Page 36 - Uttarakhand

We must promote tourism but not at villages' cost: Union tourism secretary

Tourism should be promoted but not at the cost of villages, Union Tourism Secretary V Vidyavathi on Wednesday said as she held an interactive session with a group of sarpanches and gram pradhans from a large number of border villages. She said adventure tourism is an important segment for the tourism ministry and it has huge potential in the villages chosen under the Vibrant Villages Programme. Launched as a centrally-sponsored scheme, the programme envisages comprehensive development of identified villages in 46 blocks abutting the northern border in 19 districts of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh. Vidyavathi held a session with 300 sarpanches and gram pradhans from the border villages chosen under the programme at Hotel Ashoka here, the tourism ministry said in a statement. On Tuesday, these village heads attended the 77th Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort. They were among the 1,800 special guests invited to the .

Non-adherence to building codes in hills can have lethal consequences: Omar

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said people in the hill states should be mindful of the building codes while undertaking constructions as non-adherence to these guidelines can have lethal consequences. "Years of Govt apathy and wilful ignorance while multi-storey concrete structures were built on unstable hillsides has lethal consequences. Who thought these buildings were a good idea? All hill states need to be mindful of the growing impact of climate change & enforce building codes accordingly," Abdullah, the NC vice president, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. He was reacting to a video of a house collapse on a hillside in Himachal Pradesh. Two persons were killed on Tuesday when eight houses, including six makeshift ones, collapsed and a slaughterhouse was buried under the debris following a landslide in Krishnanagar locality in Shimla.

Uttarakhand: House collapse near Joshimath leaves two dead, five injured

Two Nepalese nationals were killed and five others injured when a house collapsed at Helang near subsidence-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, officials said on Wednesday. There were seven people inside the two-storey house when it collapsed at around 8 pm on Tuesday. Rescue operations were launched immediately after the incident. One of them died on the spot while the other succumbed to injuries at a hospital early on Wednesday, they said. Five people have been rescued from the rubble of the house out of whom two are in a serious condition, he said. The house was built near a crusher unit on the banks of the Andalusians river. People working in the crusher unit were living in the house. The deceased were identified as Anmol (19) and Prince (21), both from Nepal. Earlier this year, several houses in Joshimath were damaged due to land subsidence and since the onset of the monsoon, the problem has aggravated.

Uttarakhand rains: Chopper to rescue pilgrims en route to Madmaheshwar

Around 70 pilgrims stranded on the trek route to Madmaheshwar temple in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district were safely evacuated on Wednesday with the help of a helicopter and SDRF personnel, while efforts were underway to rescue over 80 devotees still stuck at the spot, officials said. More than 200 pilgrims got stranded on the route on Monday when a bridge at Bantoli in Gaundar village broke down following heavy rains.While 52 of them were rescued with the help of ropes by SDRF personnel by Tuesday evening, 70 more were rescued on Wednesday morning in a helicopter, he said. A total of 122 pilgrims have been rescued so far and it is hoped the rest will be rescued by the afternoon, Ukhimath Sub Divisional Magistrate Jitendra Verma said. If the weather continues to be clear all the pilgrims will be rescued by this afternoon, he said, adding adequate food items have been made available at the Madmaheshwar temple to take care of stranded pilgrims and a medical team besides a police ...

Uttarakhand: Ganga's water level in Rishikesh drops after heavy rainfall

According to officials, the water level of the river Ganga at the Parmarth Niketan Ghat has declined in the past twenty-four hours

IMD Weather Update Today (Aug 16): Eight houses razed in Himachal yesterday

IMD has issued a rain alert in several parts of India. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are to experience heavy rainfall in the next three to four days. Check region-wise weather forecast here

Yamuna water level recedes after crossing the danger mark briefly in Delhi

The Yamuna's water level in Delhi followed a downward trend Wednesday morning after the river crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres for a brief period on Tuesday following torrential rain in the river's upper catchment areas over the past two days. According to the Central Water Commission's (CWC) website, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 205.14 metres at 8 am on Wednesday. It had crossed the warning mark of 204.5 metres at 3 pm on Tuesday and rapidly rose to 205.39 metres at 10 pm. "The river may not swell to the evacuation level of 206.00 metres in Delhi unless the hilly region receives more rain," a CWC official said. Delhi recorded light rain on Wednesday and dry conditions are predicted over the next few days. At least 56 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh as rain wreaked havoc in the hill state since Sunday. Torrential rain also ravaged Uttarakhand over the past two days, destroying buildings and causing landslides that breached the national ..

