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Chhattisgarh Tourism to bring Bastar into the tourism map of India

In a bid to bring the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh into the mainstream and expose its socio-economic potential to the outside world, the tourism department of the government, along with the district administration organised an exhibition and cultural fiesta in the national capital today. The event was noticed for the presence of the Chief Minister of the state, Bhupesh Baghel. Speaking to ET TravelWorld at the event, Anbalagan P, Secretary - Tourism & Culture, Chhattisgarh said that tribal tourism is key to Chhattisgarh and the state is looking at creating a niche around it to gain its rightful place on the tourism map of India. In this Bastar district is a key cog, he said. “The purpose of the event is to introduce our core strength to the people outside,” he said. Later speaking on the different aspects of the Bastar district, Richa Chaudhary, CEO, Zila Panchayat in charge of Rural Development, said that tourism is a major thrust area for the district administration to spread the economic benefits by creating livelihood opportunities in the tribal villages. “About 30 homestays have already been set up in the district. Guests can stay with the tribals and experience their life and culture closely,” she said. The district administration has also introduced hop on hop off buses connecting six destinations in the district, she said. In order to give all the information about the places in the district for visitors, the district administration will soon introduce a dedicated travel website. “The website will become functional in a couple of weeks,” she added. Chaudhary said that they are in the process of setting up trekking routes for adventure lovers in places like Dantewada, Dholkal, etc. The district is also home for large and small waterfalls like Chitrakoot, Tirathgarh, Chitradhara, etc. After every monsoon new waterfalls emerge in the district, she shared. She further said that there is an added focus on conservation, preservation and promotion of tribal art and culture at the behest of the Chief Minister himself. Bastar Academy for Dance, Art and Literature (BADAL) has been formed to research and document many lost art, music, dialects, etc., of the Bastar tribes, she mentioned.

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Omicron: Switzerland travel rules have changed, find out here

While the Swiss Federal Council has lifted the quarantine requirement for all countries, a negative PCR test report has now been made mandatory for entry into Switzerland. This testing requirement applies to all arrivals aged 16 and above and also to those who have been vaccinated or have recovered from the disease. In addition to taking a PCR test before travelling, a second test (PCR test or rapid antigen test) must be carried out between the fourth and seventh day after arrival. The tests costs would have to be borne by the traveller. The stricter rules on testing for persons entering the country have come into force following concern around the Omicron variant. The Federal Council has instructed airlines to ensure that they inform passengers about the need to present a negative Covid report before departure, no traveller will be allowed to board without presenting a negative test result. Hotels and hospitality units are also required to check that guests have been tested. Considering the current situation to be of great concern, the Federal Council notes in a statement, “The emergence of the Omicron variant requires an additional pandemic response. The WHO classified Omicron as a variant of concern on 26 November. It is believed to be highly transmissible, and it is possible that people who are immune to the Delta variant could also become infected. It is also unclear how well the vaccination protects against severe cases of the disease and how dangerous the new variant is.” Third country nationals, who are not vaccinated, and would want to travel to Switzerland for tourism purposes or for social visits will be refused entry without gainful employment of up to 90 days within a period of 180 days - apart from certain hardship cases.

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A long wait is finally over as the Bengal-Sikkim rail project picks up pace: TAAI

The work on rail connectivity from West Bengal to Sikkim, which was delayed by a decade has made quick progress after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ticked off officials from Railways and the West Bengal government early this year. The government has set December 2023 as the deadline for this crucial northeast connectivity project. Extending her wishes and gratitude to the Prime Minister and the government of West Bengal, Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) said, “The wait was long but finally the destination has arrived after 10 years of wait. This will not only strengthen the boundaries but also foster tourism which is a need of the hour. Currently, Sikkim and Kalimpong districts are dependent solely on NH-10A from Siliguri which most often gets disrupted due to landslides, this project will ease out that burden and make a smooth passage for visitors.” Following the PM’s push, approvals from the West Bengal government came fast and the pace of digging the tunnel has increased. “There has been an immense increase of more than three folds in the past six months from 300 metres a day to 1 km per day and it is likely to touch 1.3 km daily by December end,” quoted Jay Bhatia, Vice President, TAAI. Adding to it, Bettiah Lokesh, Hony Secretary General, TAAI mentioned that such dedication and good speed will definitely prove to be beneficial for the accomplishment of such a huge project in the way of tourism. Although this project was sanctioned in 2009-10, work could not start due to delays in land acquisition and forest clearances. After getting necessary approvals from the West Bengal government and forest department in June 2019, activities at all the fronts were planned for executions. Mentioning the pros of the project Shreeram Patel, Treasurer, TAAI said that it will provide all-weather connectivity to Sikkim. This will be a big boost for tourism in the region and has strategic significance for the defence of the country.

