News Analysis India

Tag: Uttarakhand

  • Pritam Singh takes charge as Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: Former Uttarakhand Congress president Pritam Singh on Monday took charge as the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly. He succeeds Indira Hridayesh who died last month. Soon after taking charge, Singh said Congress is all set to return to power in 2022.

    “People are disappointed with the so called double engine government. They are looking for change. They gave BJP a powerful mandate in 2017. Still the party failed to give them a stable government. Three chief ministers in four-and-a-half years of whom one had to step down in just four months. The two Rawats (Trivendra and Tirath) have ruined the state,” Singh who represents Chakrata seat in the State Assembly told reporters.

    Development has been the biggest casualty of this political instability, he said adding that the economy lies in shambles and the prices have soared like never before. Accusing the state government of playing into the hands of the land and mining mafia, he said Congress alone can provide a transparent and corruption-free government to the people of the state.

    When asked who will be the party’s chief ministerial face in the 2022 assembly polls, Singh said there is no dearth of capable people in the party and whoever is selected for the job by the party high command after the polls will have the support and backing of everyone.

    Singh was replaced recently as Uttarakhand PCC president by Ganesh Godiyal and appointed as Leader of Opposition in the State assembly in a major organisational rejig ahead of next year’s assembly polls.

  • Covid-19: Uttarakhand lags behind in vaccination drive

    By Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand has committed to complete vaccination of the entire 18 plus population in state by December 31, 2021 but the state lags behind, revealed the vacvination data of the state.

    On July 15, with 170 days was left for the year to be over, the daily vaccination target was 65,192 doses. 

    Anoop Nautiyal, whose Social Development for Communities Foundation have been analysing Covid 19 data since the first case surfaced in Uttarakhand said, “Since fewer doses have been administered during the past 10 days, the average daily target for next 160 days has increased to 66,157.”

    The state government is able to administer 49,759 doses per day on average.

    According to state government data, total 80.50 lakh adult population has to be vaccinated which will require total 1.61 Crore doses to be administered to entire adult populace of the hill state.

    Out of this requirement, around 50 lakh have been administered already. 

    Till July 24, total 55,16,244 doses were administered out of which 42,03,963 people have been administered first dose while 13,12,281 have been administered second dose. 

    According to the state government, the hill state has total population of 49,34,219 in age-group of 18-44 years, 27,95,247 in age-group of 45+, 1,28,002 healthcare workers and 1,93,216 frontline workers. 

    All in all, total 80,50,684 people are to be vaccinated in the state with 16,101,368 doses. 

    Still the state needs total of 1,10,82,718 doses to achieve full vaccination of the adult population of the state. 

  • Uttarakhand: Declared dead 24 years ago, man comes back alive in Almora district

    By Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Ram Singh Mehra, now 38-years-old was just 14-year-old when his uncle Madho Singh Mehra disappeared 24 years ago. “We were all shocked beyond words. At first we could not believe but later we had to given what he td us. It’s not that his looks have changed completely but it felt so unreal,” says Mehra.

    Since the sudden return of 72-year-old Madho Singh Mehra last week, his family members in Janoli village on Ranikhet-Khairna state highway in Almora district are still in shock and awe. The family waited for his return for over 10 years and conducted his last rites after a priest advised that he was dead. 

    The family has now decided that there should be naamkaran ceremony after which Mehra gets entry into the house. Naamkaran is a traditional Hindu naming ceremony to give a birth name to the newborn. The ceremony is generally conducted on the 12th day after the birth.

    At present a tent has been raised for Mehra to stay outside the village. He will have to stay there until his naming ceremony. Though Mehra refused to divulge any details about his long absence his family has requested everyone not to disturb him unnecessarily. “I request everyone to not bother my uncle. We will talk when the time is right now,” said Ram Singh.  

  • Pilot slams BJP for instability in Uttarakhand

    By Express News Service
    DEHRADUN:  Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday blamed BJP for creating instability in Uttarakhand by changing chief ministers twice in four months. 

    Pilot held a press conference in Dehradun. “BJP has cheated the people of Uttarakhand. People voted them to power to work, not go change chief ministers every other day. This shows that the government has failed to deliver the people’s expectations,” said the former Deputy CM of Rajasthan. 

    Pilot lashed out at the state government and Centre for inflation and unemployment. “Inflation in India has touched an all-time high, with rising petrol and deisel prices. Now, prices of diesel and petrol are more than desi ghee. This is when the price of crude oil in the international market is going down. The Centre and state both have cheated the people of Uttarakhand,” added Pilot.

  • Char Dham Yatra draws smaller crowd, hence pushed for it: Uttarakhand

    By Express News Service
    DEHRADUN:  Officials in the Uttarakhand government have dismissed claims that there is a contradiction in the government’s policy of cancelling Kanwar Yatra and approaching the Supreme Court to allow Char Dham Yatra, saying there is a large difference in the number of people who attend these events. 

