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Work By UCC Panel Almost Complete: Dhami

By LokMarg 27th January 2024

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Saturday that the committee preparing the draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the State has almost completed its work and will soon deliver the draft.

“The UCC committee has almost completed its work. We will be getting the draft soon. The draft is being typed right now. Earlier, it was in English, and now it is being typed in Hindi as well. Different volumes are also being made,” said Dhami while addressing a farmers’ function organised at the chief minister’s residence.

Dhami had on Friday said that the tenure of the expert committee preparing the draft of the UCC for the state had been extended by another 15 days.

“The UCC committee has almost completed its task. A little more time is needed to compile it and complete some other formalities, so the time-period has been extended by 15 days. We are going to get the draft soon. As soon as we get it, we will take further steps and convene an assembly session,” Dhami said.

The tenure of the committee headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai was extended three times earlier, with the latest extension of four months in September last year.

A statement by the Chief Minister’s office on September 23, 2023 said, “The Uttarakhand government has extended the tenure of the expert committee for the Uniform Civil Code by four months.”

The panel was constituted on May 27, 2022, and it is the fourth time an extension has been given to the committee. After receiving public suggestions, the committee has done the work of preparing a draft, but the report has not been submitted to the government yet, the statement added.

The UCC was promised to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls in Uttarakhand.

Article 44 of the Constitution of India says that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) throughout the territory of India. The UCC proposes a common set of laws dealing with marriage, inheritance, adoption, and other matters.

The UCC, which had been a hot topic that had polarised opinions over the last four years, hit the forefront in June last year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong case for the implementation of uniform legislation in an address in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal.

PM Modi said the country cannot run on two laws and that the Uniform Civil Code was in keeping with the founding principles and ideals of the Constitution.

“Today, people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two (laws)? The Constitution also talks of equal rights…Supreme Court has also asked to implement the UCC. These (opposition) people are playing vote bank politics,” PM Modi had said in Bhopal. (ANI)

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Dhami Reaches Uttarkashi Tunnel Site, Speaks To Trapped Workers

By LokMarg 23rd November 2023

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi and prayed to the Baukh Nag Devta for the well-being of all the trapped workers, according to a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday.

According to the official release, CM Dhami spoke to Gabbar Singh Negi and Saba Ahmed, among the workers trapped in the tunnel under construction in Silkyara, Uttarkashi, to inquire about their well-being and also informed them about the rescue operation going on at a fast pace to get them out safely.

The statement mentioned that both the workers while speaking to CM Dhami, informed that all the other workers were healthy and safe.

CM Dhami said that he also informed the workers about Prime Minister Narendra Modi continuously taking information about the situation and monitoring the rescue operations.

The Uttarakhand CM further told the trapped workers that the rescue work is going on in the right direction and that soon all the workers would come out safely and be with their families.

Earlier during the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to CM Dhami over the phone and sought information about the ongoing rescue operation of 41 workers trapped at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi since November 12.

In a series of posts on X, CM Dhami said, “Respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi called today and took information about the ongoing rescue operation of the workers trapped at Silkyara tunnel, Uttarkashi.”

“On this occasion, the Prime Minister was informed about the progress being made in the relief and rescue operations being conducted on a war footing in coordination with the central agencies, international experts and the state administration,” CM Dhami added in his post.

Meanwhile, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela said on Thursday morning that rescuers have drilled and considerably breached through the debris of the collapsed portion of the Sikyara tunnel to reach closer to the trapped workers.

Speaking to ANI, the Uttarkashi District Magistrate said that only a little more work is left for the completion of the rescue operation, which has been ongoing for the past 12 days.

Rescuers, using a US auger machine, resumed drilling on Tuesday and by late night on Wednesday, drilled through 45 metres out of the 60-metre stretch of debris that blocked the Sikyara side of the under-construction tunnel stretching from Silkyara to Barkot.

Uttarkashi District Magistrate said, “We have covered a majority of the distance and there is now only a little more work left. Our teams are continuously trying to overcome the technical problems that we are facing. We are taking advice from experts and skilled persons, some of whom are also called to the spot. It is not possible to say when will the rescue end but the work is continuously going on and it is being monitored by the state and the central government,” he said.

Meanwhile, former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, Bhaskar Khulbe who reached the Silkyara tunnel collapse site, said that the entire steel obstructing the free movement of the pipe inside has now been removed.

According to the state government official, the rescue operation is at the final stage as the trapped workers are likely to be pulled out today.

On November 12 a portion of the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot collapsed and debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel trapped 41 labourers inside. The workers are trapped in a 2 km-built portion, which is complete including concrete work that provides safety to the workers. (ANI)

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Joshimath Subsidence: 561 Structures Report Cracks, 38 Families Displaced

By LokMarg 5th January 2023

A total of 561 establishments in Joshimath reported cracks that emerged after land subsidence, with the most cases in the Ravigram ward in Uttarakhand, the Chamoli administration said in a bulletin on Thursday.

