News

India extends ban on scheduled international flights till November 30

India has now once again extended a ban on international flights till November 30. This was announced by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently. Earlier last month, the DGCA extended the ban till October 31. Like the previous order, the DGCA will not be restricting international all-cargo operations and flights that have been specifically approved by DGCA. As reported earlier, India reopened for tourists earlier this month. Starting October 15, India started granting fresh tourist visas to foreigners. Further, the Union Home Ministry earlier announced that foreign tourists will be allowed to enter the country by flights other than chartered aircraft starting November 15. The MHA informed that the said move was taken to provide a boost to the slumping tourism sector and help the economic recovery. Reports have it that the aviation and tourism sector were among the largest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a bid to boost the aviation sector, the Civil Aviation Ministry allowed domestic flights to fly at full capacity starting last week. The Ministry in its statement added, “The airlines/airport operators shall, however, ensure that the guidelines to contain the spread of COVID are strictly adhered to and COVID appropriate behaviour is strictly enforced,” the Ministry said.

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Pune region: MTDC resorts 90% booked for Diwali vacations

As per the information released by MTDC Pune, there is concession offered for senior citizens, government employees, specially abled people, and Army personnel when booking online. With the Diwali festive season about to begin, people have started planning vacations, post Diwali. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation’s (MTDC) Pune region claims it has 90 per cent bookings for its resorts for the days after the Diwali weekend, i.e for days after November 7. With the number of Covid cases dropping, due to which the state government has allowed tourist spots and resorts to reopen, people who have been at home for last almost two years, have started making travel plans. “We have got 90 per cent bookings for our resorts in the Pune region for November, while in December, bookings have gone upto 70 per cent,” said Deepak Harne, regional manager, MTDC Pune. “As there were good rains this year, waterfalls in the hilly regions of the district are at full throttle. And now, as the winter season has begun, with Covid restrictions eased, people are coming out for vacations. In the Pune region, there are various places to visit like Karle, Bhaje, Tarkarli, Harihareshwar, Dapoli, Mahabaleshwar, Panshet, Bhimashankar, and Malshej. Specially bookings are done at Mahabaleshwar, Tarkarli and the Panchagani resorts,” he said. As per the information released by MTDC Pune, there is concession offered for senior citizens, government employees, specially abled people, and Army personnel when booking online. MTDC resorts also have wi-fi connections in some rooms. “All the Covid protocols and rules are strictly followed at our resorts. Thermal checking, maintaining social distancing and sanitising the rooms is done daily. We hope to have good Diwali vacation stays this year,” said Harane. On other hand private tour players are also getting bookings, especially for the long weekends after Diwali. “As the Covid second wave is done and most people are fully vaccinated, the tourism business is again taking shape. Now tours around the state and even in the country are getting bookings for November and December. As all states have opened up their tourist destinations, tours for Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa and various other states are getting a good response. We are expecting to cover the losses which we had during the summer vaccations,” said Deepak Pujari, president of the Travel Agents Association of Pune.

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Applying for US visa? Know travel requirement details

The US Embassy said from November 8, an estimated three million visa holders from India, with proof of vaccination, will be able to travel to the United States under the new international air travel policy. The wait of those scheduled for visa interviews may have to face more delay as the US Embassy in New Delhi warned that there will be significant appointment wait times for non-immigrant categories due to Covid-19 disruptions. The US Embassy further said from November 8, an estimated three million visa holders from India, with proof of vaccination, will be able to travel to the United States under the new international air travel policy. “Facilitating legitimate travel to support our strong and growing bilateral ties is our top priority. As we build back from COVID-19 related interruptions, we expect significant appointment wait times for some nonimmigrant visa categories at our Embassy and Consulates,” announced US Embassy from its official Twitter handle on Saturday. The Embassy thanked people for their patience, adding, it continues to work to increase capacity and maintain the safety of applicants and staff. Travellers to the US are required to be fully vaccinated and also produce Covid-19 negative certificate before boarding the flight. Laying out the criteria for travel to US from November 8, the Embassy added, “Fully vaccinated air travelers will still be required to show documentation of a pre-departure negative viral test from a sample taken within three days of travel to the United States before boarding. That includes all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals”. The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has determined that for entry into the US, vaccines accepted will include those Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved, as well as vaccines with an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization (WHO). Covishield will be accepted for the purposes of entry into the US since it has an emergency use listing from the WHO, the Embassy said in a notice on visa services.

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Jaisalmer: Another Private Airline Started Flights On Oct 31

JAISALMER: The tourism industry here will soon get a new lease of life with SpiceJet announcing air services connecting Jaisalmer to several cities from October 31. SpiceJet has announced its winter schedule in which. Jaisalmer will be connected to Jaipur, Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Airlines company TruJet is already operating flights between Jaisalmer and Ahmedabad. Now, with more flights to other cities there is optimism that domestic tourism will pick up. The flight services will continue till March 22, 2022. Confirming the news, Jaisalmer airport authority officer Mukesh Meena said that many airlines have announced plans to start air services to Jaisalmer from different cities during the tourist season. SpiceJet from Jaisalmer will start its Boeing and ATR direct services to Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Jaipur from October 31. Direct connectivity to many cities will also benefit the Army, Air Force, BSF etc. along with domestic and international tourist According to the new winter schedule, SpiceJet from October 31 flight from Bengaluru will reach Jaisalmer at 4.25pm and return at 4.55pm on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Similarly, Spicejet from Delhi will reach Jaisalmer at 3.15pm and will depart at 3.45pm, from Mumbai it will reach Jaisalmer at 4.05pm and will depart at 4.35pm. Similarly, flight from Jaipur will reach Jaisalmer at 2.30pm and will return at 3.10pm. Trujet flight from Ahmedabad reaches here at 11.40am and departs at 12.10pm. These services will continue till March 22, 2022. Mayank Kumar, a businessman in Jaisalmer told TOI, “During Covid wave almost all big and small hotels remained closed, and the staff were sent back to their homes. The air services will greatly benefit Jaisalmer. Our city is safe when it comes to Covid and I am hopeful that people will visit the city.” Another businessman Manvendra Singh said that with flights from Mumbai and Delhi, film units will also get active. Jaisalmer is also becoming a new wedding destination as many businessmen, industrialists and politicians want to organise weddings in here, the flights will facilitate that, he added. Manganiyaar singer Gaji Khan Barna said Jaisalmer tourism industry has been affected from the last two years. Tourists were not coming here and since the Mangniyaar community is dependent on this industry, they were hit hard. He is hopeful that now they will all get some relief.

