Page 42 - Uttarakhand

QR code boards in Badrinath-Kedarnath: Uttarakhand Police forms probe team

The Uttarakhand Police has formed a team to probe into the appearance of boards bearing QR codes seeking donations from pilgrims outside the gates of Badrinath and Kedarnath, it said on Thursday. The team -- headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Chamoli) Natasha Singh -- was constituted by Superintendent of Police Pramendra Dobhal, his office said in a release. The team has been asked to coordinate with the cyber cell of Uttarakhand Police and uncover the case at the earliest. It has also been directed to brief Dobhal's office about the investigation on a daily basis. The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee had lodged a complaint at Badrinath police station earlier this month and demanded an inquiry into the installation of boards asking the devotees for donations through QR codes. Cases under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code were registered against unidentified accused at Badrinath police station and Kedarnath police outpost for putting up the QR code boards outside the

Earthquake of 3.5 magnitude hits Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, informs NCS

An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 struck Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand early Thursday morning, National Center for Seismology said.The earthquake struck at 5.01 am, at a depth of 10 km."Earthquake of Magnitude:3.5, Occurred on 11-05-2023, 05:01:04 IST, Lat: 29.63 & Long: 81.44, Depth: 10 Km, Location: 118km E of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India for more information Download the BhooKamp App," tweeted National Center for Seismology.Earlier in January, an earthquake of magnitude 4.2 occurred 23km north-northwest of Pithoragarh, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).The quake struck the state at a depth of 10 kilometres, at a latitude of 29.78 and a longitude of 80.13 at around 8:58 am."Earthquake of Magnitude:3.8, Occurred on 22-01-2023, 08:58:31 IST, Lat: 29.78 & Long: 80.13, Depth: 10 Km, Location: 23km NNW of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand," NCS tweeted.

UP, Uttarakhand give tax-free status to 'The Kerala Story' as debate rages

The Kerala Story, the film on conversion that has polarised political discourse, was given tax-free status in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Tuesday and came under renewed attack from some opposition leaders for allegedly fuelling hatred. As the multilingual film totted up box office numbers and controversy raged, the Supreme Court said it will hear on May 15 a plea against the Kerala High Court order refusing to stay its release. In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Twitter that the film, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Shah, will be-tax free in his state. His director, information, said the chief minister would watch the much discussed film along with his cabinet members on Friday. Adityanath's counterpart in Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami will do the same in his state, officials said. The state's Tourism and Culture Minister Satpal Maharaj said the movie will be tax-free though a formal announcement is yet to be made. "

'The Kerala Story' will be tax-free in U'khand, CM says it depicts truth

Uttarakhand Tourism and Culture Minister Satpal Maharaj has said the controversial film "The Kerala Story" will be tax-free in the state. The film, starring Adah Sharma, was released in cinemas on Friday and deals with the events behind the alleged disappearance of thousands of women from Kerala. It depicts how women from Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the terrorist group Islamic State. While a formal announcement about it is yet to be made by the Uttarakhand government, Maharaj told reporters on Monday that the film will be tax-free in the state soon. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said "The Kerala Story" depicts "the truth" and everyone should see it. "The Kerala Story is a film depicting the truth of how terrorism is being spread without using arms and ammunition. I think everyone should see the film," Dhami told reporters here. Dhami said he will watch the film with his colleagues. The movie has generated controversy as some political .

Uttarakhand govt continues drive against 'illegal' religious structures

The Pauri district administration in Uttarakhand razed an over two-decade-old 'mazar' as part of the state government's anti-encroachment drive against illegal religious constructions, an official said on Monday. Sub-District Officer (Kotdwar) Pramod Kumar said a public notice was pasted on the mazar, asking claimants to come forward within 15 days. When no one submitted a claim, a joint team of the Forest department, police and local administration demolished the tomb of Baba Gayasuddin Aula-e-Karim Shah, Kumar said. "Not submitting the claim means that this mazar was built illegally by encroaching on Forest department land," he added. The mazar occupied more than two bighas. A day before, the administration removed an illegal mausoleum from government land in the Satpuli area of Pauri district. The government is also taking action to mark and remove illegal religious encroachments in forest areas under Corbett Tiger Reserve in Nainital district. Reserve officials said a Forest

Cybercrime big challenge, police working to counter it: Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said in order to combat cybercrime, people should not only aware themselves about the menace but also inform others. Terming cybercrime as a big challenge, he also said police are working to counter it using new technologies. The chief minister was addressing a gathering after releasing a book, 'Cyber Encounters', authored by Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar and former DRDO scientist OP Manocha. He said it is the responsibility of all to be aware about cybercrimes and also protect others by informing them about it. Criminals are using new techniques every day and the police are working to counter them using new technologies, the chief minister said. This book is based on true incidents and it will not only aware readers but also help them protect themselves against cybercrimes, he said. The book's foreword has been written by eminent actor Amitabh Bachchan and this shows its importance, he said Citing examples of different type

