-The Hindu Could the Uttarakhand tragedy have been avoided, or at least minimised? There is no simple answer. Environmentalists describe the death and damage as a man-made disaster while geologists say the extent of destruction could have been far lesser if stricter regulations had been put in place and the authorities equipped to deal with the situation. Importantly, the events focus attention on the debate on the December 18, 2012 notification of the...

-The Hindu Rescue work in Uttarakhand to gain momentum with reopening of 16 roads Dehradun: Rescue operations in Uttarakhand, hit until Thursday afternoon as helicopters faced bad weather, are now expected to speed up, as 16 roads that were blocked across the State were declared open on Thursday. They include roads reaching Guptkashi in Rudraprayag district and Joshimath in Chamoli district, which are very crucial routes for rescue operations. According to the Border...

-The Hindu     The catastrophe in the Himalaya is the result of deforestation, unchecked construction of dwellings and large-scale building of big dams A week is a long time in the Himalaya. In the late 1980s, I visited Arunachal Pradesh as a young researcher, with a keen interest in photography. I walked into the middle of the Dibang river, hop skipping over boulders, until my local tribal guide ordered me to return immediately....

-The Hindu   It joins hands with AIIMS to offer health services to villagers Raipur: Maoists as well as security forces have hit upon new strategies to gain an upper hand in the ongoing conflict. The latest one - to check the influence of rebels - has come from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). It is not at all a military manoeuvre, but an offer of medical assistance to villagers in the Maoist-controlled...

-The Telegraph The activists of North East Students' Organisation (Neso) today staged demonstrations in all the states demanding immediate updating of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. In Guwahati, the activists of All Assam Students' Union (AASU), a constituent body of Neso, staged a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan at Uzan Bazararmed with placards stating "Northeast cannot be dumping ground of illegal migrants,"...