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India Gazette
21-05-2025
- India Gazette
Final preparations underway for Hemkund Sahib Yatra; gates to open from May 25
Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], May 21 (ANI): Indian Army soldiers carried out the work of removing snow from the travel route as the preparations for Hemkund Sahib Yatra by Chamoli District Administration and Shri Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara Trust are now in the final stages as the gates are to be opened for 'darshan' from May 25. As per the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, under the monitoring of District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari, strong arrangements for electricity, water, toilets and medical facilities are being made on the travel route. The preparations for the journey are being finalized by the Gurudwara Management Committee in Govindghat, Ghangaria and Hemkund Sahib. On Wednesday, Uttarakhand police conducted a field inspection of the walking route and reviewed security arrangements for the Hemkund Sahib Yatra. 'Hemkund Sahib Yatra 2025: Before the opening of the gates, Chamoli police intensified preparations, did a field inspection of the walking route, and took stock of the security arrangements,' Uttarakhand Police said in a post on X. Hemkund Sahib, the renowned Sikh pilgrimage site in Uttarakhand, will open its doors for Darshan on May 25, 2025. In a bid to streamline the registration process, the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) has introduced Aadhar Authentication and eKYC to register for the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra, one of the most significant pilgrimages in India. It is aimed at reducing registration time and enhancing the overall experience for pilgrims. With Aadhaar-based online registration, authorities can monitor pilgrim movements, prepare better to avoid overcrowding at temples, and improve weather-related information flow, especially in high-altitude regions. Aadhaar-linked registration can also help in better planning and management of accommodations, transport, food, and medical aid based on the actual number of registered pilgrims, leading to curbing wastage and shortages of resources. It can also be helpful in addressing emergency situations better, as it can further improve coordination between pilgrims and authorities, officials said. Situated at a height of over 15,000 feet above the sea level in the Himalayan ranges of district Chamoli , Sri Hemkunt Sahib has emerged as a popular centre of Sikh Pilgrimage which is visited by thousands of devotees from all over the world every summer. Hemkund is inaccessible because of snow from October through April. (ANI)
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Uttarakhand: Pushkar Kumbh begins at Keshav Prayag after 12 yrs
The Pushkar Kumbh has begun at Keshav Prayag, located in the border village of Mana in Chamoli district, after 12 years. According to authorities, there has been a significant increase in the movement of pilgrims to both Badrinath Dham and Mana village. District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said the pedestrian route to Keshav Prayag in Mana village has been improved in view of the Pushkar Kumbh. Signboards in multiple languages have been installed for the convenience of devotees along the route. He said the tehsil administration has been instructed to conduct regular monitoring to ensure smooth management of the event. The Pushkar Kumbh is being organised in Mana, the border village of Chamoli district, after 12 years. According to religious tradition, when the planet Jupiter enters the Gemini sign once in 12 years, the Pushkar Kumbh is held at Keshav Prayag, the confluence of the Alaknanda and Saraswati rivers in Mana village. This event is primarily attended by devotees of the Vaishnavite tradition from South India.
