Page 39 - Uttarakhand

Schools shut from July 10-17 in U'khand's Haridwar in view of Kanwar Mela

Every Monday during Shravan period is regarded as a highly auspicious time to fast and seek the blessings of Lord Shiva

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurates U'khand's 1st Himalayan Cultural Center

The CM also honoured filmmakers, cinematographers and singers of the state associated with the film world, the statement informed

UCC draft report expected to be submitted to Uttarakhand govt by July 15.

According to sources, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that a special Vidhan Sabha session may also be convened on the UCC, if necessary

U'khand govt approves proposal to bring ordinance to tighten land laws

The Uttarakhand government on Friday approved a proposal to bring the Land Encroachment (Prohibition) Ordinance 2023 to tighten the laws for buying land in the state and prevent people with criminal antecedents from making such purchases. It was also decided to conduct aero sports activities from George Everest Estate in Mussoorie and only undertake natural farming in a five-kilometer corridor along the banks of river Ganga. "The decisions were taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami," Secretary Shailesh Bagoli said. He said the ordinance has been brought to effectively curb encroachment and unauthorised occupation of public and private assets in the state.

Over 100 stranded after Dhauli river washes away trolley in Uttarakhand

More than 100 people living in Chal village in Darma Valley of this Uttarakhand district were stranded and cut off from nearby areas after a trolley was washed away in the swollen Dhauli river due to heavy rains. Pithoragarh District Magistrate Reena Joshi said the trolley connecting the village to the outside world was washed away in the heavy rain late on Thursday evening. "The connection to the village has been cut off due to the trolley being washed away in the spate of the Dhauli river. But there has been no loss of life or property," he said. A trolley was established on the Dhauli river for commuting to Chal village located at the other end of the Darma valley. Dinesh Chalal, a resident of Chal village, said earlier there was an iron bridge for traffic here, which was washed away in the 2013 natural disaster, adding that the administration had installed a trolley to cross the river after that. According to villagers, more than 25 people of the village are about to return af

U'khand: Badrinath National Highway shut near Chhinka due to falling rocks

The Badrinath National Highway (NH-7) was previously also shut down due to incessant rainfall in Uttarakhand's Chamoli at Lambagad and Khachada drains

Tomatoes now at Rs 250 per kg in Gangotri Dham, Rs 180 to 200 in Uttarkashi

Many attributed the sharp rise in the vegetable prices to the prevailing heatwave in key tomato-growing areas, as well as heavy rains, leading to a disruption in supply chains

Prioritise locals in developmental work in villages: CM Dhami to officials

CM Dhami was having a review meeting of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department in connection with achieving the goals of Strong Uttarakhand @ 25 on Thursday at the Secretariat

Alliance Francaise to open office in Dehradun to promote French language

The Alliance Francaise will soon set up its office in the capital city of Uttarakhand. Alliance Francaise, a premier institution supported by the French government, aims to promote the education of French language and culture in Uttarakhand, an official release said here. A delegation from Alliance Francaise, along with some prominent local citizens, on Tuesday called on R Meenakshi Sundaram, secretary to chief minister, at the secretariat to apprise him of the plan. They also sought cooperation of the state government in establishing the centre. The delegation was led by Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, the counsellor for Education, Science, and Culture at the French Embassy. The delegation apprised Sundaram that with the support of Alliance Francaise and other local organisations, the government wished to have a presence in Dehradun in order to promote cultural ties and French education. The French government will support setting up of Alliance Francaise in Dehradun to nurture education

Uttarakhand CM Dhami meets PM Modi, says UCC to be implemented soon

As Uttarakhand works to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday and said a common code will soon be implemented in the state, even as he denied having any discussion with the PM on the topic. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Dhami said he has invited the PM to visit Uttarakhand. The chief minister said he also discussed the issue of assistance for the people affected in the Joshimath, Char Dham Yatra, and the increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection in the state among other issues. However, when asked whether the UCC was also a topic of discussion, Dhami evaded a direct reply by saying the PM is already aware of all the details. "He knows all about the provisions of UCC. It is his thought that UCC should be implemented in the country," Dhami said. He said the state government has not received a complete draft of the report on the code yet. "We will bring it (UCC) soon, we will not delay it,

After Joshimath, wide cracks in Uttarkashi's Mastari village cause panic

Wide cracks have appeared in the roads and walls of several homes in Mastari village here, nearly 300 km from Joshimath, which caught national attention earlier this year when thousands of people had to be evacuated to safer locations due to land subsidence. The quick response team of the disaster management authority rushed to the village to inspect the cracks and asked people there to be alert. While land subsidence is an old problem in the village, rains last Saturday led to the widening of cracks at people's homes, with water beginning to stream out of the crevices, causing panic among the villagers, Satyanarayan Semwal, the head of Mastari, said. "Landslides are happening continuously in the village but the authorities are not paying as much attention to Mastari as it deserves," Semwal said. The problem of land subsidence began in Mastari village after the earthquake of 1991, locals say. In 1997, geologists conducted a survey in the village and suggested that the villagers be