    They have dismissed any comparison between Char Dham Yatra and Kanwar Yatra saying while only 4.2 lakh people attended the Char Dham Yatra over four months, about three-four crore people will gather for Kanwar Yatra in a week or two.  

    “There is no contradiction at all. Char Dham Yatra is manageable with stringent control measures while Kanwar Yatra can go out of control with 3-4 Crore people travelling to Haridwar with 7-14 days. Our honorable CM has made a bold decision,” said Ravinath Raman, chief executive officer of Char Dham Devsthanam Board who is also the commissioner for Garhwal division of Uttarakhand. 

    The CEO of the board which manages the Char Dham Yatra said that number of pilgrims who attend the yatra was controlled by implementing strict measures. 

  • We’ll implement whatever is in favour of Uttarakhand: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on population control

    By ANI
    DEHRADUN: Just days after Uttar Pradesh unveiled its proposed population control policy, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke on the matter and said that his government will implement whatever is in favour of the people of Uttarakhand.

    While speaking to the reporters yesterday on whether the state would bring a law on population control, Dhami said, “Law on population control, land laws, various other laws and acts which are already in place will be implemented if it is in the favour for the people of Uttarakhand.”

    This comes in the backdrop of the Population Policy 2021-2030 unveiled by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adtyanath on Sunday.

    Yesterday, Uttarakhand BJP leaders held a meeting in the state titled “Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mission 2022”. After the meeting was concluded, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and BJP State President Madan Kaushik addressed the media personnel.

    “Today, we gave the slogan ‘Yuva Mukhyamantri–60+ seats’ and with this resolution we started the election campaign (for 2022 Assembly polls). We’ll go with this programme among the people and other works we’ve done,” said Kaushik.

    Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke on the upcoming Kanwar yatra to be held in the state and said that God would not like anyone to die, amidst the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Kanwar Yatra is not solely a matter for the state of Uttarakhand. Kanwar yatra is a matter of shraddha (reverence) and aastha (faith). God would not like anyone to die,” said the Chief Minister.

    As per the Hindu traditions, Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand wherein devotees fetch holy waters of the Ganga River and seek blessings of God.

    This comes around a time when Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that the Kanwar Yatra is not a one-state affair and the state government will take the decision regarding the yatra after discussing with other states, including Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

  • IMA urges Uttarakhand CM to ‘disallow’ Kanwar Yatra as fear of third Covid wave looms large

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand chapter of Indian Medical Association on Monday wrote to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to disallow the proposal of Kanwar Yatra amid apprehensions of Covid third wave.

    “Sir, after the first wave, we became off-guard and could not follow the guidelines of the central government delineated for this pandemic which was a gross negligence on our part and consequently lost several of our kins in the menace of the second wave of the Covid pandemic,” said Dr Ajay Khanna, state secretary of Uttarakhand chapter of the IMA requesting the CM to ‘disallow’ the yatra. 

    The letter comes after CM’s comments that God would not want people to lose their lives. 

    The Kanwar Yatra has become an issue one with the state government of Uttar Pradesh requesting the state government to allow the Yatra with a few restrictions.

    The IMA secretary, on the behalf of the association, further added that the third wave of Covid pandemic is ready to knock on the door as per the statements of several specialists who wrote the letter, “Learning from our previous failure, we should not allow the devotees to enter our state and keep it safe from the third wave of Covid. Even our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji has today expressed concerns regarding our carelessness in following the Covid protocol.”

    Later in the day, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated: “Kanwar Yatra is a matter of faith. My decision regarding this will be taken keeping in mind people’s lives. We cannot allow this pandemic to claim the lives of the people.”

    On June 30, 2021, the state government issued orders to cancel the yatra due to the ongoing Covid situation.

    The state government had cancelled the yatra last year too in the wake of the epidemic. However, the Char Dham Yatra was allowed from June 2020 for state residents and later for residents of other states giving some respite to the sector.  

  • Uttarakhand orders strict adherence to COVID protocol at tourist spots, negative test report must

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government has ordered visitors at all tourist spots in the state to strictly adhere to Covid protocol in view of the threat of spread of the infection due to growing crowd of tourists at popular destinations like Mussoorie and Nainital.

    On arrival in the state, tourists now have to produce a negative Covid test report not older than 72 hours.

    District magistrates of Dehradun, Nainital and other districts have issued orders to officials to ensure that the Covid norms are strictly followed by all tourists.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand CM Dhami calls on PM Modi, seeks directions on third wave and Char Dham Yatra

    Tourists are arriving in large numbers over the past few days at major tourists spots like Mussoorie, Kempty Fall, Nainital, Haridwar and Rishikesh.

    Several videos have gone viral in which tourists are seen violating Covid norms by not wearing masks and refusing to maintain social distancing.

    “We have come to know through videos on the social media that people are not following Covid appropriate behaviour. They are neither wearing masks nor are they maintaining any social distancing. This is a matter of concern,” Dehradun DM Ashish Shrivastava said.