Yamuna's water level in Delhi rises above danger mark once again: Data

According to the Central Water Commission's (CWC) data, the water level has witnessed a steady rise, crossing the danger mark of 205.33 meters to 205.39 meters at 10 pm on Tuesday

2 more bodies found in rain-hit areas of Uttarakhand, 7 still missing

Search operations in rain-ravaged areas of Uttarakhand led to the recovery of two more bodies taking the death toll in a series of rain-related incidents in the state since Monday to six while seven people are still missing. The body of a woman, who went missing after water from a swollen Pawar river entered villages in Uttarkashi district's Arakot area, was found on Tuesday while that of a 14-year-old girl, Tejaswini, was recovered from a rain-fed stream in the Lakshman Jhula area of Rishikesh, the disaster control room here said. The girl went missing on Monday after a car in which she was travelling with her mother and brother was swept away by the swirling waters of the stream. They were residents of Rani Mandir area of Rishikesh, it said. Operations are underway to trace her mother and brother. Those trapped under the debris of a landslide that hit a resort 'Night Paradise Camp' in the Lakshman Jhula area on Monday have been identified, according to police. They said a body th

Uttarakhand rains: Search operations resume for nine missing people

Search operations were resumed on Tuesday in the rain-ravaged areas of Uttarakhand to find the nine people who went missing after a series of landslides hit different parts of the state on Monday. Efforts were also resumed to reopen national highways, state highways and a large number of rural roads which remain blocked due to the accumulation of debris of the landslides on them, the state disaster control room here said. The Chardham yatra remains suspended for the second day on Tuesday due to a red alert issued by the MeT department. So far four bodies have been recovered from different parts of the state while nine people are still missing, including one in Rudraprayag, four at Mohanchatti in Pauri where the rubble of a landslide fell on a resort burying six people, three in Rishikesh where a woman with her two teenage children was swept away in her car and one in Uttarkashi. In the Mohanchatti incident, a girl was rescued alive and a body recovered late on Monday. Search for th

4 dead, 9 missing as heavy rains lash U'khand, Chardham yatra suspended

Four people were killed and nine others went missing on Monday as torrential rains pounded Uttarakhand, demolishing buildings and causing landslides which breached the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines leading to the suspension of Chardham yatra for two days. Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said a landslide hit a camp at Lincholi on Kedarnath trek route damaging four shops in which one person from Nepal was killed and a trader went missing. The body of 26-year-old Kalu Bahadur has been found. Two bodies were also recovered from rain-fed streams near Shiva temple and Miranagar areas in Rishikesh. One of them has been identified as 35-year-old Dinesh Panwar, a resident of Amit Gram. The other body is being identified, DSP Sandeep Negi said. A body was recovered in Laxmanjhula area of Pauri district where five people went missing after a landslide, according to a bulletin by the state disaster control room. As many as

Monsoon rain widens cracks in Joshimath, 5 families shifted to relief camps

Widening cracks in subsidence-hit Joshimath during the monsoon prompted authorities to shift five families to relief camps. Admitting that land-subsidence in areas declared unsafe earlier this year seems to have been aggravated during the monsoon, Chamoli's Disaster Management Officer NK Joshi said five families were shifted from Sunil ward to relief camps two days ago. In January, land subsidence around Joshimath led to hundreds of residents fleeing their homes, which had developed cracks, and taking refuge in hotels, rest houses and at homes of relatives and friends. Now, the recent heavy rain has sparked panic among the disaster-hit families of Joshimath. The residents of Singhdhar, Gandhinagar and Sunil wards are worried the most due to the rain as subsidence is increasing in these areas that were earlier declared unsafe. Information about the subsidence from the affected area of Sunil ward was received three days ago, following which five families were brought to the relief c

