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Hyderabad’s iconic double-decker buses to hit the roads again after decades

The forever charming and iconic double-decker buses in Hyderabad are soon to make a come back. The Telangana RTC has asked experienced manufacturers to submit tenders for procurement of 25 double-decker non-A/C buses. The state government started talking about bringing these legendary buses back in November when KT Rama Rao (Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development) shared the stories from his school days and how these buses were an important part of his life. Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, took to Twitter and wrote, “I have many fond memories of riding the double-decker bus on my way to St George’s Grammar School at Abids”. The Transport Minister asked the officials of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) to form a committee that will review the possibility of the double-decker buses in the city after all these years. The minister’s proposal of getting back double-decker buses on Hyderabad roads has received support from a number of people. The committee has already suggested few routes for the buses and now TSRTC is planning to introduce 25 double-decker buses. The routes are likely to be Secunderabad- Patencheru, CBS-Jedimetla, Secunderabad-Medchal, Kothi-Patencheru and Afzalgunj- Mehdipatnam. The tender notice released by the government reads, "The bidder shall design, manufacture, test, supply and commission the above buses. The tenderer shall be well established and must have manufacturing and supply facilities of fully built buses in India". Till 1990’s, double-decker buses were the lifeline of Hyderabad. But with the re-introduction of these buses, the city will literally go back in time and definitely woo tourists from all over.

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Assam's Manas National Park launches cycle safaris for tourists

Manas National Park in Assam has become the country’s first to introduce cycle safaris for tourists. Reportedly, during the first phase, 12 cycles will be made available for tourists, who will be able to enjoy a trip around the periphery of the deep forests and explore the off-beaten tracks. Referring to this, Park Conservator Amal Sharma said that this initiative is an attempt to draw more and more tourists into the region after the pandemic-induced lockdown. Reportedly, the park once used to have night safaris, which were later stopped after the Supreme Court ruled against it. Manas National Park, a UNESCO heritage park, is also a tiger reserve that is spread across an area of more than 2837 sq km. The park opened for tourists on October 2, 2020, after remaining closed since March 17, 2020, to prevent the spread of COVID. Revealing more about the statistic, Ranger of Bansbari Range in Manas Alakesh Das said that locals, who specifically fall under Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), have been critical in saving Manas. He added that since popular tourist hotspots, such as Shillong and Bhutan, remained shut for tourists due to pandemic, people were keen to explore nearby places. The crowd visiting the spot grew so much that in January authorities had to restrict vehicles to 175, he added. Further, Dharani Dhar Boro, Officer on Special Duty, Manas Tiger Reserve said that in a way, 2020 has been a lucky year for Manas and its conservation efforts. Manas has also been conferred the Global Conservation Excellence Award by the Global Tiger Forum, which was jointly conferred upon the Manas and the Royal Manas of Bhutan. He added that Manas managed to bag the award as the tiger population here increased three times in a year, whereas as per the norms, it needs to be just a double.

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Morni Hills in Haryana may soon become India’s next paragliding destination

Haryana’s Morni Hills may soon become one of the biggest paragliding destinations in India. Located in the Panchkula district of the state, Morni Hills were recently visited by the team of professional gliders of the Border Security Force (BSF) to conduct the first ever two paragliding test flights. The test exercise was performed to ascertain the feasibility of one of the most thrilling activities in Panchkula district. Reportedly, a team of the BSF personnel who are deployed at Dehradun’s BSF Adventure School had reached Panchkula to perform the test flights. The Shivalik Development Board, which is in-charge for the growth of the entire lower Himalayan region, was overseeing the trials. Currently, paragliding activities are conducted in Himachal Pradesh’s Manali and Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh for their climate, suitable infrastructure and topographical conditions. News has it that the BSF personnel started their test flights from Bhori village at Morni which is located at a height of 4000 ft from the sea level. The team landed in the plains of Palasara village. Morni hills are the only hilly area in Haryana which is otherwise a non-hilly state, and therefore, paragliding activities can also boost tourism prospects in the region. The Morni hills share their border with the Sirmour in Himachal Pradesh and are located close to Panchkula, Yamuna Nagar and Ambala districts of the Haryana. Morni is located 45 km from Chandigarh and popular for its Himalayan hills, lakes and beautiful green spaces.

