Page 55 - Uttarakhand

10 bodies retrieved, 27 mountaineers missing after avalanche in Uttarkashi

Twenty-seven mountaineers remained missing on Wednesday after rescue workers brought 14 injured members of their team to safety, a day after an avalanche claimed 10 lives in Uttarkashi. The Uttarakhand Police said on Facebook that 10 bodies have been retrieved so far as a multi-agency search and rescue operation aided by IAF helicopters continued through the day to find those missing. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami did an aerial inspection of the area, which is at a height of 17,000 feet, that was hit by the avalanche on Tuesday and told reporters that 27 climbers are still missing. He said he prayed for their safety even as personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and mountaineers from the Nehru Institute Of Mountaineering (NIM) are trying to find the missing climbers. "Out of 34, 27 are still missing, Dhami told reporters after the aerial survey along with Haridwar MP and former Union ...

Uttarakhand CM announces financial assistance for victims of two accidents

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday announced financial assistance to the kin of the deceased in the Uttarkashi and Pauri Garhwal tragedies which occurred on Tuesday

14 rescued as search ops in avalanche-hit Uttarakhand peak resumes

Fourteen members of a mountaineering team which had gone missing after being hit by an avalanche at Draupadi Ka Danda peak in Uttarakashi district were rescued on Wednesday as a multi-agency rescue operation aided by IAF helicopters was underway to find the several others missing. Principal of the Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) Col Amit Bisht had said on Tuesday that ten bodies were spotted out of which four had been recovered.However, police confirmed the death of four. Earlier in the day, the Uttarakhand Police released a list of 28 trainee mountaineers who were missing in the avalanche at the height of 17,000 feet. Sub Divisional Magistrate, Bhatwari, Chattar Singh Chauhan said 14 members of the team out of which six had sustained minor injuries in the avalanche were airlifted to Matli in two sorties, Eight more rescued in another sortie are alright, he said, adding they are being sent back to the NIM. Out of the 14 rescued so far 10 are trainees and f

Uttarakhand Police releases list of 28 mountaineers missing after avalanche

The Uttarakhand Police on Wednesday released a list of 28 trainee mountaineers who went missing after being hit by a massive avalanche at a height of 17,000 feet at Draupadi Ka Danda-II peak in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district. The trainees were part of a 41-member team of mountaineers from the Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) and were returning along with their instructors after climbing the peak as part of their advanced training course when they were hit by the avalanche on Tuesday. The list of trainees includes those from West Bengal, Delhi, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Haryana, Gujarat, Hmachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. According to NIM Principal Colonel Amit Bisht, 10 bodies were spotted on Tuesday out of which four were recovered. Rescue operations, which had to be halted due to darkness and inclement weather, will be resumed on Wednesday.

Saddened by loss of lives in Uttarakhand bus accident: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday condoled the loss of lives in a bus accident in Uttarakhand's Pauri district and offered deepest condolences to the bereaved family members. At least 25 people were killed and 20 others injured when a bus carrying around 45-50 members of a marriage party fell into a gorge in Pauri district on Tuesday night. "Saddened by many casualties when a bus fell into a valley in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this accident. I wish the injured a speedy recovery," the president tweeted in Hindi.

25 people dead in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district bus accident

A bus carrying around 45 to 50 people fell into a gorge on Rikhnikhal-Birokhal road near Simdi village in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district on Tuesday

Ten bodies spotted, four retrieved after avalanche in Uttarakhand

The avalanche struck at an altitude of around 17,000 feet around 8.45 am when the team of 34 trainee mountaineers and seven instructors from Uttarkashi-based NIM was returning after summiting

Winter sets in as higher reaches of Uttarakhand receive heavy snowfall

The last outpost near the China border in the Darma Valley of Uttarakhand received the third snowfall of this season

Uttar Pradesh's merchandise exports surge 32% to Rs 60,578 crore

The electrical machinery/equipment segment grew nearly 90 per cent with shipments jumping to Rs 13,606 crore in the April-July 2022 from Rs 7,202 crore in the year-ago period.

Uttarakhand's all-weather road project hamstrung by landslides, blockages

Owing to frequent and prolonged disruptions during monsoon, the 150-km Tanakpur-Pithoragarh stretch of the all-weather road' project has not been able to achieve its basic objective of providing uninterrupted connectivity to the India-China borders and smooth transportation of defence supplies. The stretch which is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious all-weather road project for Uttarakhand was closed more than 300 times due to landslides during monsoon over the past two years, officials said. "The stretch along NH-9 remained closed for 350 hours in 55 days in 2022 and 545 hours in 110 days in 2021," Champawat's District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO) Manoj Pandey said. The Pithoragarh portion of the road has been blocked since Tuesday, Pithoragarh DDMO BS Mahar said. The stretch has been blocked many times this monsoon, he added. "The road could be of an all-weather nature only after the landslide sensitive points are treated and a 167-metre-long bridge at Chalthi

Ankita Bhandari murder case: 3 key accused remanded in SIT custody

The Special Investigation Team investigating the Ankita Bhandari murder case has taken the three main accused on police remand, an official said on Saturday. Accused Pulkit Arya, owner of the resort where Bhandari was working as a receptionist, and his two accomplices -- resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta -- were arrested on September 23 for allegedly killing her after she refused to give 'extra service' to a VIP customer who is yet to be identified. The trio may also be taken to the crime scene to establish the sequence of events, the official said on the condition of anonymity. Revenue police sub-inspector Vaibhav Pratap Singh, who is under suspension for dereliction of duty for allegedly not registering an FIR in the case despite being approached, is also being interrogated. Further, the investigating team has recorded the statement of Ankita's friend with whom she had a chat on the day of her murder. The SIT has constituted five teams to speed up