Out of 561 establishments, 127 are in the Gandhinagar ward, 28 are in the Marwadi ward, 24 are in the Lower Bazaar ward, 52 are in the Singhdhar ward, 71 are in the Manohar Bagh ward, 29 are in the Upper Bazaar ward 27 in the Sunil ward, 50 in Parsari, and 153 in Ravigram reported cracks,” the statement read.

The operations of Hotel View and Malari inn have been restricted under Disaster Management Act, 2005, till further orders, the statement added.

In the last 24 hours, a total of nine families have been displaced, which includes four families in Joshimath Municipal Corporation, one from Gurudwara Joshimath, one from Tourist Hostel, Manohar Bagh, and others, the statement read.

A total of 38 families have been displaced till now, it added.

Earlier in the day, in the wake of the news of land subsidence in Joshimath and cracks developing in many houses in the town, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said necessary actions would be taken to ensure the safety of the people.

Dhami said he would be visiting Joshimath soon to take stock of the situation and initiate necessary action.

“I will be visiting Joshimath in a few days and initiate steps to handle the situation. All the reports will be monitored and all the required steps will be taken. I have had a word with the Municipal Corporation chairman Shailendra Pawar to monitor the condition in the district,” said CM Pushkar Singh Dhami told ANI.

Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar said huge cracks appeared in the houses due to a leakage of water from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward.

The Chamoli district administration on Thursday asked Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HCC) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to be prepared to shelter the affected families migrating from Uttarakhand’s Joshimath due to land subsidence. (ANI)

Dhami Instructs Better Air Facilities To Tourists

By LokMarg 7th December 2022

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday instructed the officials to ensure better air facilities for tourists visiting the state.

Along with Jolly Grant Airport, the Chief Minister also asked to pay attention to arrangements for night landing at Pantnagar airport and the expansion and development of infrastructure facilities.
According to an official statement, the Chief Minister has asked to pay attention to ensuring effective arrangements for booking tickets and stopping the black marketing of tickets, in order to provide better air facilities to passengers and tourists during the Chardham Yatra.

While presiding over the eighth meeting of the Board of Directors of the Civil Aviation Development Authority at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said that the people have to be motivated to come to Uttarakhand on the basis of better air facilities.

“Such an atmosphere has to be created so that coming to Uttarakhand becomes a habit of the people. Along with our identity as a friendly state, there is also a need for concerted efforts for the maximum promotion of tourism and religious tourism in the state,” he said.

Dhami also asked Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority to focus on efforts to increase the sources of income.

“Apart from making arrangements for night landing at Pantnagar, efforts should be made to operate regular air services from here. Arrangements should also be made that after getting off the plane at Pantnagar and Jollygrant, the tourists are provided with the facility of a helicopter to visit various picturesque tourist places of the state,” the Chief Minister said.

He also asked Naini Saini, Chinyalisaud, and Gauchar airstrips to be made comfortable so that the facility of small aircraft could be available here.

He also asked to pay attention to making the heliports being developed under the UDAN scheme well-equipped with the necessary resources.

The Chief Minister said that during the Chardham Yatra, effective arrangements should be made for effective control over the booking of helicopter tickets and black marketing of tickets. In this regard, the Chief Minister also talked about making arrangements for the booking of heli tickets through IRCTC. (ANI)

Priests’ Worry Over Gold Decor At Kedarnath, Dhami Enhances Security

By LokMarg 4th November 2022

After carrying out gold layering work at the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath Temple, the state government is now going to increase security arrangements at the temple premises.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday issued a directive in this regard.
CM Dhami said that he has given instructions to the Chief Secretary and Additional Secretary Home of the state to increase the security of the Kedarnath temple complex.

“The walls and ceiling of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple have been decorated with gold layers, that is why he has given instructions to make the security of the temple premises tight and tight,” Dhami said while speaking to ANI.

The announcement comes after the priests at Kedarnath temple and local authorities wrote to the state government and requested to increase security at the temple in view of the upgraded and expensive gold decoration.

Reportedly, around 230kg of gold was used in the decoration work.

As per the temple committee officials, the walls and ceiling of the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath Dham have been given a new look and decorated with 550 gold layers by 19 artisans in 3 days, a total of 18 horse mules were used to transport the gold.

However, the security arrangements at the temple were reportedly not increased in accordance with the upgraded decoration.

A six-member team from IIT Roorkee, Central Building Research Roorkee, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had earlier visited Kedarnath Dham and inspected the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

And the work of applying golf lining in the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath temple was taken up only after a report from the experts.

The work of applying gold layers was taken up by 19 artisans under the supervision of two ASI officials, Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee President Ajendra Ajay had told ANI earlier. (ANI)