Page 25 - Uttarakhand

Snowless Himalayas: Why Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand have no snow this winter

High in the northwest Himalayas, mountain passes usually blanketed in snow now lie bare. Watch the video to know why Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand have no snow this winter. #elnino #kashmir #snow

Chlorine gas leak causes panic in Dehradun, CM Dhami orders probe

A chlorine gas leak in the Jhajhra area of Dehradun triggered panic on Tuesday morning, forcing people to leave their houses, officials said. The gas leaked from a cylinder kept in a vacant plot of land, they said, adding that security officials rushed the people to safety after being informed about the incident and no damage was reported. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to investigate the storage of poisonous gas cylinders near a residential area while a case has been registered against the owner of the plot, Deepak Gupta, and a local resident, Narendra Kumar Singh. The district control room here was informed about the incident in the morning, the officials said. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) commandant, accompanied by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear experts with the necessary equipment, rushed to the spot and found out that one of the four cylinders kept in the plot was leaking, the officials said. National Disaster ...

Chlorine gas leak in Dehradun's Jhanjra, panicked residents evacuated

As per SSP Dehradun, Ajay Singh, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other security personnel hurried to the spot immediately after getting information about the occurrence

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.

U'khand HC seeks reply from SIDCUL on allotment of green belt land to firms

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday sought a reply from SIDCUL on allotment of green belt land in SIDCUL Haridwar to companies. Hearing a PIL that contended that provisions of environment impact assessment 2006 were not followed by SIDCUL in the allotments, Acting Chief Justice of the High Court Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Vivek Bharti Sharma asked SIDCUL to submit its reply on it within a week. The next hearing in the case has been fixed for January 9. In the Environment Impact Assessment, a provision of green belt has been made on the land allotted to the State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (SIDCUL) to protect the environment. It was claimed in the PIL that the land has been allotted to industrial companies by SIDCUL, Haridwar without following the provisions of Environment Impact Assessment.

Outsiders can't buy land in U'khand till panel on land laws submits report

District Magistrates in Uttarakhand have been asked not to clear any proposal from outsiders to buy land in the state for the purpose of agriculture or horticulture till the submission of the report of the committee on land laws of the state. An order to this effect was issued to all DMs on Sunday on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. It has been decided in public interest that till the submission of the report of the Land Law Committee or till further orders, the District Magistrates will not have the final say in granting permission to proposals from persons outside Uttarakhand to purchase land for the purpose of agriculture and horticulture in the state, an official release here said. Dhami held a high-level meeting on Sunday to discuss the issue and directed officials that a detailed public hearing should be conducted by the committee to review land laws of the state in which people and experts from various fields should be heard. According to an amendment

Uttarakhand govt increases pending DA of PSU, corporations' employees

As per the release, the dearness allowance of employees drawing from the seventh revised pay scale has been increased from 38 percent to 42 percent

2023 an important year in development journey of Uttarakhand: CM Dhami

"Through the Uttarakhand Global Investors Summit, we signed MoUs worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore, more than our set target of Rs 2.5 lakh crore," CM Dhami said in a statement on Sunday

PM Modi fulfilled dream of Ram temple in Ayodhya: Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said it is a matter of great pride for every devotee of Lord Ram that due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the dream of a majestic Ram temple in Ayodhya will become a reality next month. Talking to reporters here, he also attacked the opposition parties, saying those who opened fire on the devotees of Lord Ram could neither build a temple nor abolish Article 370 of the Constitution and the practice of instant triple talaq. Article 370 accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir. "Due to the determination of Prime Minister Modi, Ram temple in Ayodhya could be constructed and it is a matter of pride for every Ram Bhakt," Dhami said. The consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be held on January 22. To a question on the proposed 'Bharat Nyay Yatra" of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said, "People know the character of these people who had made every effort to foil the bid to build Ram temple."

