News

Darjeeling Toy Train services to resume from December 25

The iconic Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), popularly known as the Darjeeling Toy Train, will resume its services after nine months from Christmas Day. The services were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March. “We were ready to resume the services. Now we have received the requisite permission from the state government. Initially, joy rides between Darjeeling and Ghoom and back [16 km] will be resumed from December 25,” said AK Mishra, DHR director. Passengers will be required to strictly follow the Covid-19 related guidelines and wear masks, maintain social distancing, and use hand sanitizer. Built in 1889, the DHR is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction in Darjeeling, a popular hill destination in North Bengal known as the Queen of the Hills. The Toy Train has featured in Bollywood films like including Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore’s Aradhana and Shah Rukh Khan’s Main Hoon Na. Over 1.5 million tourists visit Darjeeling and adjoining Sikkim annually and the Toy Train is very popular among them. The train comprising three compartments and ferries around 60,000 passengers annually. The DHR’s 13 steam engines are the real attractions and are regularly chartered by foreign tourists. “With the resumption of the services, local economic activities will get the much-needed boost due to the arrival of tourists. Depending on the requirement of tourists, more such services will be restored. Resumption of Toy Train services is very good news for travellers,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network. Around 15% of Darjeeling residents are directly or indirectly dependent on tourism.

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A hill station, prettier than Davos, is being planned near Zojila

A hill station is being planned near Zojila Pass. As per the latest reports, it will be more beautiful than the famous Davos in Switzerland, and has been planned in the scenic landscape between the 18-km stretch of Zojila tunnel in Ladakh and Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir. The same was recently announced by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. He also opined that this project will open new employment opportunities as well as provide a boost to the economy. Reportedly, a meeting with Lieutenant Governors of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir will be held next week in this connection. Referring to this, the Union Minister stated that this project will change the dynamics of both Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir territories, and would also help to create huge employment opportunities. While Davos is a popular town in the Swiss Alps, famous for hosting the annual World Economic Forum meeting, Zojila Pass is situated at an altitude of 11578 ft on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway, which remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall. To make this hill station as famous as Davos, a nominal rupee one lease rent will likely be there and they will give the land as equity. Mr Gadkari also said that adding that a hill station parallel to Davos can easily come up in the area that witnesses high snowfall. He added that both Leh-Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir governments will be stakeholders and partners in the project. Regarding the station project, the Minister further added that they will develop world-class infrastructure there, including transport, road, communication, and water. He also added that they will develop and sell plots so that restaurants, hotels, residential accommodation, and resorts come up there. He assured that this hill station project could be a huge success story with public-private investment, and also create jobs for people, along with attracting a huge number of tourists. Mr Gadkari also informed that the planning and design of the hill station will be finalised with a Swiss architect.

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Cabinet approves signing of revised bilateral air service agreements with Afghanistan, Philippines

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the signing of revised air service agreements between India and Afghanistan as well as India and the Philippines, said an official statement. If a country wants to operate passenger flights to another country, a "bilateral air services agreement" has to be negotiated to decide how many airlines, port of entries and total flights (or seats) per week can be allowed between the two nations, it said. The official statement said the revised air services agreement signifies an important landmark in the civil aviation relations between India and the two countries. Such a revised agreement has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between India and the two countries in tune with the developments in the civil aviation sector, the statement added. While all scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic, special flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat mission since May and under air bubble arrangements since July. India has formed air bubble arrangements with more than 22 countries. Under an air bubble agreement between two nations, airlines of both the countries can operate special flights between their territories with certain restrictions.

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Dubai To Begin Inoculation With Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine From Dec 23

In Dubai, the Supreme Committee for Crisis and Disaster Management has announced a massive and free vaccination campaign of the Pfizer vaccine against the novel coronavirus. As per the reports by The Gulf News, the campaign will begin from Wednesday, December 23. The first batch of Pfizer vaccine in Dubai arrived from Brussels on an Emirates SkyCargo flight late on Tuesday night. This is when the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announced the emergency registration of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. “#Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management: Extensive vaccination campaign against Covid-19 kicks off in Dubai on Wednesday. Vaccination will use Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine and is free of charge”, read the tweet by Dubai Media office. The UAE Fatwa Council has also legalised the use of COVID-19 vaccines. However, this will be in accordance with the objectives of the Islamic Sharia to protect the human soul. Earlier, the tourism authorities in Dubai directed to halt any entertainment activities and serving of food/drinks post 1 am. In addition, the hotels were also restricted by law to offer rooms and other services only after 3 am. The authorities also appealed to keep in mind the corona virus safety protocols during drinking and dining or face consequences like shutdowns and heavy penalties. Dubai, which is known to be a top tourist destination and has vibrant nightlife has witnessed severe surge in cases in the past months. The UAE has confirmed 197,124 infections and 645 deaths since the pandemic began. Earlier, the UAE has granted emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine approved for the use is still under its human phase trials. This COVID vaccine made by the Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopham will be made available for the frontline workers as they are at high risk of being exposed to the virus.

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Nagaland to reopen for tourists from December 27

After almost nine months of restriction on the entry of tourists to Nagaland due to COVID-19 pandemic, the State will reopen its door for domestic tourists from December 27 onwards. According to a notification issued by the state Tourism Department on Tuesday, the decision was taken during a meeting of the High Powered Committee on December 18. The tourist travel/visits will be permitted only for pre-booked or package tours, it said. The Tourism Department also issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all tourists visiting the State and informed that there will be only one entry point to the state from Dimapur by road, rail or air. Among others, the SOPs mandated that every tourist will be expected to possess a negative report of COVID-19 test done not earlier than three days prior to arrival in Nagaland through RT-PCR, TrueNat or CBNAAT. “The tourist should carry the soft/hard copy of the negative test report and produce it whenever asked by the competent authority,” it said, while adding that RAT negative tests of COVID-19 would not be considered adequate for entry into the state. It advised persons above the age of 65, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10, to avoid travelling in view of the risk of transmission. It also informed that tourists having symptoms of COVID-19 will mandatorily be tested as per the state Health Department’s protocols, even if they possess COVID-19 negative reports. The SOPs also stipulated that all tourists who wish to visit the state of Nagaland would be required to obtain the Inner Line Permit (ILP) for tourists through the portal www.ilp.nagaland.gov.in. After obtaining ILPS, all tourists will need to mandatorily register on the state tourism portal www.tourism.nagaland.gov.in or install ‘The Nagaland Tourism App’ and generate an E-Invite for the proposed itinerary. Tourists have also been advised to visit the state portals to peruse the existing health and safety protocols and guidelines issued by the state government and health department and strictly follow them during their visit.

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Karnataka imposes night curfew

A day after ruling out the imposition of night curfew, Karnataka Chief Minister, B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday made a 'U' turn and announced a night curfew -- between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. -- till January 2. With this, Karnataka is the second state after Maharashtra to announce a new set of restrictions amid global fears over the new strain of coronavirus discovered in the UK. Speaking to the reporters, Yediyurappa said in view of the new strain of coronavirus, it is decided to impose a night curfew from Wednesday to January 2, between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. "I request everyone to cooperate," he said. Health and Family Welfare Minister, K.Sudhakar said the night curfew has been imposed to prevent and contain the coronavirus strain that was found in the UK. "We are also monitoring international passengers arriving in the state but there's no ban on inter-state travel. Schools will reopen for Class 10 and Class 12 students from January 1," he clarified. Answering a question on whether Christmas celebrations will be exempted, the minister added that between December 23 and January 2, no event or festive celebration is allowed to take place after 10 p.m. "It applies to every kind of event," he said.

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