Page 18 - Uttarakhand

Char Dham Yatra: U'khand govt extends ban on VIP darshan till May 31

Uttarakhand Chief Secretary said that in order to streamline the process of Darshan at the Dhams, state government has started a process of registration for Chardham Yatra

Char Dham Yatra: Uttarakhand govt's new rules on mobile use, VIP darshan, & more

The Char Dham Yatra is now open for devotees! If you're planning to take your family to these sacred temples, here are some important new rules from the Uttarakhand government you should know about.

Char Dham Yatra 2024: 11 pilgrims die, ban on VIP darshan. Key details

Uttarakhand govt extends the ban on VIP darshan till May 31, also prohibits of videos being recorded within a 50-m radius of temples

SC slams U'khand for 'lackadaisical' approach in controlling forest fires

Slamming the Uttarakhand government for its "lackadaisical" approach in controlling forest fires, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the state's chief secretary to personally present himself before it on May 17 to give explanation, including on utilisation of funds and vacancies in forest department. Terming it a "very sorry state of affairs", the apex court said the state was just trying to find some excuse or the other. A bench headed by Justice B R Gavai directed that the staff and vehicles of the forest departments of states shall not be requisitioned for election purposes or any other purposes like the 'Char Dham Yatra'. "We are at pains to say that the approach of state of Uttarakhand in controlling the fires is, to say the least, lackadaisical. Though action plans have been prepared and finalised, no steps are being taken for implementation of the same," said the bench, also comprising Justices SVN Bhatti and Sandeep Mehta. The top court was hearing a plea on raging for

Why is Uttarakhand up in flames? Key details about the state's forest fires

Five lives have been lost so far due to out-of-control wildfires in Uttarakhand, which started more than a week ago and have now spread to several regions in the state

Char Dham Yatra 2024 to begin on 10 May; here's how to book a helicopter

Char Dham Yatra begins from May 10 for all four shrines. The pilgrimage begins from Gangotri and ends at Badrinath following a clockwise route

Uttarakhand suspends licences of 14 products of Ramdev's pharma firms

SC had recently criticised Ramdev for not complying with its directives in an ongoing lawsuit to stop misleading advertisements of some of his traditional ayurvedic medicines

Uttarakhand suspends licenses of 14 Patanjali products; check full list

The Uttarakhand drug regulator has hit the brakes on Patanjali Ayurved! They've suspended manufacturing licences for 14 of their products. Why? It all kicked off after the Supreme Court delivered a sh

Patanjali advertisement case: SC pulls up U'khand licensing authority

The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority for inaction in the misleading advertisements case involving Patanjali Ayurved Limited. Expressing dissatisfaction over the explanation offered by the body, a bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah observed it appeared that the licensing authority got activated to take action in accordance with the law only after the apex court's April 10 order. "Be honest to the court if you want sympathy and compassion," the bench observed. The top court said its main concern is whether the licensing body took action in accordance with the law in the matter. The bench has posted the matter for hearing on May 14. While hearing the matter on April 10, the apex court came down heavily on the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority for inaction and said it was not going to take it lightly as the body appeared to have kept its "eyes shut deliberately".

Nainital forest fire: CM Dhami vows action against officers responsible

Chief Minister Dhami emphasized the need for a unified effort, urging all institutions, including locals, to lend their support in combating the blaze.

Nainital forest fires: Why forest fires are so common in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand's lush landscapes are under siege by raging forest fires sweeping through the Nainital, Haldwani, and Ramnagar regions. This Friday alone, the fires claimed over 108 hectares

U'khand forest fires: IAF helicopter assists in firefighting for 2nd day

The firefighting operation in Uttarakhand's forests with the help of an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter continued for the second day on Sunday with the blaze brought under control in several areas, officials said. Efforts have also intensified to extinguish the raging forest fires in the state, especially in the worst-affected areas of Nainital, Haldwani and Ramnagar forest divisions, forest officials here said on Sunday. The forest fires are gradually being controlled with the flames already doused in many areas. The fires in Marora and Khanana civil areas in Maniknath range of the Narendranagar forest division have been completely extinguished, they said. The forest blaze in Nainital and adjoining areas is gradually being brought under control after the deployment of an IAF helicopter for the firefighting operations on Saturday morning, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said after reviewing the situation in the Kumaon region on Saturday night. According to the Indian Air Force

