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Gadkari to inaugurate Haridwar ghat on 20 Feb 2019

Candlelight marches, rallies across state for bravehearts

Mercury drops as rain, hailstorm lash Uttarakhand

Green concern: NGT stalls Everest house makeover

Adventure tourism conference, mart inaugurated in Rishikesh

Snow in higher reaches, Met issues rainfall alert

Gadkari to inaugurate Haridwar ghat on 20 Feb 2019

Union minister for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari will dedicate to the people on February 20 an ambitious Namami Gange Project in Haridwar which he says is completed months before the schedule. A gift to the holy city, the Rs 70 crore projects is a 41,872 sq m ghat built on the banks of Ganga Main River across Har-Ki-Pauri in the Chandighat area.

"Even though it cannot be compared here with the religiously important Brahmakund and Har-Ki-Pauri, the new ghat will attract a number of pilgrims and tourists everyday due to its location, scenic view and vast expanse," a local resident said.

Project manager Amit Sharma said, "The project has been very well designed by WAPCOS which is its executing agency under the Union ministry of water resources and Ganga rejuvenation. The work was allotted to A K Gupta & Co. in March 2017. It was scheduled to be completed in September 2019, but the company has finished it months before the schedule." Besides construction, the company will also be responsible for its maintenance for five years, he added.

Company's general manager, Sanjai Kumar Sharma, said the ghat has all necessary facilities for tourists. These include a tourist information centre with audio visual room, souvenir shop, cafeteria, 4,800 sq m parking, 22 blocks of toilets with 24 units in each block, an overhead tank of one-lakh litre capacity, three water spots, seven changing rooms and six kiosks to cater to visitors.

For pilgrims, the ghats have been provided with 17 canopies (chhataris) where they can perform pooja and a prayer hall with a capacity of 300 people. Steps from the platform to the ghat have been provided at a number of places for pilgrims to reach the spot easily besides providing heavy steel railings for their safety.

To ensure regular electricity supply, a substation has been installed in the area which has 20 high mast lights and 20 electricity poles for emergency, Sharma said. Besides the bathing ghat located on the north side of the Chandighat Bridge, an 11,721 m long cremation ghat has also been constructed on the opposite side of the bridge.

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Candlelight marches, rallies across state for bravehearts

Protests and candle marches were held across Uttarakhand for the third consecutive day on Sunday following the Pulwama terror attack which claimed the lives of 44 CRPF personnel on Thursday, 14 February in Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) leaders staged a dharna outside Gandhi Park in Dehradun against the terrorist attack. Tehri MP, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt, Dehradun mayor Sunil Uniyal Gama and MLA Vinod Chamoli also joined the protest.

BJP workers raised slogans against terrorism and blamed Pakistan for its role in terrorist activities in India, particularly Jammu and Kashmir. Tributes were also paid to slain Army major Chitresh Bisht who was killed in Rajouri in J&K on Saturday while defusing an IED.

An ex-servicemen welfare association also carried out a march in support of army personnel who sacrificed their lives for the nation. They also demanded strict action against the culprits responsible for the Pulwama attack. Members of National Student Union of India (NSUI) burnt an effigy of Pakistan government and raised slogans against the neighboring country.

NSUI blamed Pakistan of violating ceasefire continuously which results in casualties of the armed forces. Uttarakhand Valmiki Ambedkar Mahasabha held a candle march from Indresh Nagar to Saharanpur Chowk as a mark of tribute to the CRPF Personnel.

Six districts of Kumaon region also witnessed anger against the Pulwama attack on Sunday. People came out in large numbers to protest against the attack. Practising advocate from Uttarakhand high court in Nainital, Sayed Nadeem Moon, who participated in the protests said, "The government should formulate tough policy against terrorism and devise a way to tackle the antinational elements strictly. Enough of talks and diplomatic actions."

Students, professionals, government servants, women and various other people from all walks of life also gathered at designated places lightning candles in the memory of the Jawans and raised slogans.

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Mercury drops as rain, hailstorm lash Uttarakhand

Temperatures dropped across Uttarakhand on Friday, 15 February 2019, as a fresh spell of rainfall accompanied by hailstorm lashed several parts of the Himalayan state in past 24 hours.