U'khand CM seeks Rs 1,774 cr from Centre for drinking water project

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday sought a financial assistance of Rs 1,774 crore from the Centre for the Song dam drinking water project. Dhami met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi and requested her that the amount be given to the state under special assistance from the Government of India. The total cost of the proposed project is Rs 2,021 crore. To be built over the Song river, a tributary of the Ganga, the project will make 150 MLD (millions of litres per day) drinking water available to about 10 lakh people of Dehradun and its suburban areas, Dhami said. The chief minister also requested the Union Finance Minister to remove the ceiling imposed on the loan amount of externally-aided projects in view of the special circumstances and limited financial resources of Uttarakhand. After the construction of the project, the dependence on tube wells for drinking water system will almost end, he said. Besides, a lake of about 3.50 km length

Locals worried as fresh crack appears near residential area in Joshimath

A fresh crack has appeared near a residential building in subsidence-hit Joshimath, sparking concerns among residents and the administration that the problem might worsen during the monsoon. The crack appeared a couple of days ago between the residential building and the retaining wall of the Joshimath-Auli motor road in Sunil ward, Joshimath tehsildar Ravi Shah, who led a team of Public Works Department (PWD) engineers to the spot to examine the problem on Monday, told PTI on the phone. "Local residents had already filled the crack with soil before our team arrived at the spot to examine the issue," he said, adding the team will continue to keep a watch. Locals expressed apprehension that the land subsidence might only worsen with the arrival of the monsoon. "Cracks were already there in Sunil ward and they may have started widening due to the recent spell of rains," Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti spokesperson Kamal Raturi said. The latest crack is located near the house of Vi

All that glitters is not gold in Kedarnath shrine: Congress' Karan Mahra

The temple too has seen many controversies in the past 23 years. The latest, over a Rs 125 crore gold "scam", has rocked the hill state

Ex-serviceman dies during hunger strike in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

A 56-year-old ex-serviceman who was sitting on a day-long hunger strike as part of a group to demand benefits under the 'One Rank, One Pension' died at the protest site here on Sunday, police said. Shiv Singh Bisht was sitting on a one-day hunger strike with fellow ex-service personnel at the district magistrate's office in Chamoli. According to information from the office of the Superintendent of Police (Chamoli), Bisht's health deteriorated during the hunger strike and meeting on the Collectorate premises. He was taken to the district hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the police said. Ex-service personnel have been agitating to press for their 16-point list of demands, including the 'One Rank, One Pension'. Virendra Singh, president of the Chamoli District Ex-Servicemen League Organization, said Bisht's death was a sad incident for his family and the organisation.

Badrinath highway blocked due to heavy rain in Chamoli, commuters stranded

According to the officials, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is working to open the highway. They said that due to the blockage of the highway, many passengers are stranded

Uniform Civil Code will soon be implemented in Uttarakhand: CM Dhami

The Uniform Civil Code will soon be implemented in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Friday after a committee of experts set up by the state government announced a draft is ready. In a tweet, he said, "As per the promise made to the people of the state, today on June 30, the committee formed to prepare the draft of the Uniform Civil Code has completed its work." "Soon #UniformCivilCode will be implemented in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand," Dhami said in the tweet in Hindi. Earlier in the day, Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai, who heads the panel, told a press conference in Delhi that the draft of the proposed UCC for Uttarakhand is ready and would soon be submitted to the state government. Desai said the panel has drafted the code taking into account all shades of opinion and looking into various statutes and laws, including the statutory framework in select countries.

UCC draft for U'khand ready to be submitted to govt: Panel head Desai

The draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code for Uttarakhand is complete and would soon be submitted to the state government, Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai said on Friday. Desai, who heads the committee of experts set up by the Uttarakhand government last year, said the panel has drafted the code taking into account all shades of opinions and looking into various statutes and uncodified laws, including the statutory framework in select countries. Besides, the Committee has tried to understand the "finer nuances" of the various customary practices that prevail in different parts of Uttarakhand. "It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that the drafting of the proposed uniform civil code for Uttarkahnd is now complete," Desai told a press conference here. "The report of the committee along with the draft code would soon be printed and submitted to the government of Uttarakhand," she added. The Uttarakhand government had constituted a committee of experts under retired Supr

UCC draft ready to be submitted to govt, says panel head Ranjana Desai

Draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code for Uttarakhand is complete and would soon be submitted to the state government, Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai said on Friday. Desai, who heads the committee of experts set up by the Uttarakhand government last year, said the panel has drafted the code taking into account all shades of opinions and looking into various statutes and uncodified laws, including the statutory framework in select countries. "It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that the drafting of the proposed uniform civil code for Uttarkahnd is now complete," Desai told a press conference here. "The report of the committee along with the draft code would soon be printed and submitted to the government of Uttarakhand," she added.

CBI asks ex-CM Harish Rawat to appear before court in 2016 sting video case

The CBI has served a notice to former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat in connection with the 2016 sting operation, asking him to appear before a CBI court on July 4 to give a voice sample. Sleuths from the Central Bureau of Investigation arrived at Rawat's residence Thursday morning to serve him the notice but he was not at home. The notice was served to him later in the day when Rawat himself informed the CBI, both on phone and through a social media post, that he had returned home. Reacting to the CBI notice, the Congress leader said he and his party had already suffered all the damage the "conspiratorial sting operation could inflict on us" in 2016-17. "However, I am ready for any kind of persecution in the hope that the law will one day stand by us and truth will prevail," he said, adding, he will fight the battle in the CBI court and beyond. The sting video in question had surfaced in 2016 in the wake of nine Congress MLAs revolting against Rawat, the then chief minis