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Agra Monuments to reopen for tourism from September 1

Nearly six months have passed when India had imposed a lockdown to stop spread of coronavirus and since then most of the tourist places have remained closed. The district magistrate of Agra on Thursday ordered to reopen the historic monuments in the city, including Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, from September 1. "All monuments, except Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, have been excluded from the list of ‘Buffer Zones’; they will be re-opened for visitors from September 1, as per their scheduled timings," Agra District Magistrate PN Singh said. A review meeting was held by the district magistrate in this regard on Thursday. The district administration is planning to reopen the historic monuments in the city including Fatehpur Sikri and Sikanadara Tomb along with the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in the first phase. he reopening of monuments comes after coronavirus situation in Agra is majorly under control. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 guidelines, including social distancing and use of masks, will be strictly implemented after the monuments are reopened for visitors. These historic monuments were supposed to reopen from July 6 but got delayed as coronavirus cases were high in this district of the state. Moreover, these monuments were coming under the COVID-19 buffer zones in July. The Central government had on July 2 announced that all monuments across the country will be reopened to tourists from July 6 after remaining closed for more than three months because of the corona situation.

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Inter-district bus travel to resume in Maharashtra from August 20: MSRTC

According to the state government's directive, passengers would not require an e-pass, permission or approval for inter-district travel in the MSRTC buses, but the transport undertaking will issue standard operating procedures for such travel. Nearly five months after it restricted all inter-district travel as part of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, the Maharashtra government announced resumption of inter-district bus services on August 19. After the lockdown was enforced in the state following the outbreak of COVID-19 in March, inter-district bus operations of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) were suspended. "The state government has allowed re-starting of inter-district bus operations, and we are planning resume services from tomorrow (August 20)," MSRTC's Vice Chairman and Managing Director Shekhar Channe told news agency PTI. Under the current lockdown rules, inter-district travel is not allowed barring a few exceptions. Inter-district travel without an e-pass is permitted within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) districts of Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar. According to the state government's directive, passengers would not require an e-pass, permission or approval for inter-district travel in the MSRTC buses, but the transport undertaking will issue standard operating procedures for such travel. With a fleet of over 18,000 buses and nearly one lakh workforce, MSRTC is one of the biggest state road transport corporations in the country. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, over 65 lakh passengers used to travel daily in MSRTC buses. In July end, the Maharashtra government announced an extended lockdown in the state till August 31 in view of rising coronavirus cases.

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Indians to get e-passports from next year

Indian citizens will likely get e-passports, starting 2021. Reportedly, anyone seeking a reissuance or opt for applying for a new passport in 2021, would be able to get an e-passport with an electronic microprocessor chip embedded in it. The Indian government has already initiated the said process, whereas the infrastructure is also in place to ensure upgraded and future-ready documents are provided to deter identity theft, forgery, and enhanced connectivity for a streamlined immigration process. As per the latest reports, the government initially issued 20000 official and diplomatic e-passports embedded with such chips on a trial basis. Now, after a successful run, it has begun the process for issuance of e-passports for all citizens. Till now, passports were issued to citizens in the form of personalised printed booklets. The e-passports will follow the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, and will be tougher, as well as harder to destroy. The chip at the front of the passport will come with an internationally recognized logo meant for e-passports. Regarding procedures for applying, all remain the same, i.e., from filing the application form on the Indian government website to choosing your location and date of the appointment. The microchip embedded in the passport will hold all vital information related to the passport holder’s biometric data, as well as security features that will disallow unauthorized data transfer through RFID (radio-frequency identification). Almost all major airports have faster processing times for e-visa and e-passport holders due to higher level of automation from gaining access to immigrations areas to security checks, as computerized authorization is much more secure and faster. Reportedly, all 36 passport offices in India under the Ministry of External Affair will start issuing the said e-passports soon. The issuance time will remain the same, i.e., with no disruptions or delays caused due to the new system. Referring to this development, Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar emphasized the need for higher security protocols for passports, and the need for e-passports being at the forefront of achieving that goal.

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Mount Abu seeing surge in tourist footfalls due to lockdown relaxation

Mount Abu, the sole hill station of the desert state of Rajasthan, is witnessing a steady rise in the number of domestic tourists following relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown, an official said on Wednesday. Famous for its scenic natural beauty, the hill station situated in Sirohi district has received more than 10,000 tourists after a long gap, the official from the state''s tourism department said. The destination remains flooded with tourists during the summer season but this year, due to the coronavirus lockdown, there were no tourists. However, people have again started visiting Mount Abu and the footfalls are gradually rising even during the ongoing monsoon season. “The figure of tourists in Mount Abu is rising... Similar trends have been noticed in Udaipur where tourists are exploring short and safe vacations while following safety guidelines,” the official said. The safety of tourists and locals is the top priority of the state government and guidelines on preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 are being strictly adhered to at all monuments, resorts etc., Alok Gupta, Principal secretary of the tourism department, said. "After missing the entire summer season, people are eager for a getaway. Local tourists are returning in big numbers. While unlocking tourism, the safety of people is our concern," he said. Gupta said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has instructed the officials to keep public health ahead of all other aspects. It is due to the consideration of public health and vacation needs that the department is promoting short, safe stays, he said.

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Tourism activities to resume in Banjar valley from September 5

Facing huge losses due to the lockdown imposed following the coronavirus outbreak, various associations and stakeholders of the tourism industry in the Banjar valley, at a meeting, have decided to resume tourism activities from September 5. Hotel owners said there were certain hitches in resuming the operations. The SOPs were complicated and certain relaxations should be allowed. Many local women worked in hotels and return to their homes in the evening. It was not possible for them to stay in the units they worked, as was mandatory under the SOPs. They also said employing new people would mean that local women would lose their jobs. Panki Sood, an entrepreneur, said they had started taking bookings from September 5. A meeting would be held tomorrow to decide the nitty-gritties. The demand to settle the issues would be raised accordingly. There are various scenic places in the Banjar valley like the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP), the Unesco World Heritage Site. Rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mountain ranges, forests, historic buildings and temples are the major tourist attractions.

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India in talks with 13 countries to resume flights under air bubbles

New Delhi: India is in talks with as many as 13 countries for resumption of international flights under bilateral air bubbles, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday. "These countries include Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea & Thailand," Puri said on a social media post on Twitter. "The ongoing negotiations will benefit stranded Indians and nationals of these countries," he added. At present, India has international air travel arrangements under bilateral air bubbles in place with countries like US, UK, France, Germany, UAE, Qatar and Maldives. Bilateral air bubbles is a mechanism to resume international flights between India and other countries with certain preconditions, which regulates movement in view of the covid-19 pandemic. "Air bubbles have also been proposed with our neighbors Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal & Bhutan. Going forward, we will consider such arrangements with other countries also," Puri added. International flights to and from India have been in suspension since March as various countries went into lockdown to prevent the spread of covid-19, although the government-owned Air India has carried out repatriation flights to bring stranded Indians home. Indian airlines, including private carriers, have recently been allowed to operate international repatriation and charter flights while certain foreign airlines have also been given permission to operate similar flights to and from India. Indian private airlines like IndiGo, and SpiceJet, among others have operated international charter and repatriation flights in the recent past. Separately, full service carrier Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, will operate special, non-stop flights between Delhi and London's Heathrow from 28 August to 30 September 2020, marking its foray in long-haul international operations, the airline said in a statement. No-frills carrier SpiceJet Limited is also set to start non-stop flights to London from September.

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