    ALSO READ: Set up separate pediatric wards at all hospitals to deal with third wave, says Uttarakhand CM

    Mussoorie’s Circle Officer Narendra Pant said tourists coming to Mussoorie are being stopped at Kuthal Gate on the way to check if they are registered on the smart city portal and have a negative Covid test report with them.

    Only those who have the documents are being allowed to proceed to Mussoorie and the rest are being returned, he said.

    Recorded messages asking people to adopt Covid appropriate behaviour are being played in Mussoorie all day, Pant said.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand govt to send Gangajal in tankers if Kanwar yatra not allowed due to COVID situation

    People violating the norms are also being fined, he added.

    Additional deployment of police personnel has also been made to ensure that the SOPs are not flouted by people, he said.

    There has been a decline of 50 per cent in tourist inflow due to the restrictions in Mussoorie this weekend in comparison to the last, he said.

    After videos of hundreds of tourists seen together in Kempty Fall without wearing masks went viral, the number of tourists bathing at a time in the fall has been limited to 50.

    No one can stay in the fall for more than 30 minutes.

    The restrictions were imposed on Thursday by Tehri District Magistrate Iva Ashish Shrivastava.

    Police officials in Nainital said entry of tourists to the lake city during daytime on weekends has been banned.

    However, there is no restriction on tourists staying in hotels, they said.

  • Uttarakhand CM Dhami calls on PM Modi, seeks directions on third wave and Char Dham Yatra

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Pushkar Singh Dhami, who was recently sworn in as Uttarakhand chief minister, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and sought his directions on the possible third wave of coronavirus, the proposed Kanwad Yatra and the Chardham Yatra against the backdrop of the pandemic.

    He also sought establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Kumaon region of the state on the lines of AIIMS, Rishikesh.

    In a tweet, Dhami said he sought the blessings of the prime minister.

    “Sought his directions on the state’s development, the possible third wave of Covid-19, Char Dham Yatra and Kanwad Yatra. The prime minister assured all possible help for the state’s development,” Dhami tweeted.

    The Prime Minister’s Office also tweeted pictures of the meeting.

    On Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s comments asking why people of the hill state, which generates electricity, cannot get free power like consumers in the national capital, Dhami said the AAP leader may have his agenda but the only agenda for the BJP is the state’s development and offering the best to people.

    The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor will visit Dehradun on Sunday.

    The party has decided to contest the assembly polls in the state due early next year.

    Uttarakhand on Thursday decided to review its decision to stop all Kanwad yatra devotees from entering the state this year.

    The yatra sees lakhs of devotees travel through several states by foot to the holy town of Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

    According to an official release in Dehradun, Dhami said an AIIMS in Kumaon will give access to the people of the region to world class medical facilities, adding the state government will give land for it.

    Describing AIIMS, Rishikesh as a big gift to the people of the state from the Centre, Dhami said it is playing a significant role in the battle against Covid.

    Dhami also sought speedy implementation of the 300 mw Lakhwar multi-purpose project from which six states including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh will benefit.

    The project has all the clearances and work on it can begin after a cabinet committee on economic affairs by the Union Government gives its go-ahead to the project, Dhami said.

    He informed the prime minister that the second phase of building and reconstruction projects at Kedarnath are to begin at an estimated cost of Rs 108.78 crore and sought an appointment from him for laying their foundation stones virtually.

    Dhami’s meeting with the prime minister lasted one hour and 15 minutes.

    Congratulating Dhami, Modi expressed hope that under his youthful leadership the state will prosper, the release said.

    Dhami also met Home Minister Amit Shah and urged him to remove inner line restrictions from Nelong and Niti valleys near India-China border saying it will boost tourist inflow to the beautiful valleys and increased economic activities as a result of this will stop migration from border villages.

    He also demanded two air ambulances and establishment of one disaster research institute at Uttarakhand’s summer capital Gairsain in view of the state’s vulnerability to natural calamities.

    The Chief Minister also met Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and requested him to increase the budgetry allocation for solid waste management projects in Uttarakhand under the Swacch Bharat Mission-2 from Rs 89 crore to 150 crore.

  • Set up separate pediatric wards at all hospitals to deal with third wave: Uttarakhand CM

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said there should be separate pediatric wards at all district hospitals, CHCs and PHCs besides adequate oxygen, ICUs and ventilators in the state to deal with a possible third wave of COVID-19.

    Reviewing the state’s preparedness in view of a possible third wave of the pandemic, Dhami said all these arrangements should be in place by the end of July. Maximum vaccination and increased testing are a must to build a protective mechanism against COVID-19, he said.

    The CM also asked officials to pay heed to the maintenance of medical equipment and tools provided to the state under the PM CARES Fund and corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions from companies.

    Apprising the Chief Minister on the status of arrangements, Health Secretary Amit Negi said there is enough oxygen in the state and it ranks fifth in the country in terms of vaccination. He added that apart from doctors, paramedics have also been trained to deal with COVID cases.