Page 17 - Uttarakhand

Rudraprayag accident prompts officials to check hill endorsement of licence

A day after fifteen tourists died in a road accident in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag, officials said on Sunday that there was a need for greater focus on 'hill endorsement' in drivers' licences accompanied by a physical test. Joint Transport Commissioner Sanat Singh said this checking was required for all tourist vehicles, including those part of the Chardham Yatra and the Hemkund Sahib Yatra, to reduce road accidents in hilly regions. Many tourist vehicles come to Uttarakhand, but due to a greater volume of cars of Chardham Yatra, checking of other vehicles is ignored, Singh said. "Now we will need to focus on tourism apart from Chardham Yatra. We will now focus on hill endorsement of driving license," the official said. 'Hill endorsement' of a driver's license is necessary for driving in mountainous roads, he said. Singh said earlier the state did not have the facility for physical tests of 'hill endorsement', so the test was offered online. Now, driving tracks for such tests have

Rudraprayag accident: Another victim succumbs to injuries, toll rises to 15

A person injured in the tempo traveller accident in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag succumbed to his injuries, taking the toll to 15, while the condition of four of the 11 injured is still critical, officials said on Sunday. A person who was brought to AIIMS, Rishikesh by air ambulance after the accident on Saturday died late at night, trauma surgeon Ruby Kataria said. A tempo traveller carrying tourists skidded off the Badrinath national highway, rolled 200 metres down a gorge and fell into Alaknanda river, killing or injuring all 26 people present in it. Ten people died on the spot near Raitoli village, about four kilometres from Rudraprayag district headquarters. Kataria said the patient was brought to the hospital in a "brain dead" condition after which he was put on life support but he could not be saved. The doctor said that the remaining four injured at the hospital are also in critical condition and it will take a lot of time to shift them to the ward. Seven persons seriously ..

No one prepared for unprecedented heat endured this summer: Sunita Narain

India is grappling with unprecedented heat this summer and no one is prepared for the level of warming being experienced, leading environmentalist Sunita Narain has said, emphasizing the need for a heat index and a complete overhaul of the way modern cities are designed. In an interaction with PTI editors here, Narain, the Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said the brutal heat scorching swathes of India is a result of naturally occurring El Nino phenomenon -- an unusual warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean -- and climate change. "Nobody is prepared. Let's be very clear. 2023 was globally the hottest year on record. We have broken every record in the last 45 days with an unbroken (streak of) temperatures above 40 degrees. This is climate change. It is compounded this year by the waning of the (2023-24) El Nino. This means we really need to get our act together. We need to ensure that vulnerable communities are .

14 dead, many injured as tempo falls into gorge in Uttarakhand: Key updates

The vehicle was on its way to Chopta when the accident took place this morning

Rudraprayag accident: PM Modi announces ex-gratia to families of deceased

As many as 12 people were killed and 14 injured, carrying 26 passengers, after the tempo traveller in which they were travelling fell into a deep gorge

Priyanka Gandhi urges Centre, U'khand govt to prevent forest fire incidents

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday urged the Centre and the Uttarakhand government to take steps to prevent forest fire incidents and make effective efforts with everyone's cooperation to save the Himalayas. Her remarks came after four forest workers were killed and four others injured while extinguishing a fire at the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary under the Civil Soyam Forest Division in Almora district of Uttarakhand. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The news of the death of four employees who went to extinguish the forest fire in Almora, Uttarakhand and many others getting injured is extremely saddening. I pray to God for everyone. I request the state government to provide compensation and assistance at every possible level to the affected families." The forests of Uttarakhand have been burning continuously for the past several months and hundreds of hectares of forest have been destroyed, she noted. There are reports of forest fires in Himachal Pradesh as well, s

