Page 11 - Uttarakhand

Irked BJP summons ex-UttaraKhand CMs to Delhi over remarks against own govt

Certain remarks of two of its former chief ministers-- Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tirath Singh Rawat -- have often put the saffron party and the Dhami-led government in a tight spot

Uttarakhand CM Dhami bats for Japanese cooperation in disaster management

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said cooperation from Japan should be taken in disaster management and anti-seismic technology in view of the state's vulnerability to earthquakes and other natural calamities. During an interactive programme organised by FICCI Forum of Parliamentarians in collaboration with the Japanese Embassy here, Dhami told officials that Uttarakhand was vulnerable to earthquakes and disasters and the cooperation from Japan in disaster management and anti-seismic technology could be vital. Efforts should be made in this direction, he said.

Former U'khand CM says nothing gets done in state without paying commission

A purported video of former Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat saying no work could be done in the state without paying commission has surfaced online. The undated video purportedly shows the BJP leader seated in a room and lamenting about "commissionkhori" in the state. "Though I have been a chief minister and perhaps shouldn't say this, I have no hesitation in admitting that when we were separated from Uttar Pradesh, up to 20 per cent commission used to be paid there to get public works done. "After separation, it should have come to nil here but the practice continued and we began with 20 per cent," Rawat is heard saying. The hill state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. "I am told that one cannot get anything done here (Uttarakhand) without paying a certain percentage as commission," said the BJP MP from Pauri. "Commissionkhori was a practice prevalent in Uttar Pradesh and unfortunately, it continues in Uttarakhand," he said. Rawat, however, said no one in

PM Narendra Modi greets people of Uttarakhand on its statehood day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted the people of Uttarakhand on its statehood day. He tweeted, "This is a state closely associated with nature and spirituality. People from this state are making phenomenal contributions, across many sectors, to nation building. May Uttarakhand keep progressing in the coming years." The hill state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh and formed on this day in 2000.

Growing unemployment: Battle of two parallel realities

The duality between the ground reality of tangible unemployment and the perception created by events like "rozgar melas" will likely continue till the next general election

Uttarakhand Congress to start three-day yatra from Mana village, Chamoli

Mahara said that apart from the issues of the Bharat-Jodo Yatra, state-level issues will also be included in our padayatra

A gastronomic journey through the North far removed from convention

Loya, the latest offering by Indian Hotels at Taj Palace, New Delhi, offers a confluence of flavours from the foothills of Himalayas, the fields of Punjab, the Gangetic plains, and snow-laden Kashmir

Sacred portals of Kedarnath Dham closed for winter season from today

The sacred portals of the Kedarnath Dham located in the high Garhwal Himalayan region of Uttarakhand were closed for winter on Thursday. Sources in the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee said the doors of the temple were closed for the devotees at 8.30 am after offering prayers amid chanting of vedic hymns. More than 3,000 devotees along with temple committee president Ajendra Ajay, teerth purohit and officials of the Rudraprayag district administration were present on the occasion, while the Indian Army's 11th Maratha Regiment played devotional tunes. Over 43 lakh pilgrims reached Chardham this year. In Kedarnath alone, 15,61,882 devotees paid obeisance at the temple. The media in-charge of the temple committee, Dr. Harish Gaur said the Kedarnath temple opened its portals at 3 am and the process of closing the doors for the winter started at 4 am. The sanctum sanctorum and the main gate of the temple were closed after temple priest T. Gangadhar Linga covered the 'jyotirlinga' w

Uttarakhand: Former DGP, 7 others accused of illegal forest land possession

Former Uttarakhand DGP B S Sidhu and seven others have been booked for an illegal possession of forest land and subsequently cutting 25 "sal" trees. The case has been registered at the Rajpur police station by Mussoorie Divisional Forest Officer Ashutosh Singh after getting permission from the Uttarakhand government, police said here. A police officer said it was alleged in the complaint that Sidhu in 2012 bought one-and-a-half hectares of land in Virgirwali village of the Mussoorie forest division and cut 25 "sal" trees. On receiving information, the state Forest Department conducted an inquiry, in which it came to light that the trees were planted on reserve forest land. The Forest Department had also challaned Sidhu. Later, the registry of the land in Sidhu's name was also cancelled and permission was sought from the government to file a case against him. Sidhu has been the Director General of Police (DGP) from September 2013 to April 2016. The case has been registered under .

