Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Apr 29 (PTI) The Chardham Yatra to the four famous Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand, which was scheduled to begin next month, has been postponed in view of the massive surge in COVID-19 cases.

Announcing this here on Thursday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said conducting the yatra amid the raging pandemic is not possible.

However, the portals of the four Himalayan temples known as Chardham will open as scheduled, he said.

However, they will open only for priests to perform regular prayers and not for devotees, he said.

Gopeshwar, Apr 26 (PTI) The death toll in an avalanche at Sumna near the Indo-China border in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district rose to 15 on Monday with the recovery of three more bodies, an official said.

Three people are still missing and efforts are on to locate them, Chamoli Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said.

Dehradun, Apr 22 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Om Prakash has been infected with the novel coronavirus infection for the last 10 days, his doctors said on Thursday.

Keeping this in view, the official has advised all employees who came into contact with him during the period to undergo COVID-19 test, his personal assistant M L Uniyal said.

New Tehri, Apr 18 (PTI) Hoodwinking the authorities, 20 patients escaped from a COVID care centre at Narendra Nagar here, officials said here on Sunday.

The matter came to light when doctors visited the wards at the centres on Saturday night for a regular check-up, Chief Medical Superintendent Niraj Rai said.

Thirty-eight people were being treated there, of which 20 were found missing, said Chief Medical Officer Suman Arya.

Two of those who escaped belonged to Uttarakhand while the rest were from outside the state, she said.

Haridwar, Apr 1 (PTI) The Kumbh Mela formally began in Haridwar on Thursday with several restrictions imposed on devotees coming to attend the event amid rising cases of Covid-19 in various states including Uttarakhand.

Officials associated with organising the event, including Mela Officer Deepak Rawat, Mela IG Sanjay Gunjyal and Haridwar SSP Janmejay Khanduri, worshipped in temples along the banks of the Ganga to pray for a safe and unhindered Kumbh fair.

Dehradun, Mar 22 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Monday said he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The chief minister took to Twitter to inform the people about his COVID-19 test report and said he has tested positive for the pandemic but he is alright and has no complications.

Dehradun, Mar 19 (PTI) Facing flak over his "ripped jeans" comment, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Friday said he apologises for the remark if it has hurt anybody.

But at the same time, he repeated his objection to ripped jeans, saying he has no problem with jeans with but wearing "torn" ones is "not right".

Referring to his remark made earlier this week, Rawat told the media that he had commented that nowadays children bring a costly jean home and then cut it with a scissor.

Dehradun, Mar 10 (PTI) BJP's surprise choice for the top job in Uttarakhand Tirath Singh Rawat was sworn-in as the state's new chief minister on Wednesday, replacing Trivendra Singh Rawat ahead of next year's Assembly polls.

The oath of office was administered on Rawat by Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya at a simple function held at the Raj Bhawan here in the evening in the presence of a host of dignitaries.

Rawat alone was sworn-in on Wednesday, which means the members of his Cabinet will be finalised and sworn-in later.

New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) The armies of India and Uzbekistan on Wednesday began a 10-day military exercise in Uttarakhand's Chaubatia as part of efforts to bolster bilateral defence and security ties, officials said.

Dehradun, Mar 10 (PTI) Pauri Garhwal MP Tirath Singh Rawat was on Wednesday chosen as the leader of Uttarakhand BJP legislature party, paving the way for his becoming the new chief minister of the hill state.

His name was announced by outgoing chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat after the legislature party meeting, which lasted around 30 minutes.

Tirath Singh Rawat was the state BJP president from 2013-2015 and is currently the party's national secretary.

He was also an MLA from Chaubattakhal constituency from 2012-17.