U'khand forest fires: IAF helicopter assists in firefighting for 2nd day

The firefighting operation in Uttarakhand's forests with the help of an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter continued for the second day on Sunday with the blaze brought to control in several areas, officials said. Efforts have also intensified to extinguish the raging forest fires in the state, especially in the worst-affected areas of Nainital, Haldwani and Ramnagar forest divisions, forest officials here said on Sunday. The forest fires are gradually being controlled with the flames already doused in many areas. The fires in Marora and Khanana civil areas in Maniknath range of the Narendranagar forest division have been completely extinguished, they said. The forest blaze in Nainital and adjoining areas is gradually being brought under control after the deployment of an IAF helicopter for the firefighting operations on Saturday morning, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said after reviewing the situation in the Kumaon region on Saturday night. According to the Indian Air Force, a

ED arrests Uttarakhand man in international drugs trafficking case

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday arrested a man from Uttarakhand in a money laundering case linked to dark web-assisted international drugs trafficking, official sources said. The agency's action came after US anti-narcotics authorities sought India's assistance to unearth the racket. Parvinder Singh was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) from Haldwani city, the sources said. The federal anti-money laundering agency had raided Singh's premises on Friday and arrested him after a brief round of questioning, they said. It is alleged that Singh ran an international drugs trafficking group called "The Singh Organisation" and narcotics were sold using links of the dark web, the sources said. They claimed that funds were collected through cryptocurrency.

IAF helicopter roped in to douse forest fires in Uttarakhand's Nainital

An IAF helicopter was pressed into service on Saturday to extinguish the raging forest fires in Uttarakhand's Nainital district, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said. The situation in the district worsened on Friday with the flames reaching the High Court Colony in the Pines area. An MI-17 helicopter collected water in a Bambi Bucket from Bhimtal lake and poured it over the burning forests of Pines, Bhumiadhar, Jyolikot, Narayan Nagar, Bhawali, Ramgarh and Mukteshwar areas of the district, officials said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said all efforts are being made to bring the fires under control and it will be done soon. "An IAF helicopter has already started dousing the fires," he said. Dhami said he will hold a meeting with forest officials in Haldwani later in the day to review the situation. Three people were arrested in Rudraprayag on Friday while trying to set fire to forests. As many as 31 fresh incidents of forest fire were reported from various parts of the s

Forest fire reaches Nainital's High Court Colony; army called for support

Forest fires in Uttarakhand became more severe on Friday with the flames reaching the High Court Colony in Nainital. Three persons were arrested in Rudraprayag on Friday while trying to set fire to the forests. In the last 24 hours, 31 new incidents of forest fire were reported from various parts of the state, destroying 33.34 hectares of forest land. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has asked the officials to remain on alert and take measures to prevent the fires by coordinating with all departments. The fire that broke out in the forest near Nainital district headquarters took a horrific form, posing a threat to the residents of High Court Colony located in the Pines area. It also affected the traffic movement in the area. Along with the forest department employees, army personnel are also trying to control the fire. Authorities may deploy helicopters to put it out. Anil Joshi, a resident of the area and assistant registrar of the High Court said, "The fire has ..

Voting begins in first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024: 10 key points

The first phase will see voting in 102 out of 534 Lok Sabha seats, across 17 states and four Union Territories

8.3 mn voters set to vote as polling begins for Uttarakhand's 5 LS seats

Polling began on Friday morning for the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand, election officials said. The voting across 11,729 polling stations began at 7 am and will go on till 5 pm, they said. Apart from 40,000 police, home guard and Prantiya Raksha Dal personnel, 65 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure free and fair polling in the state. A total of 1,365 polling stations have been categorised as critical and 809 as vulnerable, Additional Chief Election Officer Vijay Kumar Jogdande said. The five seats going to polls in Uttarakhand are Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and the lone reserved seat of Almora. More than 83 lakh voters will decide the fate of 55 candidates in the fray. Sitting BJP MPs Ajay Bhatt, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah and Ajay Tamta have been fielded by the party from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri Garhwal and Almora. The BJP has replaced its candidates in Haridwar and Pauri Garhwal. Former chief

Caste arithmetic, ex-CMs and BSP make for a riveting contest in Haridwar

For the past two elections, BJP stalwart and former Union minister (as well as ex-Uttarakhand CM) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been winning the Haridwar LS seat

Helicopters arranged to ensure casualty-free LS polls in Uttarakhand

To increase voter turnout in the hill state, more than 11,000 polling booths are being set up across the state. The counting of votes is scheduled on June 4