Chardham Yatra suspended for two days due to heavy rains, landslides

The Chardham Yatra was on Monday suspended for two days as torrential rains triggered landslides that breached the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines, officials said. As heavy rains pounded the Himalayan state causing house collapses and landslides, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with senior officials to review the situation. The pilgrimage to Chardham -- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath - was suspended for two days in view of the rains and landslides blocking major highways, officials said.

Dhami holds review meeting amid heavy rain, asks officials to ensure action

The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure the safety of citizen and the availability of all possible facilities for them

Rain wreaks havoc in Uttarakhand's Maldevta, defence building collapses

The defence college building in Uttarakhand's Maldevta collapsed on Monday as torrential rains pounded the state, flooding major rivers and their tributaries and causing landslides along the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines, officials said. Several people are feared to be buried in landslides triggered by heavy rains in the state. Alaknanda, Mandakini and Ganga rivers were flowing above the danger level at Rudraprayag, Shrinagar and Devprayag, the disaster control room here said. The Badrinath National highway is blocked at a number of places due to landslide debris.There is also information about one person being buried under the debris near Pipalkoti. In Chamoli district, a flood-like situation has developed along the banks of a dozen rivers, including Alaknanda and its tributaries Pindar, Nandakini and Birhi. Pindar's tributary Pranmati was also flooded due to landslide. Landslides in the upper reaches of Nandakini have caused the water level of

Badrinath highway in Chamoli blocked due to falling debris, vehicles buried

The district magistrate said that at present there are vehicles buried under the debris and information has been received about one person buried under the debris in Pipalkoti

52 dead, 37 injured as rain continues to wreak havoc in Uttarakhand

According to officials, the victims, including one from Gujarat, were on their way to Kedarnath when the incident took place on Thursday evening

Uttarakhand BJP sends 3 names to party central board for Bageshwar bypoll

Uttarakhand BJP has sent three names to the party's central parliamentary board for selection of one candidate for the upcoming assembly bypoll in Bageshwar. The process of filing nominations for the by-election, scheduled for September 5, has already begun and will continue till August 17. Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt said the names of the top three contenders for the seat have been sent by the state unit's election committee to the party's central parliamentary board. The board will announce the BJP candidate soon after due consideration of the list of names forwarded to it, Bhatt said. A by-election is being held on the seat Bageshwar as it fell vacant due to the death of sitting MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ramdas in April this year. He had won the seat on a BJP ticket for four consecutive terms. BJP has fixed August 16 for filing its nomination, Bhatt said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Bhatt, apart from a host of party workers, will accompany the

5 pilgrims killed as landslide debris falls on car in U'khand's Rudraprayag

"A 60-meter portion of the Kedarnathgya highway collapsed due to heavy debris falling from the hill with boulders in Tarsali. During this, a vehicle was buried in the debris here," they said

U'khand to introduce MBBS courses in Hindi in state medical colleges in Aug

Uttarakhand will introduce MBBS courses in Hindi in the state's medical colleges this month, Minister of Health and Education Dhan Singh Rawat said here on Friday. He said Uttarakhand will be the second state in the country after Madhya Pradesh to bring such an initiative. Rawat said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has agreed to formally launch the MBBS courses in Hindi in Uttarakhand's medical colleges before the end of August. He added that the syllabus for the courses in Hindi was prepared by a state government-appointed committee of expert doctors, who studied the Madhya Pradesh model before finalising it for medical colleges of Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand minister said the syllabus was submitted by an expert panel to the Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna University of Medical Education, which has also completed all formalities for its introduction. It will be a big gift for the students who have had Hindi as their medium of education, he added. Rawat had gone to Delhi to invi