Avalanche near Uttarakhand's Kedarnath Temple, no damage reported

An avalanche occurred behind the Kedarnath Dham in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand on Saturday but no damage was caused to the temple, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee President informed."An avalanche occurred this morning in the Himalayan region but no damage was sustained to the Kedarnath temple," Ajendra Ajay, President, Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee told ANI.As per the information, the giant glacier behind the Kedarnath was broken for the second time since the last month and appeared like a watershed from distance.Details regarding the status of Yatra are currently awaited.Earlier the avalanche had occurred in the catchment of Chorabari Glacier at Kedarnath Dham on the evening of September 22.Chorabari Glacier is situated at a distance of about 5 km behind Kedarnath temple. It is raining heavily in the state for the last few days.National Highway (NH)- 109 at Rudraprayag was blocked on Thursday, with long queues of vehicles after a sudden landslide led to ..

CM Dhami visits Ankita Bhandari's home, assures justice to family

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday met the parents of slain receptionist Ankita Bhandari at their Srikot village home in Pauri district and assured justice. The Uttarakhand chief minister also offered financial assistance to Bhandari's parents. Dhami said the state government stood with the family, adding that it was committed to ensuring justice to Bhandari. The matter will be heard in a fast track court and her killers would be given the harshest punishment, he said. The accused have already been arrested and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) P Renuka Devi set up to probe into the case, Dhami said. Legal action will also be taken against others involved in the case. No one will be spared, he added. Local MLA and Cabinet minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Pauri District Magistrate VK Jogdande and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Yashwant Singh Chauhan accompanied the chief minister on his visit. Bhandari (19) worked a

BJP heading for big win with 5 seats so far in Haridwar panchayat polls

The BJP on Thursday was on way to recording a good show in the three-tier panchayat elections in Haridwar district winning five of the 44 district board seats and leading comfortably in around 15 others. Of the eight seats whose results have been declared so far, BJP has won five, BSP 2 and Congress 1. The counting was still in progress but the BJP is likely to emerge as the single largest party in the district panchayat board with a tally of around 20 seats. The BJP-supported candidates have also won 70 per cent of the seats in block and gram panchayats. Out of a total of 316 Gram Pradhan seats, results of 282 have been declared and most of them have been won by BJP-supported candidates. BJP-supported candidates have won a majority of seats in the six block panchayats too. As per the trends, the BSP is likely to finish second behind BJP followed by independents. It is a record performance by the saffron party in Haridwar district panchayat polls. Out of a total of 47 district ...

Ankita Bhandari murder case: SIT questions revenue officers, employees

As the investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case intensified, the SIT said that all the officers and employees of Revenue Police of Uttarakhand's Pauri are being questioned

BJP may perform better in Haridwar panchayat polls; results likely today

The ruling BJP is likely to perform better in the Haridwar's three-tier panchayat polls, the voting for which took place on Monday. All results are likely to be announced by Thursday afternoon as the counting is on. Available trends indicated that the party may win 15 of 44 district panchayat board seats. The BJP may also do well for the first time in gram and kshetra panchayats. The party had in the previous polls won only three seats of the district panchayat board.

Ankita murder case: Crucial evidence probably destroyed, says former DGP

Former Uttarakhand DGP Aloke B Lal on Tuesday said the hurry shown in the demolition of the resort in question in the Ankita Bhandari murder case must have destroyed crucial evidence. There have been allegations from various quarters about the destruction of evidence in the murder case by an overnight razing of parts of the resort at Bhogpur in Pauri district. "It seems to me that the proper procedure of a demolition of the so-called illegal resort was not followed in this case. Usually, a show-cause notice is issued before any such exercise is undertaken," Lal told PTI in an exclusive interview. "However, in this case, bulldozers razed portions of the resort in the dead of night without any prior notice. The sudden action must have destroyed crucial evidence in the case," he added. "The main purpose behind the late-night action could be seen as the administration's over zealousness to project itself as effective. The action seems to have been aimed at gaining brownie points for qu

Ankita murder case: Rahul accuses BJP, RSS of viewing women as objects

The recent murder of a 19-year old receptionist in Uttarakhand allegedly by a BJP leader's son, an issue which led to protests in the northern state, was raised on Tuesday by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his Bharat Jodo Yatra speech in which he said the incident indicates the BJP and RSS ideology of viewing women as "objects". Referring to the murder of the young woman -- Ankita Bhandari -- the Congress leader alleged, "A BJP leader who owned a hotel, his son, who ran the hotel, was forcing a young girl to become a prostitute. When she refused to become a prostitute, she was found dead in a lake." "That is the way BJP treats women of India," Gandhi, also the MP from Wayanad, alleged. "It is the most disgusting, the most shameful example of how the BJP and RSS treat women in this country. The ideology of BJP and RSS views women as objects and second class citizens. India can never succeed with this ideology. A country which cannot learn to respect its women or empower them, can ..

Ankita Bhandari murder: Last rites held finally, NH 58 blocked in protest

Her body was brought to the NIT Ghat here and consigned to flames amid the presence of a large number of people.

Ankita case: Father refuses cremation till final post-mortem report comes

At present, the provisional post-mortem report has come, in which the assault has been confirmed before death and the cause of death has been said as drowning