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Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Uttarakhand HC defers hearing till August 25 on Bindal-Rispana road project
Advt Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more. The Uttarakhand high court on Wednesday directed the sub-divisional magistrate of Dehradun to postpone the public hearing on the proposed ₹6,500 crore Rispana-Bindal elevated road project till August order came while hearing a PIL filed by Anoop Nautiyal, founder of the Dehradun-based Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, against the project, which he said would displace thousands of slum dwellers and "cause irreversible ecological damage."Nautiyal's counsel told the court that the government had issued a notice on July 29 announcing the public hearing would take place from August 5 to 15, but under the Land Acquisition Act, the social impact assessment (SIA) report must be published three weeks before the Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra, after noting that the report was uploaded only on August 2, making the earliest permissible date for the hearing August 23, gave the orders to postpone the dates. The next hearing is scheduled for September court also questioned Nautiyal's reason to bring the case to court, asking, "How is he affected? What is his cause? He is just complaining about an infraction of the rule here."The petitioner's counsel claimed around 2,600 households would be affected by the project to which the court asked for details of individuals whose land was to be acquired. The counsel said the SIA report did not name them but noted that 42.3 hectares of land would be acquired, including riverside areas. HC remarked, "Alongside the river is the riverbank which is a prohibited area.""For forest land, the govt will have to seek clearance. For private land, they will have to notify for acquisition. You will have the opportunity to object then," the bench observed. It added, "It's an infra project, at the most it will be postponed by 3 weeks. We can ask them to redo exercise."
Time of India
18-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Swachh Survekshan 2024: State secures just 1 award, It was 2 last year
Dehradun: The Swachh Survekshan 2024 results were announced in Delhi on Thursday, revealing mixed outcomes for Uttarakhand. While Dehradun improved slightly in national rankings—from 68th to 62nd in the big city category—the state secured only one award compared to two last year. Dehradun, once the cleanest city in Uttarakhand, slipped to 13th position statewide. Its door-to-door waste collection dropped drastically from 96.5% to 48%, and waste processing fell from 78.5% to 27%. Dr Avinash Khanna, chief health officer, Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC), acknowledged the need for urgent improvements in waste collection, source segregation, waste processing and garbage hotspot management. In contrast, Lalkuan in Nainital district earned the state-level "Promising Clean City" award for the first time, signalling rapid progress among smaller towns. Officials highlighted that Swachh Survekshan's inclusive approach allows smaller municipalities to gain recognition and motivates further sanitation investment. Among cantonment boards, most showed slight ranking improvements except Landour, which slipped from 30th to 50th, underscoring growing waste issues in the tourist town. Nainital improved from 61st to 52nd. Statewide data revealed a decline in average door-to-door waste collection to 56.6% from 69.7%, though source segregation rose sharply from 17% to 49%, and waste processing increased from 26.5% to 40.5%. Anoop Nautiyal, founder of NGO Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, criticised state's stagnant performance after a decade of Swachh Bharat Mission, calling it "a result of systemic apathy and lack of political priority." He advocated a dedicated waste management commission (WMC) to oversee complex multi-stream waste challenges intensified by the state's heavy pilgrim and tourist influx. Rudrapur emerged as a standout performer, jumping from 417th to 68th nationally and ranking first among Uttarakhand's municipal corporations. Mayor Vikas Sharma credited teamwork, awareness campaigns and improved waste management for the progress. He said that initiatives like door-to-door garbage collection, awareness drives, technological upgrades, solid waste management and continuous monitoring played a crucial role in improving rankings. Municipal commissioner Naresh Durgapal said, "This success comes from teamwork, strategy, and public involvement. Previous accolades aside, this national recognition shows we're on the right path." Haridwar and Rishikesh showed declines. Haridwar's rank dropped from 4th to 18th among Ganga towns, with door-to-door collection falling from 93% to 70%, and source segregation from 30% to 7%. B D Joshi, an environmentalist, blamed municipal indifference and overwhelming tourist-generated waste. Municipal commissioner of Rishikesh, Gopal Ram Binwal, said, "Our performance declined in door-to-door waste collection and source segregation due to ongoing construction of our waste disposal plant. We're analysing the results and will take corrective steps." Bageshwar improved to 1,007th nationally from 3,961st, but residents remain dissatisfied, citing persistent litter and sanitation issues. Environmental activist Kishan Singh Malra said, "We cannot rely solely on the municipal body. People need to become more aware and proactive in keeping their surroundings clean." Municipal executive officer Mohammad Yameen acknowledged both challenges and progress made. "Our goal now is to reach the top 100." Overall, Lalkuan, Rudrapur, Mussoorie, Doiwala and Pithoragarh were the cleanest cities, while Ghansali, Padli Gujjar, Rampur, Piran Kaliyar and Nainital Cantonment were the dirtiest. Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 awards recognised top cities across five population segments, from over 10 lakh to under 20,000 residents. Graded out of 12,500 marks, the survey involved 14 crore citizens. This year, 78 awards were given across four categories. Starting with 73 ULBs in 2016, the survey now covers over 4,500 cities, focusing on the theme "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", using 10 parameters and 54 indicators.
