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Sabarimala Temple: Health insurance and COVID-19 negative certificate mandatory

Kerala's Sabarimala Temple is all set to start its two-month long annual Mandala-Makaravilakku season from November 16. Thus, the Kerala state government has now issued a health advisory to ensure that pilgrims adhere to strict regulations while trekking to the hill shrine to contain the spread of the deadly virus. A health insurance card, COVID-19 negative certificate, and registration on the virtual portal has been made mandatory for undertaking this pilgrimage. Reportedly, religious congregations have turned out to be the hotbeds of virus transmission in various parts of the country as well as across the globe. It's a major reason why the state government is taking all precautions to ensure safety of pilgrims, who visit the state during this pilgrimage season. As per the reports, pilgrims who want to visit Sabarimala, will now be required to register themselves with the Kerala State police on the virtual queue portal. As per the latest development, only 1000 pilgrims per day on weekdays and 2000 pilgrims during weekends will be allowed to register on the said portal. The permission will be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Only those who get the clearance for visiting the temple will be allowed to take the pilgrimage. Also, pilgrims will have to upload COVID negative certificate that has been obtained 48 hours before registration. For registration, one can visit the http://sabarimaonline.org site. It has been announced that all pilgrims will be required to undergo the antigen test at the entry points of the well-known pilgrim town. Pilgrims will have to bear the cost of the test. Senior citizens above 60 years, children below 10 years, and those with comorbidities will not be allowed to visit the temple. Further, pilgrims are required to carry the Ayushman Bharat Card with them. Also, bathing at River Pampa and Ghee Abhishek on the hill shrine are strictly prohibited. Pilgrims will be allowed to the temple town via Erumeli and Vadaserikara routes. Night halts at Pampa, Ganapathi Kovil, and Sannidhanam will not be allowed.

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Srinagar: Efforts underway to make 2021 Tulip show a grand affair

The famous tulip garden in Srinagar is gearing up to surprise its visitors during the upcoming tulip show in 2021. As per the plan, 1.5 million Tulip bulbs of 62 varieties will be planted during the said show in the tulip garden. The same was recently announced by the Floriculture department. Reportedly, 5.3 lakh Tulip bulbs will be imported out of the total number. Further, the garden will also be planted with 20000 Daffodils and 60000 Hyacinths. The information has been revealed by Floriculture Director Farooq Ahmad Rather during a meeting that was chaired by Commissioner/Secretary Floriculture, Gardens & Parks, (FG&P) Department, Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad. Earlier this year, Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, was in full bloom with more than 1.3 million Tulip bulbs. However, in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent nation-wide lockdown, the garden saw no visitors to appreciate its beauty. Yet, this has not dampened the spirit of the organisers. They are once again geared up for the 2021 flower show. A meeting was recently held in this regard, aimed at taking a preview of maintenance, commercial floriculture, development of existing gardens and parks, heritage Mughal gardens and development of theme gardens in various districts of Kashmir division. All aspects, with respect to the development of the region, have been taken up in the same meeting. Further, as per the reports, six Mughal gardens have been included in UNESCOs tentative list of heritage sites; thus, priority work is being formulated in consultation with the Archives and Archaeology department.

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Darbhanga airport starts passenger flight operations ahead of Chhath Puja

Darbhanga airport in Bihar is not connected to airports in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The airport in Bihar started passenger flight operations on Sunday, November 8. According to the reports, the flagship flights that arrived at the Darbhanga airport from Bengaluru were given a traditional water salute, while the passengers were given a warm reception with Mithila Paags (a traditional cap) and garlands. Flights to Darbhanga will be run by SpiceJet, under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik). Now that the Darbhanga airport has opened its gates for passenger flight services, it will help people save a lot of time travelling to and from Patna, which has the nearest airport. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri shared the news on Twitter by commending the wonderful teamwork by local leadership, professionals & officers. The AAI has constructed the airport as a civil enclave, which is part of an Indian Air Force base designated for civil aviation operations. It is located at Kevti, about 6 km from Darbhanga and the terminal can handle about 150 passengers at a time. The foundation ceremony for the Darbhanga airport was held in December 2018. It is the third airport in Bihar after Patna and Gaya. Reportedly, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had previously declared that the airport operations at Darbhanga will start ahead of Chhath Puja September 2020.

