The Hemkund Sahib Yatra opened this year on May 25 and will go on till October. Located in Uttarakhand's Chamoli region, the Himalayan gurudwara is a revered, prettily-located Sikh shrine
A landslide on the Kedarnath route in Uttarakhand killed two pilgrims and injured six, while heavy rain led to the temporary suspension of the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib pilgrimages.
Glimpses of Chamoli in Uttarakhand which received fresh snowfall on Wednesday, October 25, 2023.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Mukhwa temple in Uttarakhand, the winter abode of Goddess Ganga, and offered prayers. The visit is expected to boost winter pilgrimage and tourism in the state. Modi also flagged off a trek and bike rally and addressed a public meeting in Harshil. This comes a day after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved two major ropeway projects to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib worth over Rs 6,000 crore.
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As many as 849 houses in Joshimath have developed cracks following land subsidence there and 258 families have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, officials said.
On January 10, the top court had refused urgent hearing of the plea, saying there are 'democratically elected institutions' to deal with the situation and all important matters should not come to it.
The tourism industry plays a vital role in the town, accounting for 70 per cent of its economy, according to experts.
Citing the examples of Kashi Vishwanath temple, Ujjain and Ayodhya, where major reconstruction works have been carried out in recent years, Modi attributed the "years of neglect" to a "slave mentality".
"There are democratically elected institutions to look into it. Everything important should not come to us. We will list it on January 16," the CJI said.
The demolition of 'unsafe' buildings in subsidence-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand resumed on Saturday as the weather improved, even as the number of buildings with cracks rose to 863, officials said.
A Border Roads Organisation team will be stationed in Joshimath to monitor the yatra on a day-to-day basis and ensure immediate treatment of cracks on roads or any other problem that might arise, the chief minister said.
The authorities also declared unsafe a mosque and a religious school for girls at Nai Basti village in Thathri, 35 kilometres from Doda town along the Kishtwar-Batote National Highway.
At least six Sikh pilgrims were killed and 10 others injured when an avalanche struck Ghangharia area near Hemkund Sahib shrine in Chamoli district in Dehradun on Monday evening.
The subsidence zone is located at central Joshimath only including the Army Helipad and Narsingh temple, the satellite images revealed.
Hotels Malari Inn and Mount View, which have developed more cracks, will be demolished on Tuesday.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala asked petitioner Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati to approach the Uttarakhand high court with his petition.
The decision was taken in a high-level review meeting chaired by principal secretary to prime minister PK Mishra.
Amid protests by a group of residents in Joshimath, the Chamoli administration on Thursday put a ban on all construction activities in and around the 'sinking' town even as nearly 50 families staying in houses at risk have been evacuated so far.
Six persons were travelling to Punjab from Hemkund Sahib Yatra in a vehicle which was intercepted by Uttarakhand STF and local police following a tip-off.
In a letter to the chief secretary, government of Uttarakhand, Union Power Secretary Alok Kumar said the land subsidence in Joshimath was a very old issue, dating back to 1976, and the construction of the 4x130 megawatt Tapovan Vishnugad project started only in 2006 by NTPC.
The flood-hit religious destinations of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri, where rescue operations are underway, would again record heavy rains from Thursday, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday. It also predicted "rather heavy showers" in Hemkund Sahib, another religious destination hit by flash floods and heavy rains, from Wednesday.
As large parts of the nation reel under incessant rains and floods, leading to breakdown of communications, the army is helping in disaster management efforts.
A total of 800 people, belonging to 237 families, have so far been shifted to safety by the district administration
They said rampant infrastructure development without a plan is making the fragile Himalayan ecosystem even more vulnerable to the effects of climate change which acts as a force-multiplier.
'The cracks I saw yesterday were the largest I have seen in my life. We are scared.'
In Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assessed the situation in Joshimath and steps taken to ameliorate people's hardship at a meeting attended by Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, R K Singh, Bhupendra Yadav and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and top officials.
Eleven people were buried alive and five were reported missing in a landslide triggered by incessant rains and flash floods in Govindghat area of Chamoli district, Uttaranchal.
A tab was kept on visiting pilgrims through CCTV cameras to ensure there was no violation of COVID-19 protocol.
Rain water gushed into the town from the summit behind the famous shrine carrying rocks and boulders, destroying everything on its path.
The administration started preparing for the demolition of two precariously standing hotels in subsidence-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand on Tuesday, but faced protests from their owners and locals on the issue of compensation, while more families were evacuated from the danger zone as the number of affected houses rose to over 700.
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'The entire public needs to be evacuated immediately. Any day, the entire town can collapse.'
Flash floods and landslips triggered by the monsoon fury left eight more persons dead, taking the number of people killed in calamity-hit Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to 138 even as 2700 pilgrims and locals were rescued from Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts.
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