News

Domestic flights expected to operate from May 19

New Delhi, May 14: Air India is likely to resume domestic travel from May 19 onwards to help stranded passengers reach their homes. While bookings are yet to begin, Air India is likely to make this service available first for the stranded passengers. Those passengers who wish to go back home will have to pay for their own travel. The first phase would see flights taking off from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Chennai would have one flight from Kochi. While Air India is keen on resuming services on the domestic circuit, they are waiting for a nod from the Civil Aviation Ministry. It may be recalled that the Ministry had indicated that the domestic flights could be included in the second schedule. On Tuesday, the Government has said that a final SOP on the operation of flights is yet to be issued. The clarification came in the wake of media reports suggesting that an SOP has been issued for restarting flights in the country. The government said that the the SOP is yet to be finalised. In a statement, the Civil Aviation Ministry said that suggestions were sought on a draft discussion paper from the airlines and airports. These have been received. Several media organisations said that the Ministry has come out with a draft SOP for restarting commercial air passenger services. However the Ministry is yet to come up with an SOP, it was further clarified.

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Indian Railways may introduce more trains starting 22 May

NEW DELHI : Two days after the Indian Railways started to run the Special Rajdhani trains, the national transporter on Wednesday indicated that it might soon start mail or express trains as chair-car services in the coming days as well. Waiting list introduced The Railway Board on Wednesday issued an order introducing the provision of waiting list not only in its presently operational special trains for journeys starting May 22, but also for all its forthcoming services. Waiting list numbers capped It has, however, capped the waiting list on these trains -- up to 100 for AC 3 tier, 50 for AC 2 tier, 200 for Sleeper Class, 100 for chair-cars, and 20 each for First AC and Executive Class -- truncating the queues for confirmed tickets significantly. The chances will come into effect for tickets booked from May 15 for journeys beginning May 22. Special trains Special trains, ones to be notified later, will have waiting lists from May 22 onwards, the Railways said.The order also stated that there shall be no reservation against cancellation (RAC) in the special trains. Not only AC trains The order from the railway board to the zones indicates that the railways is planning to run mixed services instead of the presently all air-conditioned trains. The fresh order from the railways also indicates that the national transporter might begin services to smaller towns along with the major cities that its Rajdhani specials cater to now. A special beginning Almost 48 days after suspending all passenger, mail and express train services, the railways has started 15 pairs of Special Rajdhani trains from Tuesday. The railways has also started to run Shramik Special trains to transport stranded migrant workers, students, pilgrims and tourists from May 1.

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Tourism in hills takes a hit in summer break

May and June being the peak travel season with many flocking to Himalayan towns, summer vacation trips to Shimla, Manali, Nainital and other hill stations remain cancelled due to the pandemic. And it’s not only the travel plans that are disrupted, but the livelihoods of those working in the tourism business are also in jeopardy. Popular hill stations that witnessed heavy tourist influx till last year are now missing the hustle bustle. “This has been very tough for us. Our café is one of the most liked places in the town, and we have 15 employees, whom we did pay without any salary cut,” says Biswa Ranjan Khora of iHeart Café in Bhimtal, which has now resorted to the delivery-only option to keep the business afloat. An employee of a heritage hotel in Shimla located on the Mall Road states that all the hotel bookings were cancelled after March 22. The hotel is currently waiting for the next update from the government to proceed with the new bookings, and has been provided with certain parameters by the hotel group to follow once operations resume. Waiting for the crisis to settle are several cab drivers and adventure activity organisers, who express concern over the hit their jobs have taken due to the lockdown. Daulat, a taxi driver from Manali, who used to frequently drive tourists around different sightseeing spots in the peak season, is now out of work. “Humara season toh March se June hota hai jiss mein ₹1,000 per paragliding session kama lete the. Aur ek din mein do teen sessions ho jaate the,” shares Shiv Thakur, an adventure activity organiser in Bir Billing.

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Dubai turns world's tallest building into coronavirus charity box

DUBAI: The world's tallest building, Dubai's 828-metre Burj Khalifa, has become a glowing charity donation box, raising money for food for United Arab Emirates residents suffering the economic impact of the new coronavirus pandemic. Each of the tower's 1.2 million external lights was 'sold' for 10 dirhams ($2.70), enough to buy one meal. As donations came in, the tower 'filled up', and people could also bid to claim the light at the very top. As the region's tourism and business hub with the world's busiest international airport, Dubai's economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Many people have lost jobs or had incomes reduced. Tens of thousands of migrant workers, who often live in crowded shared accommodation where the virus spreads more easily, have registered to be repatriated. "Hope you have a good solid meal. We take things for granted but life has a way of teaching us how to wake up," said donor Shereen Harris in a public comment on the campaign's website. The UAE has recorded 19,661 cases of infection with COVID-19 and 203 deaths, the second highest death toll after Saudi Arabia of the six Gulf states. The donation box has raised funds for more than 1.2 million meals so far, organising body The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) said. The fundraising drive is part of a campaign to fund 10 million meals for low-income families during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan by MBRGI, patronised by Dubai's ruler and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

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Thailand set to reopen tourist sites in Krabi

BANGKOK (Xinhua): Thailand's southern seaside province of Krabi is gearing up plans to clean up the province and restore natural resources so the province can open its door for business. The move came after Krabi Governor Kitibhodi Prawit told the media on Tuesday (May 12)that he had already met with the private sector, tourism-related organisations and local state agencies. "Krabi's number of Covid-19 cases have been dwindling, and with that, all parties have agreed to the resumption of tourism-related businesses at Krabi," said the governor. The tourist island has been under lockdown since April 10. Since then Krabi had sealed its borders in an attempt to curb the spread of the outbreak. "New disease prevention and safety measures will be imposed when the next tourist season begins later this year," he said. The governor did not however, set a date to re-open its border. - Xinhua

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Resuming tourism activities to take more time: Goa CM

Panaji, May 12 (IANS) Goa, which is already a designated green zone with no active COVID-19 case, is ready to welcome tourists, but considering the situation in many parts of the country re-starting tourism activities will take some time, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday. In his live interaction on Facebook organised by the state government''s Directorate of Information and Publicity, Sawant said that efforts need to be made by the residents of the state to nip rumour-mongering about fake COVID-19 cases in the bud. Sawant said tourism-related standard operating procedures would be in place by the time the country reaches the lockdown 4.0 stage. "We are ready to welcome tourists. But if one takes note of the situation in the country, it appears that we will have to wait for sometime. We are willing to say welcome to tourists, but they should be willing to come," Sawant said during the live interaction. The Chief Minister said that Goa, which is one of the few designated green zones in the country with no single active COVID-19 case in the state, was "wary" about the possible entry of positive coronavirus cases. He added that a SOP would be formulated soon by the state and said the Goa government was looking forward to the release of a similar SOP dealing with protocol related to inbound tourists, by the Union Tourism Ministry. The Chief Minister said that out of the 14,000 odd foreign tourists who had been repatriated from the country during the pandemic, nearly 7,000 flew out of India from Goa alone. Commenting on several rumours doing the rounds on social media, fuelling speculation about fake COVID-19 cases, Sawant said: "I urge people not to start rumours. They should think about the veracity of the messages before forwarding them. When a disaster is ongoing such rumours should not be spread." The Chief Minister urged the people to follow the instructions of the State Executive Committee, which oversees the management and relief work related to the pandemic, instead of criticising every decision. "People should follow instructions which are being given for the good of the state and people at large. Do not pick holes in them and ask ''why'' every time," Sawant said. "Many people believe in simply criticising (decisions), rather than co-operating with them. Instead of criticising, there is a need to co-operate with the government," the Chief Minister said.

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