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PM Modi to visit Uttarakhand on 14 February 2019

Uttarakhand records 51 % surplus rain in January 2019

Rain and Hail in Foothills, Higher Reaches See Snow

32 villages in Uttarkashi still cut off, without power

E- Buses on Doon-Mussoorie, Haldwani-Naini routes soon

Heavy snow & rain likely, tourists told to stay away

PM Modi to visit Uttarakhand on 14 February 2019

PM Narendra Modi will visit Uttarakhand on February 14 when he will address an open gathering at Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district other than propelling a few development projects there, state BJP president Ajay Bhatt said. The leader will come to Rudrapur on February 14 and address a "huge" public gathering. He will likewise inaugurate a huge number of development projects there, Bhatt said.

Around one lakh individuals are expected to attend the public meeting in Rudrapur, the state BJP chief claimed. With the Lok Sabha elections only a couple of months away, Modi's visit will be critical as it would enthuse party workers in the state, he said.

The BJP faces the challenge of retaining all the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand against a resurgent Congress which enlisted triumphs in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in the assembly polls held recently.

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Uttarakhand records 51 % surplus rain in January 2019

Uttarakhand has recorded 51 % excess rainfall in January, the first month of the two-month long winter season. According to data by the Indian Meteorological Department, Uttarakhand received 74.8 mm rainfall in January against the normal average of 49.6mm. This amounts to a a surplus of 51%.

Barring Udham Singh Nagar district and Nainital, which recorded a rain deficit of 54% and 6% respectively during this period, the other 11 districts of Uttarakhand witnessed higher than normal rains in January. Pithoragarh district recorded a 104% rain surplus, followed by the Tehri district (100%), Haridwar (68%), Chamoli (60%), Pauri (52%), Rudraprayag (46%), Uttarkashi (46%), Dehradun (38%), Bageshwar (35%) and Almora (30%). "Both hills and plains of Uttarakhand received a decent spell of rain and snow in the month of January causing surplus rains. The first spell on January 22, followed by another bout of rain and snow on January 25 resulted in excess rains," said Bikram Singh, director of Met Centre.

Notably, Uttarakhand witnessed 68% rain deficit in winter season last year with all 13 districts receiving less than normal rain. However, the monsoon season last year recorded normal rain.

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Rain and hail in foothills, higher reaches see snow

High altitude zones in the hilly districts of Uttarakhand got fresh snowfall and the lower zones were lashed by downpours on Thursday, 6 February 2019, strengthening cold conditions over the state. Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib other than Nanda Devi National Park and skiing destination Auli received fresh snowfall, Met department said.

Numerous regions in Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh areas were laid under thick sheets of snow, it said. Lower zones in the hills, as well as the plains, were simultaneously cleared by showers, increasing the chill, the meteorologist said.

It has been raining irregularly in Dehradun since Wednesday evening, it said. Schools and universities in several districts including Chamoli and Rudraprayag stayed shut in perspective of the harsh climate. As per the State Emergency Operation Center here, the Sonprayag-Kedarnath trek course to the Himalayan sanctum was shut subsequent to being obstructed with snow. Endeavors are in progress to revive it at the earliest, it said.

Snowfall additionally affected power supply at Kedarnath, Harsil and abutting territories of Uttarkashi region, it said. The Met office has estimated substantial to very heavy snowfall at spots situated over 2,000 meters and moderate rains at most places in the state throughout the following 24 hours. The meteorologist has exhorted the organization to be alert in view of the bad climate.

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32 villages in Uttarkashi still cut off, without power

Almost two weeks after heavy rain and snowfall lashed the state, 32 villages in Yamuna valley in Uttarkashi district still remain cut off and without power. Both the Yamunotri and Gangotri national highways have been blocked for a week while the road to the state�s premier skiing destination Auli has remained inaccessible for two weeks. An official of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) said that "the only means of reaching Auli currently is through cable car since the snowfall has made travel via road difficult."

According to Uttarkashi district officials, telephone lines have been snapped in many of the affected villages in the district after heavy snowfall. "A number of water sources have frozen and local residents have to melt snow to feed animals," said a district administration official. Ashish Chauhan, Uttarkashi district magistrate said that the administration is working to provide access to the villages.

"We have cleared many roads of snow the remaining will also be cleared soon," he said. In Chamoli district, a dozen villages in Joshimath, Ghat and Badrinath are without electricity. In Dehradun, four roads as well as a 4 km stretch on the Tyuni-Chakrata-Mussoorie national highway is blocked. "All the affected roads are in very high reaches where the temperature is still very low. We have sent officials as well as machinery to clear the roads," said Dehradun DM SA Murugesan.

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E - Buses on Doon-Mussoorie, Haldwani-Naini routes soon

Electric buses will soon take people from Dehradun to Mussoorie and Haldwani to Nainital with the Uttarakhand transport department buying over 50of these vehicles.

Deepak Jain, transport department general manager, "The trial run of the bus has been satisfactory and we have decided to acquire 51 of these buses. 25 of the buses will run on Mussoorie-Dehradun route while 26 will be used on the Haldwani-Nainital stretch."

Jain added that the buses will run on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) mode. "GCC mode means the buses will run on a fixed route and the revenue collected will go to the transport department." The introduction of e-buses in the state had not been without glitches. Last year, the trial run of an electric bus in the city had to be postponed because the state capital had no ports to charge the vehicle.

The electric buses are equipped with a panic button and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for GPS tracking as well as pre-installed CCTV cameras. These buses can travel around 200 to 250 km in one run with a top speed of 80 km/hr. Each bus also has an electronic display to guide passengers about the route and portable mobile charging slots.

Electric buses are already in service in cities like Mumbai and Nagpur. Among Himalayan states, Himachal Pradesh has special electric buses running between Manali and Rohtang, a distance of 51 km through mountainous terrain.

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Heavy snow & rain likely, tourists told to stay away

The regional meteorological centre on Friday, 1 Feb 2019 issued a warning of heavy to very heavy snowfall and rain in Uttarakhand on February 6 and 7. The Met department issued the red-coded "Take Action" warning which concerns to severe weather conditions & advised the state government to take precautionary measures to regulate the movement of tourists in the hills.

Providing details, Bikram Singh, director of the regional meteorological centre said that A strong western disturbance will affect weather in Uttarakhand on February 6 and 7. Hilly areas are likely to witness heavy to very heavy snowfall and rain during these days. He added that heavy snowfall is likely at isolated places located 3,000 meters and above in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh district on February 6.

Singh further said, "We have advised the state government to take precautionary measures to control the movement of commuters and tourists, especially on February 7."

The authorities have also been asked to keep road clearance machinery and excavating machines in place along important road stretches in the hills, he added.

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