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Kerala’s Vagamon gets ‘Green Checkposts’ to curtail plastic waste

Vagamon, Kerala’s popular hill destination, just got Green Checkposts rolling, touted to be the first-of-its-kind in the state. Reportedly, five green check-posts have been set up at the entry points to Vagamon, with the sole purpose of transforming the destination into a green corridor. As such, tourists now entering the hill station will have to undergo screening at the check posts to make sure that they are not carrying any plastic or other such materials that can be harmful to the ecosystem of the region. Green guards have been posted in these check-posts, who will be inspecting vehicles and keeping a check on tourists bringing in plastic waste. Another special feature of these green checkposts is that one can also find green counters to buy eco-friendly objects and cloth bags. One can also find bottle booths, where they can discard used plastic bottles. Reportedly, the said five green checkposts have been set up at Vattapathal, Elappara Town, Pullikkanam, Chemmannu, and Vazhikkadavu. The checkposts will be in function 24 hours, and will have green guards posted there all the time. These green checkposts will be collecting INR 10 per vehicle as a user fee, which will later be used to pay wages of those employed at the checkposts. This innovative project has been implemented in association with the Elappara gram panchayat and Haritha Keralam Mission. Referring to this, TN Seema, Executive Vice-Chairperson of Haritha Keralam Mission, elaborated how waste management has become one of the prominent issues in Vagamon, as tourists entering the region were dumping waste, especially plastic.

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SpiceJet to launch seaplane services in Gujarat from October 31

Budget carrier- SpiceJet announced the launch of its seaplane on Wednesday between Ahmedabad (Sabarmati riverfront) and the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat. The flights, managed by its fully-owned subsidiary- Spice Shuttle, will operate two daily flights from Saturday, October 31, and ticket bookings will be available from Friday. Under government’s regional connectivity scheme- Udan Desh Ka Aam Nagarik (UDAN), passengers will be charged ₹1500. A 15-seater Twin Otter 300 aircraft will depart from Ahmedabad at 10:15am and will reach the Statue of Unity, Kevadia at 10:45am. It will leave Kevadia at 11.45am to reach Ahmedabad at 12.15pm. The second flight to Kevadi will depart at 12.45pm and it will leave for Ahmedabad at 3.15pm Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director, SpiceJet, said, “Our seaplane service between the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and Statue of Unity in Kevadia will cut down travel time to just about half an hour and will be a unique, exhilarating flying experience that would boost travel and tourism. Infrastructural challenges have been a key deterrent for providing air connectivity to smaller towns and cities. With the ability to land on a small water body, seaplanes are the perfect flying machines that can effectively connect the remotest parts of India into the mainstream aviation network without the high cost of building airports and runways.” The airline said that the aircraft has undergone regular maintenance, overhauling and seat refurbishment and has a valid airworthiness review certificate (ARC). “All the required SoPs to operate these flights are in-line with operational guidance of seaplane operations. It is fitted with efficient Twin Turboprop Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 engines, known for their reliability. The aircraft has an incredible accident-free history and is one of the most sought-after aircraft for an ultimate flying experience not only in the Maldives but across the world,” said the airline spokesperson. SpiceJet has secured 18 seaplane routes under UDAN which includes – Ahmedabad-Kevadia, Agatti-Minicoy and Agatti-Kavaratti among others. By introducing and successfully running seaplanes in the country, the government aims to boost tourism. The airline had conducted seaplane trials in 2017. While under the first phase, trials were conducted in Nagpur and Guwahati, the second phase saw trials at the city’s Girgaum Chowpatty.

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Re-open monuments in Aurangabad with Covid-19 safety measures

The Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation (ATDA) has asked tourism minister Aditya Thackeray to ensure that monuments in and around Aurangabad are thrown open for public with full Covid-19 safety, hygiene standards and social distancing precautions. In a representation made to the minister, Sunit Kothari, an entrepreneur and the chairman of public relations and civil aviation committee, said that Aurangabad is considered as a tourism capital of the state. It has world heritage sites, including, Ajanta, Ellora as well as monuments like Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, Daulatabad Fort and 50,000-year-old Lonar Crater, in its vicinity. The Lonar Crater is the biggest crater of its kind in the basaltic rock regions. According to Kothari, tourism supports many livelihoods — both directly and indirectly — besides staff working hotels, restaurants, car and coach rental companies, tour operates, guides and travel agents, to name a few. He said that tourism industry stakeholders in Aurangabad were fully willing to follow the government’s Covid-19 guidelines on re-opening of monuments. Kothari told the minister that Agra has already reopened, and so have most of the monuments in the country. Therefore, the ones in Aurangabad can open too. Kothari said that tourism is the only sector which needs immediate attention of the state government in its unlocking efforts.

