Page 10 - Uttarakhand

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 .

Indian, US Armies play musical tunes during Yudh Abhyas 2022 in Auli

Soldiers of the Indian, US Army played musical instruments in the Himalayas during the recently concluded 18th edition of Yudh Abhyas 2022 held in Uttarakhand's Auli

Recruitment scams did not take place during my tenure: Uttarakhand CM Dhami

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday steered clear of recruitment scams in the state and said his government was "only cleaning the system". He was speaking at a function held in Raj Bhawan to felicitate Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Rakesh Kumar. Referring to the controversy that erupted in September over the alleged irregularities in Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) examination, Dhami said he visited the BJP headquarters in Delhi soon after and faced a volley of questions from journalists. "I told them clearly that the scams did not take place during my time. They were carried out from 2014 to 2016. All we did was get them probed and bring the culprits to book. We are only cleaning the system," Dhami said. A surfeit of recruitment scams, including those in police and civil services, have hit the state over the years. Dhami has already ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team, which has arrested 45

India, Nepal in talks to facilitate protection wall along Kali river

Talks are ongoing between India and Nepal to remove debris from the banks of the Kali river on the Himalayan nation's side to facilitate the construction of a protection wall in Uttarakhand's border town of Dharchula, officials here said. Debris accumulated on either side of the Kali, which flows between India and Nepal, following heavy rain in the neighbouring country on September 9. The rain flooded the Lasku river in Nepal and huge amounts of rubble accumulated on both sides of the Kali, they said. According to the officials, the Indian authorities cleared the debris on the Dharchula side but Nepal was yet to remove the rubble, thus hampering construction. The Nepalese authorities fear that removing the debris might incline the river's flow towards Nepal, they said. "Heavy deposit of debris on the Nepalese side is affecting construction of the protection wall as the river is overflowing inside Indian territory, resulting in a lack of space for construction," Dharchula Subdivisio

New anti-conversion law was necessary, will be enforced strictly: Dhami

A day after the Uttarakhand Assembly passed a more stringent anti-conversion Bill, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday said the new law will be enforced strictly in the state. He said a stricter anti-conversion law was necessary as Uttarakhand is the land of gods and practices like religious conversion are "detrimental to us". The Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2022, making unlawful religious conversion a cognisable and non-bailable offence punishable with imprisonment for a term of at least three years and a maximum of 10 years. Besides, an offender will be liable to pay a fine of at least Rs 50,000 and a compensation of up to Rs 5 lakh to the victim. The Assembly also passed the Uttarakhand Public Services (Horizontal Reservation for Women) Bill, 2022, granting 30 per cent horizontal reservation to domiciled women of Uttarakhand in state services. "A stricter anti-conversion law was necessary as Uttarakhan

Uttarakhand HC seeks reply from govt on alleged illegal appointments

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday sent notices to the state government and the Assembly secretariat on a PIL alleging illegal appointments in the secretariat since 2000. Hearing the PIL, a bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari issued notices to the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat and the state government, asking them to submit their reply by May 1. Dehradun resident Abhinav Thapar had filed the PIL alleging that instead of making regular appointments in the Vidhansabha Secretariat since 2000, backdoor entries have been made. Appointments made after 2016 have been revoked but no action has been taken against illegal appointments done before 2016, the PIL said. However, backdoor recruitment scam in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat has been going on since 2000, it said. The high court has fixed the next hearing on May 1.

CM Dhami introduces 30% reservation bill for women in in public employment

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami introduced a bill in the state legislative assembly to provide 30 per cent horizontal reservation to the women of Uttarakhand state in state-owned services

Russia-Ukraine war to blame for fewer migratory birds in Haridwar: Expert

The exotic fowls flying in from far-off lands are a little less in number than recorded in previous years and their arrival, too, was delayed by 3 weeks, said a globally renowned ornithologist.

Uttarakhand Waqf board to introduce NCERT syllabus, dress code in madrasas

The Uttarakhand Waqf Board has decided to introduce NCERT syllabus and a dress code in its madrasas from next year as part of efforts to modernise madrasa education in the state. The board has also decided to open the doors of its madrasas for children of all religions, Uttarakhand Waqf Board Chairman Shadab Shams told PTI on Thursday. The board runs 103 madrasas in Uttarakhand. The board has also decided that its madrasas will give religious education to students for just an hour from 6.30 am to 7.30 am and conduct classes of general subjects from 8 am to 2 pm daily as in other schools, he said. "We will introduce the NCERT syllabus and a dress code on the lines of English medium schools in our madrasas so that students feel on a par with the rest of school going children," Shams said. The idea is to help madrasa students join the academic mainstream and prepare them for a better future, he said. The board has also decided to create seven model madrasas, two each in Dehradun, ..

Efforts being made to overcome shortage of doctors: Uttarakhand Health Secy

There is a shortage of doctors and nursing staff in Uttarakhand and efforts are being made to overcome it, the state's Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar said

36 bridges in Uttarakhand found unfit for traffic; most in Pauri district

A safety audit of bridges in Uttarakhand has found that 36 of them are unfit for traffic. The audit was ordered in the wake of the bridge collapse in Gujarat's Morbi that left 135 dead. A Public Works Department (PWD) official here said Pauri district has the highest number of 16 unsafe bridges followed by eight in Tehri, five in Udham Singh Nagar, three in Haridwar and one each in Dehradun, Pithoragarh, Chamoli and Rudraprayag. Immediately after the submission of the PWD's safety audit report, a government order was issued asking the department to repair or replace the bridges at the earliest. Priority will be accorded to the reconstruction or replacement of bridges that are more frequently used by commuters, the official said. Soon after the Morbi incident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had asked the PWD to conduct a safety audit of all the bridges in the state within three weeks The British-era bridge on Machchhu river in Gujarat's Morbi collapsed on October 30.

To reduce man-animal conflict, U'Khand to run pilot project in 5 villages

The Uttarakhand government will run a pilot project in five villages affected by human-animal conflict to find a solution to the problem, a senior official said. State's Additional Chief Secretary Anandvardhan on Monday directed the Watershed Department to start working on the pilot project and said that along with government efforts, community participation, role of gram panchayats and cooperation of local people should also be taken. He asked the department to work on micro-planning in areas and villages affected by human-animal conflict. Under the project, Anandvardhan also asked to study the pattern of human-animal conflict in the rural areas surrounding the Rajaji-Corbett landscape and to document local attitudes, perceptions and socio-economic impacts of the conflict in the area. In a meeting between the Watershed department along with scientists and consultants of Wildlife Institute of India, he also directed to develop an early warning system to alert people about animal ..

Top official represents Uttarakhand at International Film Festival of India

Abhinav Kumar, special principal secretary, Information of Uttarakhand government represented the 'Land of the Gods' at the IFFI, which kicked off in Goa on Sunday, officials said

12 killed, 3 injured as vehicle falls into gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

Twelve people, including two women, were killed and three injured as a passenger vehicle fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday, the State Disaster Response Force said. A Tata Sumo carrying 17 passengers fell into a gorge at Urgam in Joshimath area of the district at around 4 pm, said the SDRF which carried out the rescue operation. The passengers were on their way to Palla Jakhol village from Joshimath when the accident occurred, Chamoli SP Pramendra Dobhal said. Two of the occupants jumped out of the vehicle in the nick of time, the SP said. The SDRF has recovered all the 12 bodies. The gorge was around 300 metres deep and reaching the spot where the remains of the vehicle lay was difficult, an eyewitness told PTI over the phone. The vehicle is said to have been overloaded with some occupants also sitting on its roof. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each