are missing since Wednesday evening after a house collapsed, they said and added that a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has left for the spot. Nearly a dozen four-wheelers parked along the riverbed of the Sukhi in Haridwar's Kharkhari area were washed away following torrential rain on Wednesday evening. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the SDRF and the administration have been deployed in affected areas of the state, the officials said. Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said 200 passengers stranded on the Kedarnath route due to falling stones and the washing away of a 20-25 meter footpath near the Bhimbali Chowki have been moved to safer places. In Bharpur village in the

SC asks Uttarakhand govt to decide on suspension of 14 Patanjali products

Licences for 14 Ayurvedic products by Patanjali and Divya Pharmacy were suspended by the Uttarakhand government. However, on July 1, the state government revoked its suspension order

Kanwar Yatra 2024: Significance, routes, guidelines & all you need to know

The arduous Kanwar Yatra, undertaken as part of worshipping Lord Shiva, is considered an act of faith and devotion and symbolises the eternal bond between devotees and the deity

Courts can't be ruthless: SC orders rehabilitation for Haldwani residents

Haldwani encroachment case: Supreme Court directs the Centre and Uttarakhand govt to create rehabilitation plan for more than 50,000 people residing in Haldwani. Next hearing is scheduled for Sept 11

U'khand HC grants protection to live-in couple if they register under UCC

In an order that has left people surprised, the Uttarakhand High Court has asked police to provide security to an interfaith live-in couple if they register their relationship within 48 hours under the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which is yet to be implemented in the state. Disposing of a protection petition filed by the couple, a division bench comprising Justices Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Pankaj Purohit said if the petitioners apply for registration under the UCC within 48 hours, the station house officer (SHO) concerned will provide adequate security to them for six weeks. The order came as a surprise as the UCC is yet to be implemented in Uttarakhand. The government advocate has clarified that the junior government advocate appearing in the court in the matter was not aware that the notification for the UCC has not been issued in the state as yet. It was a misunderstanding, the government advocate said. A revised order will be issued, deleting the portion relating to the UCC, he ..

Haridwar Police orders eatery owners on Kanwar Yatra route to display names

Speaking to ANI, Haridwar SSP Padmendra Dobal said that the general instructions to the hotels, dhabas, and restaurants have been issued to write the name of the owner on their shops

'Godman' illegally builds temple near lake in Bageshwar, probe ordered

A self-styled godman has allegedly built an unauthorised temple in the Suderdhunga river valley close to a sacred lake originating from a glacier in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, angering locals who have accused him of desecrating the lake by bathing in it. According to officials, Baba Chaitanya Akash alias Aditya Kailash managed to convince some locals to help him construct the temple in the eco-sensitive zone by telling them that he had received divine orders in a dream to build it. The matter was referred to the police for an investigation after an application was received from the locals in this regard, Bageshwar District Magistrate Anuradha Pal told PTI on the phone on Tuesday. The road to the spot where the temple has been built passes through difficult terrain and remains closed during monsoon, she said. "The structure made of wood and stone is a small temple. It is illegal and built on no man's land," Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshay Prahlad Konde said. It seems th

Uttarakhand CM seeks Centre's clearance for 21 new hydel power projects

Stating that only 40 per cent of Uttarakhand's total capacity for hydro electricity generation is being utilised at present, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday sought the clearance of 21 new hydel power projects with a capacity of 2123 MW for the state from the Centre. The request was made by the chief minister at a meeting with Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar when the latter met him at his official residence here. Khattar is on a visit to the state to review the progress of Tehri Hydro Power Complex and various urban development projects in the state. Expert committees have recommended the implementation of 21 new hydel power projects with a capacity of 2123 MW to be built on the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers and their tributaries, the chief minister said. He requested Khattar to take positive steps towards their early implementation as only 40 per cent of the state's total hydro power generation capacity is being utilised at present. The Union minister ..

Congress candidates lead in Manglaur, Badrinath seats of Uttarakhand

Congress candidates for the Badrinath and Manglaur assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand were leading in both the seats on Saturday, officials said. The counting of votes for the by-elections in the two assembly constituencies, held on Wednesday, began at 8 am. Congress' Qazi Nizamuddin was ahead by 87,365 votes against the BJP's Kartar Singh Bhadana in the sixth round of counting in Manglaur. BSP's Ubaidur Rahman, who was behind Nizamuddin at the second spot in the initial rounds of counting, is now trailing at the third spot in the seat. The seat was with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but fell vacant after Rahman's father and sitting MLA Sarwat Karim Ansari died in October 2023. In the Badrinath assembly seat, Congress' Lakhpat Singh Butola was leading by 1,935 votes against BJP's Rajendra Bhandari in the seventh round of counting. The seat fell vacant after Bhandari resigned from the Congress and the state assembly to join the BJP just before the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.

Police arrests five people for suspected radioactive device possession

Five people were arrested on Friday for allegedly being involved in the illegal sale and purchase of a suspected radioactive device, police said here. They said two of them were nabbed from Dehradun's Rajpur area, two from Madhya Pradesh and one from Delhi. A case was registered against them under relevant sections of the law for keeping and buying a substance that endangers life, police officials said, adding that a radiography camera was found in their possession. One of them told police that he bought the device 10 months ago from a Saharanpur resident and had come to Dehradun to arrange for its sale, the officials said. Police have sealed the room of a flat in the Brook and Woods Society on Rajpur Road and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been called in for an investigation, the officials said. An SDRF team confirmed the presence of a radioactive substance in the flat, they said. Police said devices like the one found in the possession of those arrested are ...

Kerala retains top ranking in NITI's SDG index; Bihar worst performer

Uttarakhand and Kerala have emerged as the top performer states in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, which evaluates progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental parameters, while Bihar has been adjudged as the worst performer. According to the NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, India's overall Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) score increased to 71 in 2023-24, compared to 66 in 2020-21, supported by significant progress on eliminating poverty, providing decent work, economic growth, climate action and life on land. Among states, Uttarakhand and Kerala have emerged as joint top performing states with a score of 79, followed by Tamil Nadu (78) and Goa (77). On the contrary, Bihar (57), Jharkhand (62) and Nagaland (63) were the worst performing states in this year's index. Among the union territories, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Delhi were the top five performers. "Targetted intervention by the ..