Nainital's Kosya Kutauli renamed as 'Kainchi Dham', Joshimath as Jyotirmath

Joshimath tehsil of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand will now be known by its ancient name 'Jyotirmath', while Kosya Kutauli tehsil of Nainital district will now be Shri Kainchi Dham, authorities said on Wednesday. Officials said that in accordance with the announcements made by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, proposals were made for change in names and sent to the Central government, which gave its approval. The local people of Joshimath had been demanding to rename Joshimath as Jyotirmath for a long time and raised the matter with Dhami last year. It is believed that in the 8th century, Adi Guru Shankaracharya had come to this area and did penance, which got him the 'divine light' or 'Jyoti'. The place came to be known as Jyotirmath, but later it became popular as Joshimath. Joshimath is considered the gateway to Badrinath Dham. The proposal to rename Kosya Kutauli tehsil of Nainital district as Baba Neem Karoli Maharaj's ashram Shri Kainchi Dham has also been approved by the

Three women pilgrims dead, 26 hurt as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

Three women died while 26 were injured when a bus driver lost control over the vehicle and it fell into a gorge near Gangnani on the Gangotri National Highway in Uttarakhand, police said on Wednesday. According to them, the incident occurred 50 km from Gangnani on Tuesday night. The bus went out of the driver's control, broke the crash barrier, tumbled down the gorge and got stuck on a tree before it could hit the bottom, police officials said. A lot of lives were saved since it got stuck in the tree and did not fall into the Bhagirathi river, an official said. The bus was going towards Uttarkashi from Gangotri with 29 people, including the driver and his assistant, a police officer said, adding rescue and relief work began promptly. According to the officer, the injured were brought out of the bus through the windows and sent to Uttarkashi District Hospital and Bhatwadi Health Centre. Of the 26 injured, 12 were stated to be in serious condition and they have been referred to a ..

Bypolls for 13 Assembly seats in 7 states on July 10; results on 13th: EC

The Election Commission on Monday announced bypolls to 13 assembly constituencies across seven states, including four in West Bengal, on July 10. The bypolls are to be held against vacancies created either due to deaths or resignation of incumbent members. The assembly seats going for bypolls are Rupauli (Bihar), Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda and Maniktala (all West Bengal), Vikravandi (Tamil Nadu), Amarwara (Madhya Pradesh), Badrinath and Manglaur (Uttarakhand), Jalandhar West (Punjab) and Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh (Himachal Pradesh). The notification for the elections will be issued on June 14, the last date for filing of nomination papers is June 21, the poll papers will be scrutinised on June 24 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is June 26. The bypolls will be held on July 10 and the counting of votes will be on July 13. The Election Commission said the bypolls have to be completed before July 15.

'Key cong leaders' absence in campaign shows defeat in Uttarakhand

The absence of prominent Congress leaders during campaign in Uttarakhand is being seen by political analysts here as one of the main factors behind the party's rout in the state. The BJP won all five Lok Sabha seats in the state with fairly large margins for a record third consecutive time. "Prominent Congress leaders stayed out of the fray. It left party cadres dispirited. The lack of enthusiasm among party workers was evident from the very outset," a political analyst based in Dehradun said. Congress could have done better had it chosen its candidates more carefully and worked harder to dent the BJP bulwark, he said. "For example, if Harish Rawat himself had contested in place of his son from Haridwar, the picture could have been different there," Dehradun-based political analyst Manmohan Bhatt said. Though the Congress lost the seat, its vote share in Haridwar has gone up steadily since 2014 while that of the BJP has declined, he said. The BJP's vote share in Haridwar seat in

BJP leading in all 5 seats of Uttarakhand; trend continuing since 2014

The BJP was leading in all five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand, according to news channels. The Election Commission is yet to give the initial trends but according to the news channels former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is leading in Haridwar, Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah in Tehri Garhwal, Anil Baluni in Garhwal (Pauri), Ajay Bhatt in Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and Ajay Tamta in Almora. Counting for the five seats in the state began at 8 am. The BJP has been sweeping all the five seats in the state since 2014.

