Page 19 - Uttarakhand

'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

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".