U'khand govt to introduce an ordinance to tighten laws for buying land

The Uttarakhand government will soon introduce an ordinance to tighten the laws for buying land in the state to prevent people with criminal antecedents from making such purchases, sources said on Friday. According to the proposed ordinance, the background of prospective buyers and their purpose of making the purchase will be thoroughly examined before they are permitted to do so. However, there is no clarity yet on whether the ordinance will apply only to prospective land buyers from outside Uttarakhand or those from within the state too. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has moved a proposal on the matter at a Cabinet meeting here recently and was authorised by the ministers to bring such an ordinance, official sources said. The move comes close on the heels of Dhami expressing concern over "land jihad" in Uttarakhand. At a function in Kaladhungi in Nainital district last month the chief minister claimed that more than 1,000 acres of land have been "grabbed" in the state under

Earthquake of magnitude 3.3 hits Uttarakhand, all you need to know

On Thursday morning, the town of Chamoli in Uttarakhand was shaken by an earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale

Uttarakhand Govt to fulfil dreams of youth seeking employment abroad

The Uttarakhand government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami decided to start 'Chief Minister's Skill Upgradation and Global Employment Scheme'

Uttarakhand cabinet approves CM skill upgradation, employment scheme

The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday approved the Chief Minister Skill Upgradation and Global Employment Scheme to help youths of the state pursue careers abroad. The state cabinet gave its approval to the scheme, Mukhya Mantri Kaushal Unnayan aur Vaishavik Rozgar Yojana, at its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Secretary S S Sandhu told reporters. The special thing about the scheme is that youths interested in pursuing careers abroad will be prepared by the state government which will develop their skills accordingly and help selected candidates in getting their tickets and visas, he said. In the first phase, selected candidates will be trained in hospitality and nursing sectors by institutions which have expertise in the field and expressed interest in training the youths of the state, he said. A workshop will be held here on May 9 where interested candidates will be screened and after selection, trained for jobs available in the elderly care sector

Stay on removal of encroachments in Uttarkhand's Haldwani to remain: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that its order staying the Uttarakhand High Court directions for the removal of encroachments from 29 acres of land claimed by the railways in Haldwani will continue during the pendency of petitions in the matter before it. On January 5, the apex court had in an interim order stayed the high court's directions for the removal of encroachments from 29 acres of land, terming it a "human issue" and saying 50,000 people cannot be uprooted overnight. The pleas challenging the high court order came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices S K Kaul and A Amanullah which said that the interim order of stay "is made absolute during the pendency of the petitions" and listed the matter for directions in the first week of August. According to the railways, there are 4,365 encroachers on the land. The occupants were earlier staging protests in Haldwani, asserting that they were the rightful owners of the land. Nearly 50,000 people, a majority of them

Joshimath residents urge Uttarakhand CM Dhami to start NTPC project

Local representatives in the Joshimath area sent a memorandum to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urging to commence the construction work of Tapovan-Vishnugad Hydroelectric Project

Chardham yatra halted at Srinagar due to bad weather at Kedarnath

Chardham Yatra has been stopped at Srinagar as a precautionary measure due to bad weather at Kedarnath and Badrinath, police said here on Sunday

'India's first village': BRO puts up signboard on entrance of village

The Border Roads Organisation has put up a signboard at the entrance of Uttarakhand's Mana village on the India-China border reading 'India's first village'. "Now Mana will not be known as the last but the first village of the country, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a Tweet. During a visit to the Chamoli village in October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said border villages of the country are its first villages and not the last as they are usually called. "Our government is always dedicated to the all-round development of the border areas," Dhami said. Mana is situated near Badrinath and devotees going to the Himalayan temple go up to the village for sightseeing.

SATVIR soldiers on: 6 decades into service, goats that serve Indian Army

SATVIRs retire at the age of ten and are accorded a military funeral upon their death

Uttarakhand govt suspends registration for Kedarnath Yatra amid snowfall

Indian Meteorological Department has issued an alert for the heavy snowfall in the Kedarnath Dham route and Dham

Advisory for Kedarnath Dham yatra pilgrims in view of rain, snowfall alert

Uttarakhand govt issues an alert stating that in view of the rain and snowfall in Kedarnath Dham in past few days, devotees are requested to be careful

Sinking town Joshimath yet to see long term land subsidence measures

Nearly four months since Joshimath made headlines as the "sinking town", the gateway to Himalayan pilgrimage sites is yet to see enough curative steps that address the land subsidence issue, environmental experts have said. People in unsafe zones have been moved to safety, cracks in the roads filled and unsafe buildings demolished but environmentalists feel long-term measures to save the town from further damage are yet to be initiated. More than 100 days have passed since the crisis reared its head in early January but cracks have still not stopped appearing in the hill town, which is situated on old landslide rubble. The cracks that appeared in buildings, roads and public facilities in Joshimath have not widened further of late but sporadic appearances of newer ones leave no room for complacency, said locals. Atul Sati, the convenor of the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, told PTI, "Cracks are still appearing here and there." Sati was the first to raise the issue of land ...

"All preparations made for Char Dham Yatra": CM Dhami post mock drills

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the tabletop and mock exercise programme organised by NDMA for upcoming Char Dham Yatra

Uttarakhand CM inaugurates statue, memorial site of CDS Bipin Rawat

He said that the irreparable loss caused to the country by Rawat's sudden death could never be recovered