On February 26, 2013, a division bench of the Uttarakhand High Court in Nainital ordered the removal of structures built illegally within 200 metres of the Ganga embankment.

After a series of review meetings, the government has found the performance of these companies to be ‘not satisfactory’

The solid waste management (SWM) projects in Uttarakhand under the public private partnership (PPP) are not yielding satisfactory results despite a series of review meetings by top government officials. Under the Rs 50 crore Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme, the government awarded contracts to private companies for picking up wastes from thethree cities of Dehradun, Haridwar and Nainital. All the projects have been delayed considerably.

The Union Government on Thursday signed an agreement for a $100-million loan with Asian Development Bank (ADB) as the second tranche of Uttarakhand’s urban sector development investment programme.

According to an official release here, the loan assistance will support rehabilitation and expansion of basic urban infrastructure in five major urban towns of the State and ensure sustainable municipal service delivery.

Faint Flappings Of the 78 endangered bird species in India, 13 are at extreme risk. * 1) Himalayan Quail