Saudi Aramco exec spent week in Chamoli jail, released after Rs 1k fine

Saudi Aramco's top executive spent nearly a week in a Uttarakhand jail after he was arrested in July for carrying a satellite phone without proper permission from authorities

Badrinath-Kedarnath temple doors to remain closed on Oct 25 solar eclipse

Doors of Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple will remain closed on October 25 on the solar eclipse, said the temple committee

Take suo motu action against hate speeches, register cases immediately: SC

Calling hate speeches a "very serious issue", the Supreme Court Friday directed Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments to promptly register criminal cases against the culprits without waiting for a complaint to be filed. It warned any delay on the part of the administration will invite the court's contempt. A bench of Justices K M Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy also issued notices to the two state governments on a petition filed by a man named Shaheen Abdullah. It said action should be taken against those making hate speeches irrespective of their religion to preserve the secular fabric of the nation.

PM Narendra Modi offers prayers at Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the famous Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district on Friday. Wearing a white-coloured traditional attire of the hill people with a "swastika" symbol embroidered on it, the prime minister performed a "puja" at the temple. He is also scheduled to visit the Badrinath temple later in the day. During his two-day tour of the state, Modi will inspect various ongoing development projects and lay the foundation stones of some new ones. On his arrival at the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun, the prime minister was received by Governor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union minister Ajay Bhatt. After performing the "puja" at the Kedarnath temple, the prime minister will lay the foundation stone of the 9.7-km Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway project. During his two-and-a-half-hour-long programme at Kedarnath, Modi is also scheduled visit the Samadhi Sthal of Adi Guru Shankaracharya. At Badrinath

Uttarakhand High Court asks SIT to file status report in Ankita murder case

The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Ankita Bhandari murder case to file a status report along with the case diary. A single bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Ashutosh Negi, a resident of Pauri Garhwal. The court has fixed November 3 for the next hearing of the matter. The petition has requested to hand over the investigation of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Bhandari (19) was allegedly killed by the owner of a resort where she worked as a receptionist. It has been alleged that after the murder, important evidence related to the crime was destroyed on the instructions of Yamkeshwar MLA Renu Bisht by running a bulldozer at Vanantra Resort. Bhandari was allegedly killed by the resort owner owner Pulkit Arya, manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta when she resisted their attempts to force her to offer "extra services" to a VIP

Ahead of PM Modi's visit, Uttarakhand CM conducts inspections in Badrinath

Ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday inspected the ongoing works in Badrinath Dham.PM Modi will visit Uttarakhand on October 21 where he will lay the foundation stone of connectivity projects worth around Rs 3,500 crore.The Chief Minister also offered prayers at the shrine there.Speaking to ANI here, CM Dhami said that PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of a few roads and Hemkund Ropeway."Work is going on swiftly on Badrinath Master Plan. We have made the target to finish all the work by December 2023. PM will arrive here (in the state) on Oct 21 and he will lay the foundation stone of a few roads and Hemkund Ropeway," he said.The CM further said that PM Modi will also visit Kedarnath to lay the foundation stone of the cable car.The Prime Minister will also address a public rally in Kedarnath."He will also go to Kedarnath Dham where he will lay the foundation stone of the Kedarnath Cable car. PM ..

Allahabad HC gives 'last chance' to ASI to file reply in Gyanvapi case

The Allahabad High Court has granted a 'last chance' to the Director General of ASI to comply with its earlier order and file a reply (counter-affidavit)

Prime Minister to visit Gujarat, Uttarakhand and UP in run-up to Diwali

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to have a jam-packed schedule in the run-up to Diwali with back-to-back visits to Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh starting Wednesday till October 23

Seven killed as helicopter ferrying pilgrims crashes near Kedarnath

After the crash, the state civil aviation department suspended all the helicopter flights to Kedarnath

Seven dead as helicopter ferrying Kedarnath pilgrims crashes

A helicopter carrying pilgrims from Guptkashi to Kedarnath crashed near Jangalchatti on Tuesday, sources said. Seven people, including the pilot, are feared killed, they said. Fog and poor visibility are said to be the reason for the crash. A team has been dispatched to the accident spot to carry out relief operations.

Many times UP cops arrest innocent, claims top Uttarakhand officer

Uttarakhand Additional Chief Secretary Radha Raturi got into a war of words with the Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday with the latter accusing her of making "irresponsible" statements, days after an unsuccessful raid in the hill state to nab an alleged sand mining mafia led to the death of a local BJP leader's wife. At a press conference, Uttarakhand's Additional Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said crimes should be investigated properly and the guilty should be punished, not the innocent. "Many times, the Uttar Pradesh Police catch innocent persons and claim they are guilty. It should not be like that. Catching one innocent person may lead to the rise of 99 more wrongdoers," she said. Taking strong exception to the statement, the Uttar Pradesh Police termed it "irresponsible" and suggested that a civil servant should refrain from such comments. In Lucknow, Additional Director General, (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said, "The Uttar Pradesh Police has seen and heard the statement of the