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The Independent
01-03-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
At least four dead as massive avalanche hits Himalayan construction workers
At least four people were killed after an avalanche trapped dozens of construction workers in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand bordering Tibet. Fifty-five workers were initially trapped under snow after they were hit by an avalanche on Friday in the Chamoli district near the India-China border. Rescuers managed to pull out 50 of the trapped workers, but four of them died later, the Indian army said in a statement on Saturday. The search for the five remaining workers was still ongoing on Saturday afternoon as heavy snowfall made it difficult for rescuers to reach the area. Authorities could not deploy helicopters immediately to the area due to heavy rain and snowfall in the region. 'Since satellite phones and other such equipment are not available there, we have not been able to have a clear communication,' Chamoli district magistrate Sandeep Tiwari was quoted saying by The Times of India. Rescue work is still hampered by several feet of snow, snowstorms, and poor visibility, officials say. 'Approximately 170 soldiers along with medical teams are working tirelessly in extremely challenging weather conditions,' the army said. The injured are 'being prioritised for evacuation,' the army said, without specifying the exact number of workers requiring hospitalisation. Injured workers are being taken from Mana to the pilgrim town of Joshimath about 50 km away via Indian Army-hired civil helicopters, according to India's state news broadcaster DD. Many of the trapped workers were migrant labourers deployed on part of a highway widening project along a 50 km (31 mile) stretch from Mana, the last village on the Indian side, to the Mana Pass bordering Tibet. This part of the Himalayas is ecologically sensitive and prone to avalanches and landslides. Experts have warned that major construction projects such as hydroelectric dams and new highways are increasing the risk of such calamities in the area already facing threats from the climate crisis. In 2022, 27 mountaineers were killed in an avalanche in the northern Uttarakhand region, and a year before that, a deadly rock and ice avalanche severely damaged two hydropower plants and left over 200 people dead. Geologists say global warming is making the area's frozen soil more unstable, leading to more frequent landslides and avalanches.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Dozens missing in Indian Himalayas avalanche
At least 25 road workers remain trapped after a massive avalanche struck a remote border area in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, officials say. Senior district official Sandeep Tiwari told BBC Hindi that 32 workers had been rescued and moved to an army camp nearby. The avalanche hit a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in the village of Mana, which shares a border with Tibet, officials say. Officials said rescue operations were continuing in extreme weather amid heavy snowfall. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami wrote on X that rescue work was being carried out by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the BRO and other teams. Ambulances and emergency teams have been dispatched, but treacherous conditions continue to pose challenges for rescuers. Footage posted on X by ITBP showed rescuers carrying people on stretchers and walking through several feet of snow - even as more snow continued to fall. Colonel Ankur Mahajan, a commander with the BRO, told the Hindustan Times newspaper that those who had been rescued were receiving treatment "but the extent of their injuries is unclear". Gaurav Kunwar, a former village council member of Mana, told BBC News that details of the incident were sketchy. "No-one lives there permanently. It's a migratory area and only labourers working on border roads stay there in the winter. There's also some army presence there. We've heard that it has been raining in the area for two days. The road workers were in a camp when the avalanche hit." Earlier on Friday, the India Meteorological Department warned of heavy rainfall and snow in the northern Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand as well as Jammu and Kashmir. Orange alerts have also been issued for snowfall in several districts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Al Jazeera
28-02-2025
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
More than 20 people missing in India's Uttarakhand after avalanche
Authorities say at least 25 people remain trapped after avalanche hits a work camp, burying dozens under the snow. 28 Feb 2025 | Updated: At least 25 people are missing after an avalanche struck the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, authorities say. Blizzard-like conditions caused the avalanche on Friday near a highway in the state's Chamoli region, adjoining Tibet. It struck a worksite of the federal Border Roads Organisation (BRO) where eight containers and one shed with 57 workers inside were buried under the snow, the Indian army said in a statement. Five of the containers have been located, the statement said, and the search for the remaining three was ongoing. At least 32 workers had been rescued, Chamoli District Administrator Sandeep Tiwari told the news agency ANI on Friday evening, and there was no indication of any casualties. Strong winds and snowfall, however, were hampering the rescue operations, Deepam Seth, the state's top police officer, said. 'It has been snowing with strong winds. … The roads are completely blocked. We have deployed snow cutters to open the road,' he told broadcaster NDTV. Ridhim Agarwal of the state disaster relief force said high-altitude rescue teams will be deployed by helicopter to the scene once the weather improves. India's weather department expected 'heavy to very heavy' snowfall – defined as at least 12 centimetres (5 inches) of snow – over the state through Friday and forecast it would then subside 'significantly'. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was 'saddened' by the incident and was monitoring the rescue operations. The high-altitude camp had been under an avalanche warning since Thursday evening, according to Indian media reports. Avalanches and landslides are common in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. Scientists have shown that climate change is making weather more severe, supercharged by warmer oceans. The increased pace of development in fragile Himalayan regions has also heightened fears about the fallout from deforestation and construction. In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand when a huge chunk of a glacier fell into a river, triggering flash floods. Devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state. trapped in a partially collapsed tunnel.