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Government is working closely with industry to revive tourism economy: Union Tourism Minister

Addressing the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ meeting, which was held yesterday virtually, the Union Minister (I/C) for Tourism & Culture, Prahlad Singh Patel, has said that the tourism sector is the hardest hit in the global pandemic and the endeavour is to revive the tourism economy by reviving the demand through domestic travel. Patel said that the government has taken all measures to support the tourism sector to survive and revive from the onslaught of the global pandemic. The government has announced several economic stimulus packages and many other fiscal and relief measures for the survival of businesses, employee retention and sectoral revival. The Provincial Governments have also taken similar measures to support the businesses, he said. He spoke about the collateral free loans being extended to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector to revive the economic activity including the tourism economy. The Ministry of Tourism has been in a continuous dialogue with the representatives of Tourism & Hospitality industry stakeholders to discuss solutions and the way forward to revive the tourism economy by reviving demand, especially through promotion of Domestic Tourism to build the confidence and trust of the tourists, he added. He also informed that India is gradually opening up for visitors by making bubble arrangements with 18 countries. India has also restored existing visas for business, conference, employment, studies, research, and medical purposes. “I look forward to early revival of the global tourism sector,” he said. Patel also spoke about the health and hygiene guidelines and protocols being worked out in coordination with concerned Ministries of the government like the the Ministry of Health covering all the service providers in the travel and hospitality sector to ensure safety of the visitors and staff. The digitalisation and innovation will facilitate the development of the tourism and hospitality sector. Digital media is being utilised fully to promote and spread awareness about the tourist destinations and activities. The government is working with the Industry in adopting digital technologies and innovation, he added.

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Indians can now fly to Tanzania under latest air bubble arrangement

India has established a separate bilateral air bubble arrangement with Tanzania for operation of special international passenger flights between the two countries, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Wednesday. "Attention travellers! An air bubble arrangement has been established between India and Tanzania. Designated carriers of both countries are permitted to operate flights between the two countries. Please plan your travels accordingly," the Civil Aviation Ministry tweeted. Till now, India had formed such arrangements with around 18 countries including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, the Maldives, Nigeria, Qatar, the UAE, the UK and the USA. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international passenger flights can be operated by their airlines into each other's territories under restrictive conditions. On Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till November 30. The scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under the bilateral 'air bubble' arrangements with selected countries since July.

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Diwali special: Railways to run special Shatabdi Express trains from today

Indian Railways will be running special Shatabdi Express trains to cater to the rush during the festive season. It comes as a special Diwali gift for those who have been planning to travel via trains during the festival. Reportedly, the railways will be operating three more special festival trains to facilitate passengers. As per a press release issued by the Western Railway, the Mumbai Central - Ahmedabad special Shatabdi Express will resume operation from today, and will continue running till further notice. Likewise, another two pairs of festive special trains between Bareilly and Bhuj, will be operating to manage the passenger rush during the festive occasion. Here are all details of these trains that you need to know. Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Special Shatabdi This special Shatabdi train number 02009/02010 Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Special Shatabdi Express will run on every day, except on Sundays. The train will be leaving Mumbai Central at 6:30 AM, and reach Ahmedabad the same day at 12:45 PM. Likewise, the return journey will be made by train number 02010, which will leave Ahmedabad at 2:45 PM, and reach Mumbai Central the same day at 7:20 PM. The trains will stop at the following stations during both the journeys—Borivali, Vapi, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, and Nadiad stations. The trains will have AC Chair Car coaches, and Executive Chair Car coaches. Special Shatabdi Express from Bhuj to Bareilly As mentioned above, two special trains will be running from Bhuj to Bareilly. Train number 04322 Bhuj-Bareilly special train will leave from Bhuj every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 5:05 AM, and reach Bareilly the next day at 8:35 AM. Similarly, the return journey will be made by train number 04321 Bareilly-Bhuj Special train that will leave Bareilly at 6:35 AM on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and will reach Bhuj the next day at 9:30 AM. This train will be on tracks till November 29, 2020. Note: Booking for these trains are now open, which can be done via IRCTC website or via nominated PRS counters. Also, all the trains will run as fully reserved trains.

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