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Uttarakhand: Long traffic jams at tourist hotspots delaying medical help, causing deaths
Dehradun, Long traffic jams in and around major tourist hotspots and pilgrimage centers in Uttarakhand are hindering timely medical assistance, resulting in preventable deaths. Recently, at least two fatalities occurred within four days due to delays in medical care caused by extensive traffic congestion. On June 9, a 40-year-old man from Nainital lost his life after the ambulance transporting him to the hospital was stuck for hours in a traffic jam near Kainchi Dham, a popular religious site frequented by followers of Baba Neem Karori. Jagmohan Singh was being taken to a hospital in Haldwani in an ambulance after vomiting blood but the vehicle got stuck near Kainchi Dham and by the time he reached the hospital it was too late. Doctors declared him dead when he finally arrived at the hospital after a journey of over five hours which usually takes two hours, his relatives said. He could have been saved if the ambulance had not got stuck in the jam, his relative Labhanshu Pinari said. Just four days earlier, on June 5, an elderly man from Delhi died after being caught in a massive traffic jam in Mussoorie while he was being taken to the hospital. Kamal Kishore Tandon, 62, had travelled to Mussoorie for vacation and unexpectedly fell ill. His family was unable to secure timely medical assistance due to a lack of available ambulances and severe traffic congestion. Despite being escorted by the police in their private car, Tandon's family took over an hour to cover less than 4km to the nearest medical facility in Landour where doctors declared him dead, his nephew Arjun Kapoor said. Both incidents have raised concerns among residents regarding the government's preparedness to manage the significant influx of tourists during the summer months. "It is not the first time that people have died after getting stranded in traffic jams in Uttarakhand. Unfortunately, such deaths are reported almost every year during the tourist season. But authorities refuse to learn. "They must take steps to tone up the emergency response and traffic management systems. They must also create infrastructure which is capable of handling the rush of tourists and pilgrims," Prakash Dobhal, a resident of the Dharampur area in Dehradun said. Social activist Anoop Nautiyal suggested the introduction of bike ambulances as first responders. "They can weave through traffic, reach patients faster, and buy those precious few minutes that can save a life. The golden hour is critical in case of medical emergencies," Nautiyal, who also runs an NGO called Social Development for Communities, said. "We urgently need to ask ourselves if our systems are ready to respond when lives are at stake in a traffic jam," he said. Nautiyal further suggested addressing known bottlenecks in tourist hotspots like Mussoorie, Nainital, Rishikesh, Joshimath and the Char Dham Yatra routes to prevent long traffic jams. "Regulation is needed to manage the traffic mess. The tendency to overtake among drivers should be checked. Bad roads should be repaired without delay and strict action should be taken against traffic rule violators," he said. "The government's only focus seems to be on getting more and more tourists and devotees whereas the emphasis should be on how to create an infrastructure capable of dealing with the rush," Nautiyal said.