The state capital recorded 8.9mm rainfall while Mukteshwar in Nainital district received 21mm showers. Rainfall also lashed Pithoragarh with the Met department recording 17mm rainfall in the district. Regional meteorological centre had earlier issued a warning of hail/squall at isolated places in Haridwar, Tehri, Dehradun, Pauri, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts on Thursday and Friday.

Bikram Singh, director of Met centre said that, "We have recorded widespread rainfall across Uttarakhand. Several places, especially in the plains, were lashed by hailstorm. Higher reaches located at 3,500 metres and above received fresh spell of snow as well."

In Dehradun, the maximum temperature was recorded at 18.1 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal, on Friday while the minimum settled at 10.5 degrees Celsius. Mukteshwar recorded maximum temperature at 9.5 degrees Celsius, eight notches below the average temperature. Met officials meanwhile have claimed that weather would start improving from Saturday morning.

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Green concern: NGT stalls Everest house makeover

The makeover of George Everest House, the iconic home of the former Surveyor General of India has landed into fresh trouble in the wake of a notice issued by National Green Tribunal (NGT) halting the construction work proposed by the state tourism department to renovate the historic building and its surrounding. Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj had recently announced allocation of a budget of Rs 23.6 crore for the renovation work.

The department had also made plans to lay the foundation stone for the project on 17 February 2019. The tribunal�s notice came in response to a complaint received by NGT via e-mail in which it was mentioned that the proposed construction would affect the Benog Wildlife Sanctuary which is situated nearby. Taking cognizance of the complaint, the tribunal through the notice directed the district magistrate, Dehradun to "look into the matter and take appropriate steps in accordance with law within one month from the date of receipt of copy of this order."

A copy of the notice was also sent to divisional forest officer (DFO), Mussoorie. Kahkashan Nassem, DFO, Mussoorie said that, "We shall put a stop to construction activities at this site until further directions are received from NGT." She however clarified that the Park Estate, where the George Everest house is located, was about 2 Kms outside the boundary of the Benog Wildlife Sanctuary.

Meanwhile, environmentalists said that "a way should be devised so that the makeover of the historic property can be carried out without damage to the environment." "Everest House is a historical landmark for Mussoorie and the place has been in a pitiable condition since decades. I feel that its development should not be stopped. However, the NGT may ensure that environmental considerations and safe guards are duly followed during the development work," said Vipin Gupta, Mussoorie-based environmental activist.

Dehradun district magistrate SA Murugesan meanwhile said that he has not received any notice from NGT yet. "If we do get a notice, we will respond to it appropriately," he added.

Meanwhile, Purushottam, additional programme director, tourism department, said that "Our department has received the NGT order but it does not mention any violation on our part, neither have e been asked to stop development work." "We will be meeting the district magistrate soon about the matter, and a decision would be taken after that"

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Adventure tourism conference, mart inaugurated in Rishikesh

State tourism minister Satpal Maharaj inaugurated the 3 day long Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart (ATRTCM), under the auspices of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), in Rishikesh, on Thursday morning.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, "The event will attract foreign investors and dignitaries to Uttarakhand to explore various investment and tourism development options." He added that "this is the first of its kind conference to be held in the state, which will go a long way in appraising the world of the business and tourism opportunities in Rishikesh as well as Uttarakhand."

Welcoming over 300 delegates from 28 countries of the world, the minister informed them that "Uttarakhand was declared as the Adventure Capital by the ministry of tourism, government of India in 2018.

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Snow in higher reaches, Met issues rainfall alert

A fresh spell of snowfall and constant rain for over 12 hours caused disturbances in electricity, drinking water and communication facilities in the upper Himalayan region of Uttarkashi district, on Thursday 14 February 2019. Meanwhile, Gangotri national highway was blocked between Jhala and Harsil villages due to heavy avalanche in the area. The road was cleared at around 1pm by the Border Roads Organization.

Meanwhile, met department on Thursday issued warnings of rains and hailstorm in the plains on Friday, with prediction of snowfall in higher reaches of Uttarkashi and Chamoli districts. Mussoorie and Dhanaulti are expected to receive snowfall as well. The sky on Wednesday was mostly clouded which brought the temperature down in the capital. Light showers were also witnessed throughout the day.

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