The Uttarakhand Revenue and Irrigation Minister, Mr Yashpal Arya, on Friday directed officials to remove hurdles coming in the way of construction of the proposed multipurpose Jamrani dam project on Gola river in Nainital within one month's time and complete it as soon as possible.

During a meeting here, Mr Arya described the project as very important for the State and said its early construction is among the top priorities set by the Government.

The Nainital district administration and Corbett National Park authorities have started work to raise awareness among owners of resorts around Corbett regarding the recent Government order banning sound amplification in resorts within 500 metres of the national park. It is worth mentioning here that following a directive of the Uttarakhand High Court on a Public Interest Litigation filed by a local NGO, the State Government had ordered a ban on sound amplification in resorts within a specific area around Corbett in April this year.

Deteriorating weather conditions seem to have triggered serious concern among farmers with their rabi crop of wheat being highly prone to diseases such as yellow rust that strike during this period. Though no case of yellow rust affecting rabi crops has been detected in Nainital district, some cases of the disease affecting crops have come to light in parts of Udham Singh Nagar district, officials said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj Gen BC Khanduri laid the foundation stones of 40 development schemes worth of more than `87 crores, at MP Intermediate College, Ramnagar on Tuesday.

As a precursor to the installation of the Stratosphere-Troposphere Radar (ST-Radar) for atmospheric study in the Himalayan region, the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, will organise a fortnight-long science awareness programme titled Radar Probing of the Atmosphere, to create awareness among young scientists about the science, beginning Tuesday.

As many as 35 young scientists, particularly PhD and postgraduate degree holders, are going to participate in this special science awareness programme.

Six cheetals, a species of deer, were on Monday killed after being hit by a speeding train at Ampokhara range of Terai (west) forest division in Nainital district, an official said.

With the launch of DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course) Plus medicine for tuberculosis patients, Uttarakhand will become the first Himalayan State in the country to launch the service free of cost for the patients.

The State Health Department revised the treatment module for the patients to attain 100 per cent cure rate.

A mild earthquake shook Pithoragarh's Dharchula tehsil early on Tuesday morning but there were no reports of any damage from the upper regions where the tremors were felt.

The earthquake measured 3.1 in magnitude on the Richter scale and took place at 7.11 in the morning, Anand Sharma, director, State metrological department told The Pioneer.

The direction recorded was 29.6 degree north and