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Tripura's Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport to get new integrated terminal building by next year

Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Tripura will soon have a new integrated terminal building, said Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday. According to an official statement, the original building was saturated and there was no further scope of expansion, hence, the work for new integrated terminal building at an estimated cost of Rs 438 crores was undertaken. With built-up area of 30,000 sqm, the new terminal building will be equipped with 20 check-in counters, four-passenger boarding bridges, conveyor belts and passenger-friendly modern facilities and amenities, the AAI said. The terminal has been designed to process 1000 domestic and 200 international passengers during peak hours making the annual handling capacity of 3 million passengers. The development work also includes construction of the apron having capacity to park six aircraft at a time. "Bamboo is used as a widespread local material in the state for construction whereas tribal art work and crafts are included to promote cultural tourism. The art and craft work is displayed all over the terminal in form of sculptures, jaali work, furniture and murals," the statement added. More than 90 per cent of the work is completed and the building is scheduled to be ready by the beginning of next year.

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Domestic passenger traffic reaches over half of pre-Covid levels: Aviation Secretary

Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Tripura will soon have a new integrated terminal building, said Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday. According to an official statement, the original building was saturated and there was no further scope of expansion, hence, the work for new integrated terminal building at an estimated cost of Rs 438 crores was undertaken. With built up area of 30,000 sqm, the new terminal building will be equipped with 20 check-in counters, four passenger boarding bridges, conveyor belts and passenger-friendly modern facilities and amenities, the AAI said. The terminal has been designed to process 1000 domestic and 200 international passengers during peak hours making the annual handling capacity of 3 million passengers. The development work also includes construction of the apron having capacity to park six aircraft at a time. "Bamboo is used as a widespread local material in the state for construction whereas tribal art work and crafts are included to promote cultural tourism. The art and craft work is displayed all over the terminal in form of sculptures, jaali work, furniture and murals," the statement added. More than 90 per cent of the work is completed and the building is scheduled to be ready by the beginning of next year.

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SpiceJet to connect Nashik with Delhi, Bengaluru & Hyderabad

SpiceJet will add Nashik in Maharashtra as its 50th domestic destination connecting it with the key metros of Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. While flights on the Hyderabad-Nashik-Hyderabad and Bengaluru-Nashik-Bengaluru sectors will commence from November 20, 2020, flights on the Delhi-Nashik-Delhi sector will begin from November 25, 2020. Hyderabad-Nashik-Hyderabad route comes under UDAN and will be the airline’s 14th destination under the Regional Connectivity Scheme. SpiceJet will also connect Udaipur with Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad and launch new flights on the Pune-Patna, Chennai-Jaipur and Kolkata-Bengaluru sectors. Shilpa Bhatia, Chief Commercial Officer, SpiceJet, said, “We are delighted to add Nashik as our 14th UDAN destination and connecting this key city in Maharashtra with Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. It has been our constant endeavour to take air travel to the smaller towns and cities of India and we see a strong demand for air travel to and from Nashik.” “Udaipur and Jaipur are two popular tourist destinations that see significant demand during the winters and I am sure our new flights to these cities will delight leisure and business travellers alike.” While the airline will operate daily flights on the Mumbai-Udaipur, Ahmedabad-Udaipur, Chennai–Jaipur and Bengaluru-Kolkata sectors, flights on Bengaluru-Nashik and Delhi–Udaipur sectors will be operational on all days except Tuesdays. While Hyderabad-Nashik and Delhi-Nashik flights will operate four-times-a-week, the Pune-Patna flight will operate twice-a-week. The all-inclusive one-way fares connecting Hyderabad-Nashik will begin from as low as INR 3,160/- and Nashik-Hyderabad from INR 3,385/- under the UDAN scheme. In addition, SpiceJet is celebrating the launch by announcing an introductory promotional fare starting at INR 3,662/- on Bengaluru-Nashik, INR 3,561/- on Nashik-Bengaluru, INR 4,060/- on Delhi-Nashik and INR 4,087/- on Nashik-Delhi routes.

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