6 workers killed in Haridwar brick kiln wall collapse; DM orders probe

Six workers were killed and another four injured on Tuesday when a brick kiln wall collapsed on them in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district, police said. The accident occurred in Lahboli village, said Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobhal, who was on the spot. They were working at the brick kiln when the wall collapsed, the SSP said. "We are looking into the circumstances that led to the accident. Tough legal action will be taken against whoever is found responsible," Dobhal added. Five labourers died on the spot while another succumbed at a private hospital in Roorkee where all the injured were taken to, SP (Rural) Swapan Kishore said. A horse was also killed after getting buried under the rubble of the wall, he said. A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident by District Magistrate Dheeraj Singh Garbiyal. The probe will be conducted by the joint magistrate, Roorkee. Workers were busy making bricks at Saanvi brick kiln in the village when the w

Uttarakhand govt prohibits strikes in state services for 6 months

This came after the Uttarakhand Government Personnel and Vigilance Section released the order on Thursday

Silkyara tunnel: Consultant report classifies rocks as 'poor to very good'

The geological report prepared before the commencement of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel project showed that the rock classification of the tunnel's alignment ranges from poor to very good, the government said on Wednesday. A total of 41 workers were trapped after a portion of the under construction tunnel collapsed on November 12 and the workers were rescued on November 28. "The rock classification as per Geological report submitted by the Detailed Project Report (DPR) Consultant w.r.t. Silkyara Barkot tunnel alignment (length 4,531 m) ranges from Poor (Class IV) to Very Good (Class I)," Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. The minister was responding to a query seeking details of the geological report submitted to the government before the commencement of the tunnel. According to Gadkari, the rock classification reported by the EPC Contractor during execution ranges from "Very Poor (Class V) to Fair (Class-III)". "To overc

Uttarakhand govt issues advisory to follow Covid prevention guidelines

With an uptick in COVID-19 cases in some states and detection of the first case of its sub variant JN.1 in the country, the Uttarakhand government has issued an advisory to all districts to keep a tab on the situation and strictly adhere to prevention guidelines. However, no case of JN.1 sub variant of the coronavirus has been detected in the state so far, Health Secretary R Rajesh Kumar said. Still, all districts have been asked to strictly follow the operational guidelines for revised surveillance strategy in context of COVID-19, he said. The advisory issued on Tuesday asked district medical authorities to monitor influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). Influenza and Covid tests of ILI and SARI patients should be conducted and their detalis entered into the Integrated Health Information Platform portal, it said. All hospitals should be readied in terms of arrangements for Covid management, the advisory said. Awareness should also be created amo

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Authorities said no to alternate rescue tunnel

The Char Dham project, which the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel is a part of, was broken down into 53 civil works to avail an exemption from environmental clearance

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

ADB to give $200 mn loan for U'khand climate resilient power system project

Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday signed an agreement for a USD 200 million loan to improve the quality, efficiency, and reliability of power supply in Uttarakhand. The signatories to the loan agreement for the Uttarakhand Climate Resilient Power System Development Project were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic A?airs and Hoe Yun Jeong, Deputy Country Director and Officer-in-Charge of ADB's India Resident Mission, for ADB, the finance ministry said in a statement. "The ADB funding for the project will strengthen power system infrastructure and help Uttarakhand in achieving its goal of providing 24x7 power to its residents," said Mukherjee after signing the loan agreement. "The project will enhance the power system network's capabilities, facilitating the seamless integration and transmission of renewable energy to load centres. Simultaneously, it involves upgrading the distribution system to minimize power outages and reduce

When 'development' is a zero-sum game

A combination of political ambition and religious nationalism is destroying Uttarakhand's potential, not least for the state's inhabitants

BSP chief Mayawati declares nephew Akash as uttaradhikari: Party leader

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday declared her nephew Akash Anand as her "uttaradhikari (heir)", a party office-bearer said. "Akash (Anand) has been declared the 'uttaradhikari (heir)' by Mayawatiji," Udayveer Singh, the BSP's Shahjahanpur district unit chief, told reporters. "He (Anand) has been given the responsibility to strengthen the party organisation all over the country except Uttar Pradesh," Singh added. The party's official statement, however, did not mention any such decision. Singh said Mayawati announced the decision during a meeting in the district that was attended by party leaders from across the country. Singh said, "Unhone (Mayawati) said he (Anand) will be her heir after her.