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Delhi airport sets up 20 counters for international flyers who have pre-booked Covid test to ease 'chaos'

The Delhi airport authorities on Saturday said 20 dedicated counters have been set up for the passengers arriving from "at risk" countries and having pre-booked their mandatory Covid-19 test, after many flyers complained of chaos and crowding at the terminal following the implementation of new travel guidelines. According to the Union Health Ministry's guidelines issued earlier this week, all passengers coming from "at-risk" countries have to compulsorily undergo PCR test and five per cent of passengers arriving from other countries would also have to take the test on a random basis. The passengers will have to wait for the results before leaving the airport or taking a connecting flight, according to the guidelines. "For the convenience of the passengers, DIAL has set up 20 dedicated counters on arrival piers for passengers who have pre-booked their RT-PCR/Rapid PCR test," Delhi International Airport Limited said. There will be dedicated queues for these passengers, it noted. They will save the time taken for registration and will proceed directly for testing, it added. Commenting on a tweet about the situation at the Delhi airport after the new travel rules kicked in, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, "As I feared & warned. Total confusion & crowding in airports." A Twitter user tagged Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a tweet and said, "No doubt our govt doing tremendous job in Covid-19 and taking all possible precautions on international flier testing. But if review Delhi airport is getting chaos day by day. No proper guidances and informations, no social distancing (sic)." "Travellers are facing lots of issues, not having smooth instructions and information to follow in proper queue from RT-PCR to Emigration and luggage collection.... Indian with family planned their travel after 2-3 yrs. So please help them for smooth journey," the user wrote on Saturday. Another Twitter user shared pictures of long queues at the terminal and said on Friday, "Taxes Paid, Airport Charges paid. Huge rush but available resources are not being utilised. For 1 hour of flight approximately 3 hours need to be spent in queue for processes to be completed." The Union Health Ministry's recent guidelines have come due to the fear of Omicron variant of the Coronavirus that reportedly has higher transmissibility. In a bid to ease the RT-PCR/Rapid PCR booking process for the passengers, DIAL, in collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has allowed for online payment to pre-book the test from the originating airport itself, it mentioned. About 80 per cent of the international arriving passengers from "at-risk" countries opt for Rapid PCR, it said. Rapid PCR test costs a passenger INR 3,500 but the results come in 60-90 minutes. RT-PCR costs a passenger INR 500 and the results come in around 6 hours. Passenger coming from an "at risk" country can choose either of the tests. Countries in Europe including the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Israel have been placed in the 'at-risk' category by the Union Health Ministry. DIAL said it is also facilitating RT-PCR tests of two per cent international arriving passengers who are not from at-risk countries.

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Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train: Here’s when you can board India’s first high-speed rail

Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor Project: For those who are eagerly waiting to travel on India’s first-ever Bullet Train, you will have to wait for 5-6 years. In a recent interview with Aajtak, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said by the year 2026, people can start boarding the bullet train. Even if the High-Speed Rail Corridor Project is delayed, it won’t be more than one year and will happen by 2027. The target will not go beyond that, the Union Minister said. While speaking on the matter, the minister further said Japanese technology is being used in the bullet train. The specialty of the Japanese people is that they do not start work until everything is ready. The land acquisition is complete in Gujarat, however, the state of Maharashtra is yet to complete the process of land acquisition. According to the Railway Minister, earlier they were waiting for Maharashtra to complete the land acquisition process, but now they have started the work. So far, 119 pillars have been cast. In the next six months, pillars of about 50 kilometres distance will be cast, he said. However, there are many challenges in the Bullet Train’s design. Compared to Japan, various conditions such as the weight of the Indian people, dust, etc., are different. So it may take a while to design the train as per conditions in India. Last month, for the upcoming Mumbai – Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor Project, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL)- the implementing agency of the country’s first Bullet Train Project, and the Japanese agency- Japan Railway Track Consultant Company (JRTC) for the Designs of High Speed Rail Track works for the package T 3 (covering 116 kilometres length between Vadodara and Sabarmati Depot and Workshop in Gujarat). NHSRCL had said that the Japanese agency- JRTC will provide the detailed design along with drawings of HSR track components such as RC Track bed, Track slab arrangement, and Continuous Welded Rail (CWR), etc.

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Another milestone achieved by Indian Railways in under-construction Kashmir rail project; details here

Indian Railways’ project in Kasmir is on fast track! Another milestone has been achieved by the Northern Railway zone with one more tunnel in the Bankot area located near Banihal in Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir connected after a breakthrough. With this breakthrough, IRCON International Limited has completed most of the excavation work of railway tunnels between Banihal and the Khari sector, according to officials quoted in a PTI report. The work is underway on the Kashmir railway project in a 110 kilometres long rail line between Katra and Banihal and it is likely to be completed within the next two years. A part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line, the project aims to provide an alternative surface link between Kashmir and the rest of the country. According to an official, the approx. 2-km-long tunnel project in Bankot is being developed at a cost of Rs 300 crore in two parts. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Harbans Lal Sharma said in the next two years, travelling by train from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is expected to start and the work is in full swing in Ramban to achieve the deadline. The 53-kilometre-long railway line’s 96% passes through underground tunnels and land measuring over 11,000 kanal (an area of 550 hectares) has been handed over to the national transporter, Sharma further said. According to the MD of Beigh Construction Company, Imran Beig, for the first time, a road-header machine is being used in the excavation of railway tunnels in the Kashmir rail line project. In tunnel excavation, the load-header machine is being utilized and thanks to the machine, there is no need for conducting blasts inside the rail tunnels, which sometimes damage the nearby residential houses coming along the tunnels, the MD further said. The Beigh Construction Company has been given a one-year deadline to complete tunnel number 77, he said. The MD is hopeful that the company will complete the project within the deadline.

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