Page 52 - Uttarakhand

LIVE: Families Joshimath being evacuated after houses develop cracks

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Land subsidence in Uttarakhand caused by human activities, nature: Expert

Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar and Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha visited the affected areas in the Chamoli district

SC stays order for removal of encroachments from railway land in Haldwani

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Uttarakhand High Court order for removal of encroachments from 29 acres of land claimed by the railways in Haldwani, calling it a "human issue" and saying 50,000 people cannot be uprooted overnight. Amid protests by residents who insist they have title to the land, a bench of Justices S K Kaul and A S Oka said a workable solution needs to be found. According to the railways, there are 4,365 encroachers on the land. Nearly 50,000 people, a majority of them Muslims, belonging to over 4,000 families reside on the disputed land. The apex court issued notices to the railways and the state government seeking their responses to a batch of pleas challenging the high court order for removal of encroachments. "Notice. In the meantime, there shall be stay of directions passed in the impugned order," said the bench, which posted the matter for further hearing on February 7. "We do believe that a workable arrangement is necessary to segregate people wh

Uttarakhand: CM Dhami to visit sinking Joshimath, promises necessary action

People in the Joshimath Town of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand have been fleeing from their houses to safer places following incidents of land subsidence in the area

SC to hear plea against removal of encroachments in Haldwani on Jan 5

The Supreme Court will hear a plea challenging the Uttarakhand High Court's plea directing the removal of encroachments from 29 acres of railway land in Haldwani on Thursday. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices S A Nazeer and P S Narasimha posted the matter for hearing after advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the matter. Bhushan submitted that the case -- of more than 5,000 houses in Haldwani being demolished -- is similar to the matter scheduled to be heard on Thursday. The apex court agreed to tag the matter and posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. Earlier, some Haldwani residents had moved the top court on the issue. The Uttarakhand High Court on December 20 ordered the removal of encroachments from 29 acres of railway land in the town's Banbhoolpura area after giving a one week advance notice to encroachers to vacate it. Thousands of residents of Banbhoolpura had protested the removal of encroachments, saying it will render them homeless and

Cricketer Rishabh Pant reveals reason behind accident as CM Dhami calls

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met cricketer Rishabh Pant at Max Hospital in Dehradun on Sunday

Driver, conductor who saved Pant's life will be honoured: Pushkar Dhami

Dehradun Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said his governement will honour the driver and conductor of the Haryana Roadways bus who came to the rescue of cricketer Rishabh Pant during a road accident near Roorkee. "By saving the life of the cricketer at the risk of their own lives, the Haryana Roadways driver and conductor have set an example for others. "The state government will honour them on January 26," Dhami said at the inauguration of a hostel here. While going to Roorkee, his hometown, on Friday, Pant slept on the wheel and rammed his car into the divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. Bus driver Sushil Kumar and conductor Paramjit, who were around and witnessed the accident, rescued Pant from the car. They pulled him out of the car and called the police.

Rishabh Pant injured in a car crash near Roorkee, BCCI issues statement

Pant broke the window to escape the car that caught fire after the collision

Uttarakhand CM promises all possible support to Rishabh Pant after accident

Pant, who was alone in the car, suffered injuries on his back, forehead and leg

Three arrested with Kajal wood worth Rs 14 lakh in Uttarakhand: Police

Three persons were arrested here after allegedly being found in possession of Kajal wood worth Rs 14 lakh, police said on Wednesday. The trio was held while allegedly transporting 144 nuggets of Kajal wood to Saharanpur during a routine check at a police barrier in Dunda, Superintendent of Police Arpan Yaduvanshi said. Found in the reserved forests of the upper Himalayan region, Kajal wood is known for its medicinal qualities and used to make bowls for Buddhist monks. The arrested accused have been identified as Janak Bahadur and Khemraj Rokaya from Dehradun and Vinod Kumar from Saharanpur.

BJP returns to power, disasters take their toll in Uttarakhand in 2022

The BJP's gamble in Uttarakhand on Pushkar Singh Dhami worked. Just months before the assembly polls, the party installed him as the chief minister, replacing Tirath Singh Rawat. And in February, the BJP won a second successive term in the state known for booting out the party in power in every time. Dhami, however, lost his own Khatima seat and had to wait for a bypoll to confirm his appointment as CM. Politics aside, 2022 was a year of disasters -- a road accident that killed 33, an avalanche that took at least 27 lives and a helicopter crash on the Kedarnath pilgrimage route. The government also faced the heat over past recruitment scams, concerns over ecology resurfaced, and the murder of a hotel receptionist brought people out on to the streets. The BJP government that returned to power with a shrunken majority 47 seats compared to 57 in a House of 70 in 2017, Congress got just 19 got down to business quickly. At its very first meeting, the state cabinet cleared a proposal t

