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60,000 flights saved annually due to current high-speed rail travel

Grant Shapps,the Transport Secretary said that HS1 is a true success story and they are fully committed to expanding international high-speed rail links between the UK and the rest of Europe as part of their work to be a truly Global Britain. The huge potential of high-speed rail is demonstrated in the new partnership to help the UK reach its net zero carbon emission target by 2050. Once the Eurostar’s routes to Amsterdam and Rotterdam reach their full potential and all other international destination are added to the network passenger which could make up to 4.9 million more international train trips in a year. An additional 470,000 tonnes of CO2e annually will be saved which is equivalent of 26,000 short-haul flights. CO2e means carbon dioxide equivalent. The warming impact of the other greenhouse gases on top of the carbon emissions is taken into consideration so it can be expressed as a single number. For train passengers the average carbon emission are 80 per cent lower than airline passengers over the same distance. According to HS1 about 200,000 people will use the high-speed services between London and Bordeaux each year. The recently opened 302 km high-speed line between Bordeaux and Tours will allow passengers to travel from London to south-west France in under five hours. Dyan Crowthwer, CEO of HS1 Ltd said that more and more people are switching to rail as the most environment friendly way of travelling between the UK and the growing list of destinations in mainland Europe. International travel can be enjoyed without hassle which is associated with airports and make important environmental savings along the way.

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Coronavirus update: A number of Holi events cancelled as a precautionary measure

With multiple Coronavirus cases in India, the simplest and necessary call-to-action is to avoid gatherings. Adhering to this, a lot of Holi events have been cancelled amid Coronavirus outbreak. Recently, the Prime Minister’s twitter handle stated that experts across the world have advised reducing mass gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19 or Novel Coronavirus. Hence, this year, he has decided not to take part in any Holi Milan programme. Following this, several other political leaders stated that they are also skipping Holi gatherings. Later, President Ram Nath Kovind’s office informed that this year, Rashtrapati Bhavan will not be holding Holi gatherings as a precautionary measure. Apart from these, many people have already cancelled Holi parties and gatherings as a precautionary measure against Coronavirus. Latest reports suggest that it is not only large-scale events but smaller societies also have gone ahead to cancel such events. Overall, the virus has impacted Holi celebrations in most parts of the country. Further, Delhi Tourism that hosts annual Holi events at Dilli Haat, INA, and Dilli Haat, Janakpuri, have also been cancelled. Referring to this development, a Delhi Tourism Official has announced that the event has been cancelled due to the measures taken by the Delhi Government to contain the Coronavirus outbreak. Also, public gatherings and Holi events have been cancelled across Noida and Greater Noida amid Coronavirus unrest in the region, RWAs (resident welfare associations) informed. The associations have also cancelled joint lunches, scheduled programmes, and event celebrations like rain dance as a precautionary measure. In Greater Noida also, the Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (NEFOWA) announced that they have also cancelled mass gatherings to celebrate Holi festival.

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Coronavirus: Bhutan confirms first case, 8 Indian tourists with suspected symptoms admitted in hospital

Bhutan on Friday confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country. The patient is a 76-year-old from the United States who have a travel history to India. He had come to Bhutan on March 2 from Guwahati, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering office confirmed in a statement. The patient has been isolated in the COVID-19 hospital. He is kept on oxygen support considering his age and underlying conditions. The patient was traveling with his partner, aged 59 along with 10 passengers on board, of which eight others were Indian nationals. The close contacts were his partner, the driver and the guide. While all three are asymptomatic for now, they have been quarantined at the designated COVID-19 hospital. The eight Indian passengers have also been quarantined. The government is closely working with the Indian Embassy. Over 90 contacts have been traced so far. Health officials and other relevant agencies are in the process of carrying out primary disease management and contact tracing. Contact tracings were launched as per the patient's itinerary. It included people he associated with at all the points and stops along the way, starting from Paro airport to Thimphu, to Punakha and back. It included tea stops at Druk Wangyal Cafe, and lunch at Punakha High School park. Health ministry has asked the four crew members of the particular flight, and the hotel staff at both Le Meridien and Densa Boutique Resort to "home quarantine". Which means they should stay home and maintain distance from people, including family members. Until all suspicions are ruled out, health officials will closely monitor and provide all services at respective homes.

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Uttarakhand: Gairsain to be its summer capital

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has announced that his government will make Gairsain the summer capital of Uttarakhand. This historic announcement was made by the Chief Minister in the state assembly, soon after presenting the budget. This means Uttarakhand will now get a permanent summer capital, two decades after it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh as a separate state. As per reports, locals have been demanding to have a capital at Gairsain for a long time, a town which is nestled in Garhwal, at around 280 km away from Dehradun. Chief Minister Rawat mentioned that this announcement is also dedicated to the struggle of everyone involved in the said struggle. With this landmark decision, Uttarakhand also becomes the second state after Jammu and Kashmir in the country to have two capitals. The Chief Minister, after making the announcement, said that there are many areas in which work needs to be done, and there will be a set timeline for which Gairsain, situated in Chamoli district of the state, would start functioning as the state capital. He further added that they will sit together, work out the plan and start making preparations in this regard. Further, when questioned about how basic infrastructure issues would be addressed in the hill town, the Chief Minister acknowledged that the biggest concern in Bharairisain, which is situated around 14 km from Gairsain and houses the assembly building, is water crisis. He also added that he has spoken to engineers, and asked them to develop a lake near Bhararisain, which can help sort out the issue of water deficiency in Gairsain and the surrounding area.

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No coronavirus case in Sikkim, 4.06 lakh passengers screened

The Sikkim government has said that over 4.06 lakh passengers arriving in the state have been screened so far for coronavirus infection, but no positive case has been detected. A total of 69,734 vehicles have been stopped for checking at Utteray, Ramman, Rangpo, Reshi and Melli checkposts and 4,06,993 passengers screened for symptoms of coronavirus, but no positive case has been found in Sikkim till date, a statement issued by the state health department said. However, 14 passengers have reported their "travel history connected with China and Nepal". Though no passenger has been detected with symptoms of coronavirus or referred as suspects or quarantined, four have been kept under observation as a precautionary measure, the statement said on Wednesday. Health and family welfare secretary-cum-director general Pempa T. Bhutia has asked all district magistrates to take steps to deal with any situation in the wake of reports of outbreak of the disease in different parts of the country. A total of 28 COVID-19 positive cases have been detected in India so far, according to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

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Coronavirus has no impact on Goa tourism

Goa's heat and humidity are detrimental to spread of coronavirus, according to Ports Minister Michael Lobo. Tourist arrivals had increased after the outbreak, he said here on Wednesday. "Right now we are doing better than before, because people can't travel to Thailand, China, Italy and other destinations. They are coming to Goa pushing the number of Indian tourists up," Lobo said. Lobo, MLA from the Calangute constituency, home to some of the most popular beaches in the state, said, "We have seen rise in the number of foreign tourists too. They can't travel to those countries. They are travelling to India and coming to Goa too". Lobo said this when the Goa travel and tourism industry had expressed worry about dip in arrivals after the global coronavirus scare. As far as Goa was concerned, he said it was safe. "With this weather, I don't think the virus can spread," he said and added, nothing would stop tourists from coming here. Goa, top beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country, received more than seven million tourists last year. Nearly half a million of them were foreigners.

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