Portals of Kedarnath, Badrinath to close
With the onset of winter, portals of the revered shrines in Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri will be closed. The decision in this regard was taken in a meeting organised by the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee at Omkareshwar Temple at Ukimath on October 8. The portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri will close on October 29, Badrinath shrine on November 17 and Gangotri Dham on October 28. The portals of Badrinath Dham will be closed at 5.17 pm on November 17.
Mobile chariots to spread awareness
The Uttarakhand forest department has launched mobile chariots to spread awareness on tackling human-animal conflict. The chariots were launched on October 1. The chariots will be travelling across the state to sensitize people on the conflict and how to prevent loss of lives. Locals will also be shown films and have sessions about wildlife to raise awareness. The state has been waging a virtual conflict especially in Pithoragarh, Champawat, Pauri and Almora, where the leopard population has increased. Earlier, the Uttarakhand government has decided to carry out bio-fencing by growing various species of plants in those areas to stop wild animals from entering residential areas and to protect agricultural crops and livestock in areas adjoining to forests.
Pithoragarh-Ghaziabad flight takes off
The Pithoragarh-Ghaziabad air service kicked off on Friday from Pithoragarh. The flight left Pithoragarh at 11.30 am and landed at Hindon airport in Ghaziabad at 12.30 pm. The return flight was at 1 pm from Hindon, which landed back in Pithoragarh at 2 pm. The flight will operate several days a week. The fare from Pithoragarh to Ghaziabad for the nine-seater flight has been kept Rs 2,470 while the return ticket will cost Rs 2,270. The Hindon airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 8. The flight operations to Shimla from the Hindon civil airport are likely to start in November.
5 tigers to be translocated
The Uttarakhand state forest department has decided to translocate five tigers from Terai are of Kumaon division to Rajaji Tiger Reserve in winter. The decision was taken by the state forest department after a detailed study on habitat and food availability to accommodate the tigers. At present, the reserve houses 40 adult tigers. The decision was taken to bring the tigers to the western region of the reserve, which has only two tigers in comparison to the eastern region which has 38 tigers.