Uttarakhand govt holds gram chaupals in districts on Good Governance Day

Gram chaupals were organised by the Uttarakhand government on the occasion of 'Good Governance Day' on Sunday with an aim of providing benefits of public welfare schemes of the central and state govt

Uttarakhand CM orders drive to administer Covid-19 vaccines booster doses

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked the state health department on Thursday to launch a drive to administer booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the beneficiaries for effectively controlling the pandemic. He asked officials of the department to start holding camps to administer booster doses to people from Friday. Awareness about the importance of the booster dose should be raised and people should be encouraged to get vaccinated against the viral disease, Dhami said, adding that if fresh cases are reported, the samples should be sent for genome sequencing. The Covid control rooms should be activated in all the districts, he said. Dhami issued the instructions while chairing a high-level meeting of health department officials to discuss steps to curb the spread of the virus. Uttarakhand Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat joined the meeting virtually and emphasised the importance of booster doses. Held at the secretariat, the meeting was also attended by Chief Secr

Micro, small industries exempted from EPR registration in Uttarakhand

In a major relief for micro and small scale industries, the Uttarakhand High Court has exempted them from the mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR) registration for disposal of plastic waste. The decision by the bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice R C Khulbe came after an organisation representing the industries informed the court that they had been kept in the ambit of the mandatory registration despite an exemption by the Central Pollution Control Board. The exemption was granted on Tuesday. Laghu Udyog Bharti, an organisation that works for small and micro industries, via its advocate informed the court that the CPCB, while amending its rules in February 2022, made EPR registration mandatory for all except the small and micro industries. However, the State Pollution Control Board has cancelled their consent to operate without EPR registration and bringing the industries in this category on the brink of closure. The court also directed the commissioners of

Uttarakhand HC rejects CBI inquiry in Ankita Bhandari murder case

The Uttarakhand High Court, on Wednesday rejected a petition for a CBI inquiry in the Ankita Bhandari murder case

U'khand HC bans mechanised mining in riverbeds, asks DMs to seize machines

The Uttarakhand High Court on Monday banned mechanised mining in riverbeds in the state. A division bench of High Court Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice RC Khulbe passed these orders while hearing a PIL. All the district magistrates have been asked to ensure compliance by issuing this order. The PIL, filed by Haldwani resident Gagan Parashar and others, has alleged that heavy machinery is being used for mining in the state's riverbeds. The petition also states that there is a difference in the rates of 'royalty' in government and private mining. In this regard, the Bench asked the State Mines Secretary that the rate of mining 'royalty' on the website of the Forest Development Corporation has been mentioned as Rs 31 per quintal, while on the website of private miners it is Rs 12 per quintal. The Mines Secretary has been directed to file an affidavit in the court in this regard by January 12. The court has also ordered the DMs to confiscate the machines being used for sand min

Indians flocking both foreign and local getaways as travel recovers: Airbnb

The traveller is also expanding his travel horizons, looking to explore new getaways abroad

President Murmu inaugurates, lays stone for projects in Uttarakhand

President Droupadi Murmu was on Thursday felicitated at the residence of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami after arriving here on a two-day visit to the state. She inaugurated three projects worth Rs 528.35 crore and laid the foundation stones of six others worth Rs 1,473.59 crore in the presence of Dhami and Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh. Murmu, on her first visit to Uttarakhand since assuming office, showered praise on the Himalayan state for its beautiful location and the affection with which she had been received. "I feel blessed to be in this land. The natural beauty of Uttarakhand and the warmth of its people had touched everyone from Swami Vivekananda to Mahatma Gandhi and the poet of nature Sumitra Nandan Pant," she said. Uttarakhand resides in the hearts of people as it is located in the Himalayas and the holy rivers that irrigate the earth and nourish lives throughout the country originate here, she said. The president also praised the state for its gr

President Droupadi Murmu to embark on two-day visit to Uttarakhand today

The President will attend a civic reception to be hosted by the Government of Uttarakhand in Dehradun

U'Khan HC imposes Rs 50,000 fine on Facebook for not replying to notice

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Facebook for not replying to its notice in connection with the alleged misuse of the platform by some people for extortion. A division bench of the court comprising Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice R C Khulbe imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the social networking site and set it a fresh deadline of February 16 to file its reply. The court was hearing a PIL alleging that fake IDs were being created on Facebook and friend requests sent through them. After some time, threats of edited obscene photos and videos were being made through these IDs in exchange for lakhs of rupees, it said. The PIL was filed by Haridwar resident Alok Kumar who described himself as a victim of the fake ID scam. Advocate Abhijay Negi said friend requests are being sent on Facebook by creating fake IDs of people. After some time, photos are being edited and made into obscene content. People whose fake IDs have been created are being .