Exit polls predict BJP to maintain lead in Haryana, sweep U'khand, Himachal

According to 'Today's Chanakya' exit poll by News 24, NDA is expected to win six seats, and Congress is expected to win four seats

Heatwave crisis: Mercury at record high in Uttarakhand, J&K, Himachal

Dehradun on Wednesday saw its maximum temperature soar to a record-breaking 43 degrees Celsius, surpassing the norm by 7 degrees and matching the highest-ever recorded temperature for May, set in 2012

Govt starts granting citizenship under CAA in West Bengal, Haryana, U'khand

The Union government Wednesday started granting citizenship under the CAA in West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand, the Home Ministry said. The applicants in the three states were granted citizenship on Wednesday by the respective State Empowered Committee, the ministry said in a statement. The first set of citizenship certificates after the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, granted by the Empowered Committee, Delhi, were handed over to the applicants in New Delhi by the Union Home Secretary on May 15. The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. After the enactment, the CAA got the president's assent but the rules under which the Indian citizenship was granted were issued on March 11 after over a delay of four years.

650 pilgrims fail to fulfill registration norms at Badrinath, sent back

More than 650 pilgrims travelling to Badrinath were forced to return without paying obeisance at the temple as they did not fulfil the mandatory registration norm, officials said on Tuesday. Adequate steps are being taken to regulate the rush of pilgrims to Char Dham and avoid the chaos that occurred at the Himalayan temples during the initial days of the yatra, they said. Strict adherence to mandatory registration prior to visiting the temples is being ensured so that the devotees are not inconvenienced, they added. Over 650 pilgrims bound for Badrinath had to return from Gauchar checkpost without paying obeisance at the temple as they did not do the mandatory prior registration, the SSP office in Chamoli informed. As many as 120 vehicles in which the unregistered pilgrims had been brought were also sent back, it said. Action has also been taken against five vehicle operators who carried unregistered pilgrims to Badrinath, the SSP office said. On an average 20,000 pilgrims visit

U'khand CM Dhami condoles loss of lives in Shahjahanpur road accident

All the devotees traveling in the bus were residents of Jetha village located in Kamlapur police station area of Sitapur district

Helicopter carrying pilgrims makes emergency landing in Kedarnath

A helicopter with seven people, including pilgrims, on board made an emergency landing in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath after developing a technical snag early on Friday. The helicopter landed a few metres from the helipad at the Himalayan temple, an official said. It was carrying seven people, including six pilgrims and the pilot. Everyone is safe, he said. Rudraprayag District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar said the helicopter took off from the Sirsi helipad for Kedarnath early on Friday. It developed a technical snag in its rear motor, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing a few metres from the helipad in Kedarnath, he said citing preliminary reports. The pilot kept his cool and took a quick decision, averting a major mishap, Gaharwar said. Everyone is safe and the pilgrims have even returned after having "darshan" at the temple, he added. The incident occurred around 7 am and further investigations are underway, Gaharwar said.

Cops drive SUV to 6th floor to arrest AIIMS Rishikesh staff for harassment

The Uttarakhand police action comes after allegations of sexual harassment by a junior resident doctor at AIIMS Rishikesh

LS polls: INDIA bloc a temporary arrangement, says Uttarakhand CM Dhami

The INDIA opposition bloc is a "temporary coalition" as its constituents are fiercely contesting the Lok Sabha polls against each other in Punjab and slinging mud at each other, while they are conveniently in an "unholy" tie-up in Chandigarh, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said here on Tuesday. "Have you ever seen such a self-serving alliance?" the BJP leader asked while referring to the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which are fighting the Lok Sabha polls in an alliance in Chandigarh but contesting the election on their own in Punjab. Dhami was addressing a public meeting in favour of Sanjay Tandon, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Lok Sabha poll nominee from Chandigarh. He claimed that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) faces ideological challenges and its "ulterior" motive is to work for the so-called main leaders' family interests and not for the common people. "Uttarakhand has become the first state to implement the ...

Forces deployed at Char Dham to ensure pilgrims' safety: Uttarakhand DGP

Uttarakhand DGP also appealed to pilgrims to take extra precautions during the yatra as many tourists coming from outside do not have experience of hill driving