Page 11 - Himachal Pradesh

Snowfall disrupts life in Lahaul-Spiti; power, communication lines down

Normal life was thrown out of gear in the tribal areas of the district following near-relentless snowfall over three consecutive days--on March 2, 3 and 4

Nitin Gadkari dedicates projects worth Rs 4,000 crore to Himachal Pradesh

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 15 National Highway and ropeway projects worth Rs 4,000 crore in Hamirpur. Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh were also present during the event held at the police line complex here. BJP's national president JP Nadda joined the programme virtually. Gadkari announced an additional Rs 150 crore for roads and bridges in Himachal Pradesh on the demand of Vikramaditya Singh and asked the state government to send a proposal to the Centre in this regard. Addressing a gathering, Gadkari said that the BJP and development are two faces of the same coin and by 2024, works worth Rs one lakh crore will be completed in the state. The progress would continue under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added. He asked people to join hands with PM Modi to carry out the development works and to make India a third-world

Congress govt looking to disqualify 7 BJP MLAs: HP LoP Jairam Thakur

After the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress had 40 MLAs, while the BJP had 25 in the 68-member state assembly. The remaining three seats are held by independents

Earthquake of magnitude 3.2 hits Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul, Spiti

Tremors were felt in parts of Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul and Spiti after a magnitude 3.2 earthquake hit the district on Monday afternoon, officials said. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 5 km. No reports of loss of life or property have been received so far, they said. The tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti falls in seismic zone IV, which is a high damage risk zone.

Highlights of the day: Magnitude 3.2 earthquake hits HP's Lahaul and Spiti

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IND vs ENG 5th Test: Dharamsala weather forecast for next seven days

Thursday, March 7 will be the coldest with the highest temperature being seven degrees Celsius and the lowest being four. The day will also face morning showers and afternoon thunderstorms

BJP chief Nadda quits RS seat from Himachal after election from Gujarat

BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Monday resigned as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh. Officials said Nadda resigned from his Himachal Pradesh seat after being elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat. "...his resignation has been accepted by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha w.e.f. 4th March, 2024," a Parliament bulletin said.

Himachal CM Sukhu announces Rs 1,500 per month for women in 18-60 age group

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday announced that the state government will give Rs 1,500 per month to women in the age group of 18 to 60 years from the next financial year. This was one of the 10 'guarantees' promised by the Congress ahead of the assembly polls. Addressing the media here, he said that Rs 800 crore would be spent on the initiative -- Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojna -- annually and over five lakh women would be covered under it. He said that with this, five out of 10 poll promises have been fulfilled and reiterated that the old pension scheme was restored benefitting 1.36 lakh employees of the state.

Tourists in Himachal's Spiti shifted to safer places; 650 roads closed

As many as 81 tourists stranded in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley due to closure of roads after heavy snowfall have been shifted to safer places, police said on Monday. Meanwhile, over 650 roads, including five national highways, in the state remained closed for vehicular movement on Monday following several avalanches and landslides caused by incessant rain and snow for the past three days, according to the state emergency operation centre. The 81 tourists stranded in Spiti Valley in Lahaul and Spiti district were on Sunday night shifted to and accommodated in different hotels and homestays there, the police said in a statement. About 290 roads are blocked in this tribal district and several areas are without electricity for the past two days, the statement said. Heavy rain and snow in Lahaul and Spiti has also disrupted the mobile network, it added. On Sunday, an avalanche hit Dara Waterfall near Jasrat village in Lahaul and Spiti, obstructing the flow of Chenab and triggerin

Himachal crisis: Pressure tactics will not save govt, say independent MLAs

Pressure tactics such as targeting businesses of Independent MLAs and their families is a futile exercise and will not save the government, said two Independents who voted against Congress in the recent Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh. Speaking to PTI on Sunday, K L Thakur, Independent MLA from Nalagarh, said, "It is unfortunate that the chief minister has stooped to such a level and this kind of politics has never been seen in Himachal Pradesh." "I have been a former BJP legislator and had been associated with the party for years. I voted as per my ideology," he said. The Independent MLAs -- K L Thakur (Nalagarh), Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra) annd Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur), were among the nine MLAs who voted in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha election for the lone seat from the state on August 27. The MLAs voting for the Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi failed to make it past the half-way mark in 68-member House. The Independent MLAs in the state h

Four national highways among 350 roads shut as snow, rain lash Himachal

Snowfall in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh crippled daily life in the tribal Lahaul & Spiti and the Kinnaur districts while 350 roads, including four national highways in the state, were closed for traffic. The state's mid and low hills were lashed by intermittent rain while the Met office in Shimla has issued a red warning for thunderstorms with lightning, hailstorm and heavy rain at isolated places along with gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kilometres per hour on Saturday. Snowfall in the higher reaches of the Chamba, Kinnaur and the Lahaul & Spiti districts led to the closure of roads and transformers becoming non-functional. A maximum 290 roads are closed in Lahaul & Spiti, 32 in Kinnaur, 10 in Mandi, eight in Chamba, seven in Kullu, two in Shimla and one in Kangra. At least 1,314 transformers are out of order in Himachal Pradesh, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre. The remote Dodra Kwar subdivision of Shimla district has been cut off from ..