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Siyam World opens to first guests in the Maldives

A bold new world of possibilities has arrived in the Maldives’ Noonu Atoll, with the official opening of Siyam World. A quirky, carefree playground promising an array of accommodation options and “never-seen-before” experiences across land, sea and sky, the location claims to offer a striking new vision for a Maldivian holiday. The managing director of Sun Siyam Resorts, Ahmed Siyam, stated: “This island is one of the most unique products we have developed as a group, a game changer and record breaker in every way, there will be no resort that can measure up in terms of never-seen-before experiences, the abundance of space and the variety of accommodation. “We are excited to welcome our very first guests at Siyam World and looking forward to deliver an unforgettable holiday experience for everyone.” Forging its own path away from the mainstream, Siyam World is on a mission to bring guests the broadest offering of inimitable experiences and pioneering concepts ever seen in the Maldives.

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Tamil Nadu: Four ways to improve suburban train travel

CHENNAI: As commuters begin to crowd the 600 suburban train services which resumed after lockdown restrictions were relaxed, crowd control has become a Herculean task, apart from train delays, slow and inefficient ticket issuing and inadequate amenities on the three suburban routes. While travelling is relatively trouble-free on route, commuters face inconvenience on a daily basis on the Central/BeachTiruvallur and Central/BeachGummidipoondi routes. TOI looks at four solutions that are crucial to make travel smoother in the city’s most popular mass transit system. A few years ago, a bureaucrat incharge of Chennai metro rail was spotted alone at one of the stations. He had reached by a train, walked quietly past the staff, checked the platforms, ticket turnstiles, escalators and other facilities. Those who recognised him, stood up while others just went about their work. He took a few photos and quietly walked out of the station to his car. Such a scenario is unheard of in the railways, where Chennai division officers are saddled with running long distance trains and managing the city’s biggest railway stations. The city’s suburban railway network may be second biggest after Mumbai, but there is no exclusive team of officers to manage the system like it is done in Mumbai. Though Bibek Debroy committee’s interim report suggested that suburban rail should be hived off and should be run with state government participation, the has not acted on it. The result: Railways are not able to fast-track or push for dedicated lines for suburban trains, improve amenities at stations, modernise ticketing systems, and introduce air-conditioned coaches. Nevertheless, officers of the Chennai division went on an inspection recently. But the demands remain the same. Exclusive rakes for each route - As Southern Railway often uses the same rakes to run trains on the north and western lines, trains in one route often get delayed due to congestion in another line. This has forced commuters to seek exclusive rakes for each route. Railways is using a separate set of rakes for Beach-Tambaram route but not on the other two lines. For example, a train from Tiruvallur to Chennai is run on the Chennai to route and vice versa. Roy Rozario, who retired from railways, said “The rake link is yet to be revised for several years. Railways should operate trains with high frequency to Tiruvallur and to Gummidipoondi and then operate shuttle services for routes beyond. Running long trains all the way to Arakkonam and also terminating trains at Avadi is leading to delays.” He also said that as rake links are not revised, there is a gap of almost 30 minutes between two TiruvallurChennai trains in the morning. Terminating trains at Avadi too cause delays. In response to his petition, the railways said new rake links cannot be made because of shortage of rakes and constraints at platforms and terminals. Uniform number of coaches on all routes On Tuesday, a frantic announcement was heard being made repeatedly at Egmore railway station warning people that a mainline EMU train to will have only nine cars. However, at smaller stations where such announcements are quite rare people who wait at the farther end of the platform expecting a 12-car train are forced to run to board the last coach of the shorter nine-car train when railways use nine-car rakes and 12-car rakes without warning. It’s a hassle. because trains are often `drawn ahead’ or go up to the signal to stop irrespective of its length - a convenience when looked upon from the point of view of the motorman. But not for the commuters. Senior citizens and women cannot run and a few do miss trains, said T Sadagopan, a commuter. Roy Rozario, who has been demanding uniform rakes, said the railways should not change rake composition often because frequent commuters do not expect a nine car train where a 12 car train has been running. “This leads to confusion. Railways should have a uniform number of coaches for all services.” All stations to be manned by a railway staff People who board a midnight train to Arakkonam at Putlur railway station are often forced to go ticketless because the private-run ticket counter is not open round the clock. As a few small suburban stations on Chennai-Tiruvallur and Chennai-Gummidipoondi route do not have railway staff posted, commuters not only miss out on a chance to offer feedback to the railways but also are troubled. Suburban commuters have been petitioning railways to take over the ticket counters as the private-run counters are not linked to railway servers. K Baskar, a former member of divisional rail users consultative committee (DRUCC) said “Buying tickets is a hassle. There is no railway staff to assist if a crime takes place. Railways, however, considers these stations as low patronage stations.

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