
Concerns over STP capacity at Kedarnath shrine
Officials also claimed that the connectivity network would be completed by the end of the year."For the current 600 KLD capacity, the permanent population was considered as 5,000 and the floating population as 20,000. However, in the first few days of the yatra this season, this number was already breached several times," said petitioner Abhisht Gupta in the NGT case. Even in the affidavit submitted by the administration, officials admitted that the number of pilgrims crossed 25,000 on at least two occasions last year, and the 20,000 mark was surpassed even more frequently.Since the yatra began on May 2, over 2.26 lakh pilgrims have visited the shrine, as per state govt data suggesting an average of 22,600 pilgrims per day, which is a breach of the numbers taken into consideration for the project design. Environmentalists claim that a revision is required to ensure the system works properly."In the first two days, we had over 55,000 pilgrims at the shrine and more than a lakh within four days, according to reports. It is clear that the peak capacity will not hold if the current trends continue. To incorporate future planning, we need to enhance this capacity, or else the system will fail," said Amit Gupta, a Noida-based environmentalist, also addressing solid waste management issues at Kedarnath. Pilgrim numbers have only dropped in recent days, mainly due to the ongoing border conflict with Pakistan.However, officials claim that these considerations were taken into account before finalising the project. "Population trends and margins for increasing pilgrim numbers were incorporated before finalising the DPR. All departments concerned have taken these concerns into account. It is only after due consideration that the design was finalised," said Pradeep Kumar Joshi, scientist at the
Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board
, Rudraprayag.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Mother's Day wishes
,
messages
, and
quotes
!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
33 minutes ago
- Business Standard
YouTuber Manish Kashyap joins Jan Suraaj Party; Kishor sees big role
Hours after YouTuber and former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manish Kashyap joined the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) on Monday, the party's founder, Prashant Kishor, said that he is a son of Bihar who wants to do something for the state. Speaking about Kashyap's induction to news agency ANI, Prashant Kishor said, "Manish Kashyap is not just a YouTuber for Jan Suraaj, nor is he a former BJP leader, but he is a son of Bihar who has carved out his identity through his own strength, hard work, and wisdom, and wants to do something for Bihar." He highlighted JSP has a system that provides opportunities to every youth or individual who wants to contribute to Bihar. "Jan Suraaj is a system that provides opportunities to every youth or individual who wants to contribute to Bihar. If he has joined Jan Suraaj, I see a significant role for him in playing a major part in this campaign for change in Bihar moving forward," added Prashant Kishor. Rise to public attention Bihar-based social media influencer Manish Kashyap joined Prashant Kishor's JSP on Monday. He became a part of JSP along with a group of his supporters. The joining took place in the presence of Prashant Kishor. Kashyap, whose YouTube channel has nearly 10 million subscribers, first attracted major public attention some years ago when the Tamil Nadu Police arrested him. He was accused of sharing alleged fake videos showing Bihari migrants being mistreated in Tamil Nadu. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Kashyap joined BJP, however, he was not given a ticket to contest election. In June, he shared a video message announcing his decision to quit. In the video, he said the BJP 'used' him until the Delhi Assembly elections and then ignored him. With Bihar Assembly elections just around the corner, Manish Kashyap's move to the JSP can be seen as a boost to the party as it has been working to engage people from different backgrounds who are committed to bringing positive change to the state. The Election Commission of India has not announced an official date for the Bihar elections yet.


New Indian Express
43 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Youtuber accused of spying for Pakistan visited Kerala on Govt. invite to promote tourism
Haryana-based vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, who was recently arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, had visited Kerala on the invitation of the state government as part of its efforts to promote tourism, it has emerged. The revelation, which came in the form of an RTI reply, has triggered controversy with criticism being raised from various corners against the government decision.


Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Centre submits report on Great Nicobar project to NGT in sealed envelope, says Rs 80 crore released for conservation efforts
The Union Environment Ministry Monday submitted, in a sealed envelope, the report of a high-powered committee (HPC) that was formed to revisit the Great Nicobar Island mega infrastructure project's environmental clearance, to a six-member bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), headed by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava. The environment ministry also submitted in an additional affidavit filed before the NGT that Rs 80 crore has already been released till March-end towards wildlife conservation plans, healthcare, as prescribed in the conditions of statutory environmental clearances for the mega project. This includes funds released for leatherback sea turtle, Nicobar megapode conservation; conservation plans for long-tailed macaque, coconut crab, and conservation of native flora and fauna, among other plans. The bench granted time to the applicant's counsel to file a rejoinder to the environment ministry's additional affidavit and adjourned the matter. 'It is humbly submitted that the report of the high-powered committee, along with the relevant documents, has been brought in a sealed envelope for the kind perusal of this Tribunal,' the environment ministry stated in its affidavit. A six-member bench headed by Justice Shrivastava was hearing on-going matters filed by environmental activist and researcher Ashish Kothari on alleged environmental violations in the project. The environment ministry's additional affidavit was filed in response to NGT's directions in March to place on record the follow-up actions and outcomes after the HPC revisited the project's statutory environmental clearance. '…no document or decision with application of mind and the outcome of revisit to the EC has been placed on record or shown,' the six-member bench noted in its order on March 24. The environment ministry had sought adjournment to ascertain if the decision of revisiting the environmental clearance was recorded on paper. The HPC was formed in April 2023 on the orders of the NGT to address 'unanswered deficiencies' regarding impact of the mega project involving a port and airport pertaining to coral conservation, location of the port in a prohibited area and on limited baseline data collection. The NGT had not interfered with the environmental and forest clearances granted for the project. The HPC had concluded that the project's environmental clearance and coastal regulation zone clearance adhered to the instant statutory provisions. It had said that no part of the project fell in out of bounds coastally sensitive areas, while regarding corals, it had said citing the Zoological Survey of India that 16,510 coral colonies close to the project needed to translocated, as per an affidavit filed the environment ministry last year. The HPC's report is yet to be made public as the Centre has deemed it confidential. The Rs 81,000-crore project involves building of an integrated international container transshipment terminal, a township, a civil and military use airport and a 450 MVA gas- and solar-based power plant. Spread over 166 sq km, it will require diversion of 130.75 sq km of forests, felling of over a million trees. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO) is implementing the project. After the HPC prepared its report, it was forwarded to the Andaman and Nicobar Island administration, and directed it to take appropriate actions regarding the conclusions and recommendations. Further, it said that in compliance of the HPC's report, an overarching committee was formed in January 2024, comprising the chief secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Administration, and representatives of Wildlife Institute of India, Botanical Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), and ANIIDCO, among others. As per the affidavit, this committee met on March 4, and it was noted that Rs 88.69-crore funds for wildlife conservation plans, special medical unit, in compliance with the environmental clearance and coastal regulation zone clearance, were given to ANIIDCO. 'Accordingly, as on date, an amount of Rs 80.84 crore has been released to various research institutes and APWD (Andaman Public Works Department,' a copy of the March meeting's minutes showed. Out of the Rs 80.84 crore released, Rs 15.72 crore was released to the Wildlife Institute of India for undertaking conservation plans for leatherback sea turtles, Nicobar megapode, and saltwater crocodile. The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology got Rs 24.5 crore for undertaking conservation plans for bird hazard risk assessment for the proposed airport, conservation of coconut crab, and long-tailed macaque. An amount of Rs 23.55 crore was released to the ZSI for undertaking conservation and management of coral reefs of Great Nicobar Island, and conservation management for intertidal marine fauna of the Great Nicobar Island. 'It is submitted that, apart from addressing the issues raised by the NGT, the HPC also deliberated on several issues related to the implementation of the EC/CRZ conditions, logistic, and financial support to committees and the organization/institutions, constitution of the overarching committee,' the environment ministry affidavit stated.