Highlights: Bengaluru cafe blast case booked under UAPA, others by police

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HP crisis could've been averted if issues of MLAs been addressed: Pratibha

A day after Congress' central observers asserted that there was no threat to the government in Himachal Pradesh, state party chief Pratibha Singh on Friday said the political crisis could have been averted had the grievances of MLAs addressed time. Congress' central observer D K Shivakumar on Thursday said Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has taken responsibility for Abhishek Manu Singhvi's defeat in the Rajya Sabha polls -- which had triggered the crisis for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh. Pratibha Singh said there was acrimony towards Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as 14 months after the Congress came to power in the state, leaders who worked hard to ensure the party's victory were not "accommodated" by him. "Fourteen months is a long period and I have been consistently urging the chief minister to accommodate leaders who worked hard for the victory of the party but nothing was done," she said. Had the issues of the disgruntled MLAs been

Highlights: Himachal LoP criticises CM for inviting back disqualified MLAs

Himachal Pradesh news highlights: Catch all the latest updates on the disqualification of the Congress MLAs in Himachal assembly here

Highlights of the day: Govt hikes windfall tax on petroleum crude

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Himachal crisis: 6 rebel Congress MLAs disqualified by Speaker, to move SC

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Thursday disqualified six Congress MLAs, who had cross-voted in the recent Rajya Sabha polls, for abstaining from voting on the Budget in the assembly. One of the disqualified MLAs said they will appeal against the Speaker's order in the Supreme Court. The six rebel Congress MLAs had abstained from voting on cut motion and finance bill (Budget) in the assembly, defying a party whip to vote in favour of the government. The ruling Congress had sought their disqualification on this ground. The disqualified MLAs are Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma and Devinder Kumar Bhutto. A notification in this regard was issued on Thursday evening which further said that these six MLAs ceased to be members of Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly with effect from February 29. "Consequent upon this, the seat of assembly constituencies Dharamshala, Lahaul and Spiti, Sujanpur, Barsar, Gagret an

Six Congress MLAs disqualified by Himachal Pradesh's Assembly speaker

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Thursday disqualified six Congress MLAs who had cross-voted in the recent Rajya Sabha polls for the lone seat in the state. They had also abstained from voting on the Budget in the assembly, defying a party whip to vote in favour of the government on the Finance Bill, which led to their disqualification. The disqualified MLAs are Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur and Chetanya Sharma. Addressing reporters here, Pathania, who had reserved his verdict on the disqualification of the MLAs on Wednesday, said the legislators attracted the anti-defection law by defying the Congress whip as they were elected on the party's tickets. "These six MLAs are disqualified and cease to be members of Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly with immediate effect," the Speaker said. These MLAs had cross-voted in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday. La

Clamour for CM Sukhu's resignation gains momentum post defeat in RS polls

According to sources, at least half of the Congress' 40 legislators conveyed their unhappiness with Sukhu for not heeding their concerns

Himachal Speaker reserves order on Cong's plea to disqualify 6 rebel MLAs

Himachal Pradesh Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday reserved his order on a Congress petition seeking disqualification of six party MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election. The six MLAs also face the possibility of disqualification on another count. Speaking in the assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said a whip was issued to the party MLAs to be present in the House during voting Wednesday on budget. But these MLAs defied it by staying away, he added. The minister asked the Speaker to take note of it. The Speaker said the matter is in his knowledge and he will take cognisance of it. The MLAs had cross-voted for BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan during the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday, leading to the defeat of their party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The Congress has accused the six MLAs of defying the earlier whip on the Rajya Sabha polls. Senior advocate Satya Pal Jain, who represented the six MLAs before the Speaker on Wednesday, h

Himachal CM Sukhu won't accept 'younger brother' Vikramaditya's resignation

Vikramaditya Singh resigned from the cabinet, alleging that CM Sukhu had "humiliated" the MLAs and disrespected his father. His resignation followed after the BJP won the Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal