News

Indians can now travel to 21 countries

Tanzania, Netherlands and Rwanda have been added to the list of countries with whom India now has an air travel bubble arrangement. This takes the total number of countries, to where Indians now can travel, to 21. As Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri had earlier pointed out, air bubbles are "at a stage short of normal civil aviation activities." In other words, these flights are a little more evolved than the repatriation flights, but have not yet reached the 'normal' stage. Under the arrangement, airlines from both the countries are allowed to operate a specified number of flights between cities. Following is the list of the 21 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, the US, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Netherlands, Canada, Iraq, Kenya, Oman and Ukraine. Even though domestic flights resumed in May, India has kept scheduled international travel suspended. It is now suspended till November 30. Since May though, the government has been operating international flights under the Vande Bharat Mission repatriation exercise. The Ministry of Civil Aviation had released guidelines on who can travel out, or travel to India, under the repatriation and travel bubble flights. A complete list of the guideline, specific to each country, can be seen here. In October, the government had relaxed visa restrictions for international passengers, with only those on tourist visa now barred from entering the country.

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India’s first solar-powered miniature train launched at Veli Tourist Village in Kerala

A solar energy-driven miniature train, billed as the country’s first of its kind, was inaugurated at the Veli Tourist Village here by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday. The train, which would be an attraction for children especially, was part of a string of projects totally worth Rs 60 crore taken up to elevate the facilities at the panoramic destination to international standards. Vijayan also dedicated an “Urban Park” and a swimming pool at the eco-friendly tourist village, located on the outskirts of the state capital where the Veli Lake meets the Arabian Sea. The miniature rail has all the features of a fully- equipped rail system, including a tunnel, station and a ticket office. The train has three bogies that can accommodate around 45 people at a time. “The eco-friendly solar-powered 2.5 km miniature railway will enable visitors to enjoy the beauty of nature. The Rs 10 crore project is the first of its kind in the country,” the Chief Minister said in his online address. Artificial steam spouted by the engine of the train, modelled after the vintage steam locomotive, will stir nostalgic feelings. The station house was also designed in a traditional style. The surplus energy generated by the system will be routed to the Kerala State Electricity Board’s grid, Vijayan said. A tourist facilitation centre, convention centre and Art Cafe are also to be opened at Veli soon. The convention centre will have an art gallery, digital display facility to feature major tourism and cultural centres of the state and an open-air theatre. These world-class facilities will impart a new look to Veli, the Chief Minister said. Tourism Minister Kadakampalluy Surendran, who presided, noted the government had allotted around Rs 120 crore for the tourism sector. Of these, administrative sanction has been given to Rs 60 crore worth projects at Veli itself. This showed the governments determination to transform Veli into one of the most attractive destinations for tourists, he said. Among the projects at Veli, Rs 20 crore worth of works have been completed, and other schemes were progressing, he said adding the tourist facilitation centre will be opened in January. The urban park entailed a budget of Rs 5 crore and the swimming pool Rs 2.5 crore.

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Kaziranga National Park starts elephant safaris; COVID-19 protocol in place

Assam's Kaziranga National Park resumes its much-awaited elephant safaris, a few days the park has been thrown open to tourists. However, officials at the park allowed booking for only 37 seats while following COVID-19 protocols. The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve were thrown open to visitors on October 21. Referring to this, Assam Minister of Excise, Forest and Environment and Fisheries Parimal Suklabaidya welcomed the tourists to 'get amazed at majestic Kaziranga'. The park has been closed since March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and flood, and was thrown open recently. While jeep safaris were on, elephant safaris were on hold till now. As per the park authorities, tourists from both Assam and outside the state, including foreign tourists, have been visiting the spot in large numbers. Regarding the elephant safaris, Kaziranga National Park director P. Sivakumar, while talking to the media, said that they have resumed the elephant safaris with just 10 elephants and that the number will be increased on the basis of the response in the coming days. He also added that privately-owned elephants would be subsequently allowed to undertake safaris at the Bagori range of the park after November 10. He also added that as against 100 per cent booking, i.e., 40 seats per day under Kohora range for the elephant safaris, they have allowed only 37 seats for occupancy while adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols. The park authorities also stated that the Laokhowa-Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary will also be thrown open for visitors from November.

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Surge in demand for rail travel: Out of 736 special trains, 327 have waitlisted passengers

New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Out of the 736 special trains currently in operation, 327 have passengers in the waiting list, the Railways said Monday, indicating a major surge in demand from people keen on travelling even as the coronavirus pandemic refuses to die down. According to data provided by the Railways, the average occupancy of these special trains is around 92 per cent. 'We are monitoring these 327 trains daily. Once we determine the nature of the waitlist -- for how many days is the waitlist and how long -- we will run clone trains on those routes. 'We have been saying that we will introduce trains wherever necessary, but they will be only reserved trains and will follow all coronavirus protocols,' said Railway Board Chairman and CEO V K Yadav at a press briefing on Monday. The Railways, which had suspended all passenger train services since the lockdown in March, has so far earned Rs 3,322 crore as revenue from the segment, which is 90 per cent less than what it earned during the same period last year, Yadav said. Other than the 736 special trains being operated, the Railways is also running 200 services of the Kolkata Metro, 2,276 Mumbai suburban services, 20 special clone trains and 436 festival special trains from October 20 to November 30. Yadav said while the overall occupancy of the 736 trains is around 92 per cent, 19 trains have occupancy below 30 per cent, 44 have occupancy between 30 per cent and 50 per cent, 83 trains have occupancy between 50 per cent and 75 per cent and 327 trains have waitisting. Yadav also said besides Mumbai, the Railways is geared to begin suburban services in other cities. Discussions are underway with the West Bengal and the Tamil Nadu governments in finalising modalities for the resumption of suburban services there, he said. While passenger trains have all but stalled, the Railways' freight business seems to be speeding forward with incremental loading of over 14.32 metric tonne over October 2019. In October this year, the freight revenue was Rs 869 crore more than last year and it also saw the highest ever automobile loading. While 320 rakes of automotives were loaded in October 2020, as many as 162 were loaded in 2019 which is around a 97.5 per cent increase. Overall this year, the cumulative automobile loading surpassed last year with 1,156 rakes as compared to 886 rakes till October 2020 which is a 30.5 per cent increase.

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India now has an air bubble arrangement with Japan

The Indian embassy tweeted this news, announcing that India and Japan are a part of the bubble system. According to a latest development, Air India is to start Delhi-Tokyo flights that can only be boarded by some permitted categories of travellers. Earlier, India had started air bubbles with other nations such as Canada and the Maldives. While the Coronavirus is still affecting lives, businesses are opening up with caution, and Standard Operating Procedures. Air India’s air bubble scheme with Tokyo has started from November 2, and shall be operational until December 28, 2020 while flights from Tokyo to Delhi will start from November 4, and shall be operational until December 30, 2020. This is, in fact, a glorious time to visit Japan as the autumn is in full bloom, and the famous cherry blossoms would be visible during this time. Autumn in Japan runs from mid-November to early-December. So, if you have always wanted to see autumn in Japan, this might be your chance to do so. However, do keep in mind that not all categories of travellers would be permitted to fly. There are certain rules and protocols in place for international fliers during the pandemic. The year-end is of course a great time to travel, but that seems to have slowed down this year. And, if you do decide to travel, always maintain social distance, and follow protocols.

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Himachal Pradesh government starts bus service on Kullu-Manali and Keylong route through Atal Tunnel

Ever since the Atal Tunnel has been thrown open for the tourists visiting Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, the state government has been noticing a growing rise in the number of visitors. According to the reports, the government of Himachal Pradesh has started eco-friendly electric buses between Kullu-Manali and Keylong. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) recently ran a bus on the aforementioned route but on a trial basis. Atal Tunnel is the longest in the world measuring 9.02 km and as high as 10000 feet is a major gateway to facilitating perennial access to Lahaul and Spiti. Mangal Manepa, HRTC Regional Manager, Keylong, confirmed to a leading news agency that the electric bus’ trial was successful. Atal Tunnel has been made under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range on the Leh-Manali Highway. It was inaugurated for public on October 3, 2020.

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