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Dubai’s tourism to grow with major events lined up for 2021

Dubai this year is preparing to ride high on the arrival of international tourists. Initial set back aside, tourism sector started opening by the last quarter of the previous year with proactive measures and protocols in place to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and ensure business continuity. Dubai had attracted a record 16.7 million tourists in 2019 - an increase of 5.1 per cent compared to the previous year - and tourism sector's contribution to the emirate's GDP was 11.5 per cent, and it accounted for a direct international tourism spending worth $27.9 billion. With Expo 2020 coming up in October of this year and running till March 2022, the event would be a catalyst for tourism growth. Director General, Dubai Tourism, Helal Saeed Almarri says the emirate's multi-geographic strategy allows Dubai to react quickly to market changes across source markets combined with strong economic relief programme. Almarri, of course, is referring to the emirate's Covid management strategy which is already showing results. This is evidenced by a 2021 Global Investment Outlook Report published by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE's largest bank predicting a V-shaped recovery for the UAE. According to the report, the UAE economy should grow by around 2.5 per cent overall and 3.6 per cent for non-oil sectors. The report notes that Expo 2020 will add further strength to the national economy and the imminent boost to tourism will have a positive impact on other sectors as well including retail and real estate activity as the Covid-19 immunisation programme moves forward. Further, Dubai Tourism officials are enthused by the hospitality sector's rebound since November last year. Citing preliminary data, research firm STR says hotels in Dubai were 71 per cent full in December. With an aggressive inoculation program, of the 10 million population, it has already administered 3.7 million vaccine doses - one of the highest rates of inoculation per 100 people globally. Almarri says that Dubai has a very clear plan on how to deal with Covid-19 and it will be ready to receive visitors for the Expo 2020. "We are going to be ready to make sure that the growth starts this summer and by Expo in the fourth quarter, we look to welcome the world," he asserts.

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India-Russia International Flights Now Allowed Under Air Bubble Pact, 25th Country on the List

India has created an air bubble arrangement with Russia with effect from 12.02.2021. Indian and Russian carriers are now permitted to operate flights between India and Russia. This is the 25th country under the Under Bubble Pact enabling flights between various countries and India for the ease of flyers. India temporarily discontinued all scheduled international flights since March 2020 and is allowing flights under the bilateral bubble agreements. The flights on the India-Russia route are allowed to carry the following categories of persons: A. From India to Russia: i. Stranded nationals/residents of Russia; ii. Any Indian national or national of Nepal or Bhutan destined for and holding a valid visa of Russia. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian/Nepalese/Bhutanese nationals to enter the destination country before issue of ticket/boarding pass to the Indian/Nepalese/ Bhutanese passenger; and iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities and Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. Seamen should be destined for Russia only. B. From Russia to India: i. Indian nationals or nationals of Nepal or Bhutan stranded in Russia; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and Person of Indian Origin(PIO) cardholders holding passports of any country; iii. Russian nationals intending to visit India for any purpose (including their dependents on appropriate category of dependent visa) except those on Tourist Visa; and iv. Seamen from countries of Russia. Passengers traveling on flights from India to Russia should be destined for Russia only. Similarly, only passengers originating from Russia should be allowed to travel on the flights from Russia to India.

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Rajasthan planning to allow wedding shoots in Jaipur’s monuments & museums

According to a new scheme of the Rajasthan government, people keen to get pictures clicked at the historical sites in Jaipur will be provided exclusive and private access for a price. This is a novel bid to generate revenue from the monuments and museums that have made Rajasthan one of India’s top tourist attractions. The tourism industry in the state, which employs nearly 15% of people in the state, has been crippled by the Covid pandemic. But under the new scheme of the Archaeology and Museum Department, the government is planning to offer Jaipur’s monuments and museums for pre and post-wedding shoots. To begin with, this new policy will be implemented in Jaipur. Besides the famous Hawa Mahal, people can also book the Amber Palace, Albert Hall, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh, Vidhyadhar Ka Bagh, Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh, and Isarlat for their shoots. According to Prakash Chandra Sharma, Director, Archaeology and Museum Department, Jaipur, “If anybody wants to have pre-and post-wedding shoots at historical monuments/museums, they will have to pay INR 5,000 for every two hours if the shoot is during office hours. For shoots before or after office hours, they will have to pay INR 15,000 per hour.” Most officials affirm that shoots of this kind used to take place in monuments even earlier but there was no policy about them. Now, the department saw it as an opportunity to revive and encourage tourism in the city. Mugdha Sinha, Secretary, Art, Literature, Culture, and Archaeology Department, said, “The issue of such shoots was not institutionalised earlier. We have observed that people want to be a part of pre-and post-wedding shoots and many want to shoot exclusive pictures without the crowd because it’s a special moment for them. This new policy will add to experiential tourism for the public as it becomes an unforgettable moment of their life.” According to the notification, people undergoing shoots in such places will have to follow all the guidelines listed and will have to ensure that no antiques are damaged. In addition, they have been advised not to engage in acts/poses during the shoot that “may hurt the sentiments of the public. One of Jaipur’s well-known wedding photographers Anudeep Mathur said, "This is a very welcome move and could help to boost tourism. For good light, we need early morning or evening shoots which are before and after office hours. I find that rates are a bit too high and the government should reduce them to make it affordable to attract more photographers who are looking for grand locations."

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