News

Char Dham Yatra: Daily pilgrim number increased; e-passes mandatory

The Uttarakhand state government has issued fresh guidelines for Char Dham Yatra, along with increasing the daily number of pilgrims to be allowed in the yatra. Initially, only a handful of pilgrims were allowed to visit the Char Dham daily, i.e., Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri, but the board is now set to raise its daily cap on the pilgrim numbers. The number of pilgrims to be allowed to visit these shrines per day will be 3000. Referring to this, Chief Executive Officer of Char Dham Devasthanam Board (UCDDMB) Ravinath Raman said that the limit of daily pilgrims has been increased for all the four shrines. The board added that it will be mandatory for everyone to register and obtain e-passes from the UCDDMB. The Chief Executive Officer said that the e-passes will, however, be issued on the basis of availability of accommodation, food, and other arrangements, including social distancing, as assessed by respective district magistrates. This step has been taken to facilitate the increased footfall of pilgrims after Unlock-5. Reportedly, the limit of daily visitors to Badrinath and Kedarnath has been taken up to 3000 per day. Apart from this, 900 pilgrims will be allowed per day at Gangotri, whereas 700 will be allowed in Yamunotri per day. Earlier, the limited number of pilgrims were allowed to visit the pilgrims per day; while 800 was permitted in Kedarnath, 1200 in Badrinath, 400 in Yamunotri, and 600 in Gangotri. As of now, pilgrims are also exempted from producing a COVID-19 negative report to visit the Char Dham shrines. Also, as per the new guidelines regarding the visit to Char Dham Yatra, pilgrims will be required to undergo thermal scanning, and if their temperatures are not within normal limits, they will have to take COVID-19 tests as well as bear the cost of the same. Further, as per the guidelines, if anyone develops symptoms that are similar to COVID-19, they should avoid visiting the shrine. Also, as per the reports, pilgrims visiting the shrines via heli services, will not have to produce an e-pass too.

Read more

No 7-day mandatory quarantine in Nepal for tourists having Covid-19 negative report

In a bid to revive the hard-hit tourism industry, Nepal on Friday announced that foreign tourists having COVID-19 negative report will not be required to quarantine themselves for seven days from October 17. The move came after mounting pressure from travel and tourism entrepreneurs to open up the country's tourism sector for international visitors, as the industry is passing through a difficult time due to months-long lockdown. Earlier, a seven-day hotel quarantine was mandatory for all the tourists coming to the country. Foreign trekkers and mountaineers wishing to visit Nepal from October 17 may walk free without staying in quarantine if they produce a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) negative report, said an official at the Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. According to the official, the tourism ministry is working to carry out instant antigen test for COVID-19 for foreign tourists upon their arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport. "If everything goes according to the plans, Nepal is fully opening up for tourism after October 17, when commercial flights will resume in international sector," said the official. Meanwhile, Nepal on Friday reported a record 2,722 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 82,450. With the death of 11 more patients, the country's death toll reached 520. During a virtual press briefing, Dr Jageshwar Gautam, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, said that 14,749 PCR tests were conducted at various labs across the country. This is the highest single-day spike of coronavirus cases in Nepal since the country confirmed the first COVID-19 case in January. The Kathmandu Valley, which has emerged as one of the hotspots of coronavirus infections, reported 1,638 cases in a single day. Nepal also recorded the highest number of recoveries in the last 24 hours with 3,307 patients getting discharged, taking the country's national recovery tally to 60,696. There are currently 21,234 active patients.

Read more

Delhi’s Akshardham Temple to reopen from October 13 with due COVID-19 safety guidelines

The famous Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in Delhi is ready to reopen after several months from October 13 albeit with strict COVID-19 norms. In March 2020, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha shut its temples across the world and stalled all its public activities in the wake of the novel Coronavirus. News also has it that all the weekly and daily gatherings, events and festival celebrations scheduled to be organised across BAPS Swaminarayan Shikharbaddh Mandirs, Hari Mandirs and satsang centres in India were also postponed. According to reports, following guidelines have been issued by the temple authorities for the public visitors to ensure safety from COVID-19 infection. - Only a limited number of people will be permitted to enter the premises of the temple between 5 PM to 7 PM. However, visitors who have had entry before the closing hours shall be allowed to stay till 8 PM. - Wearing masks or face shields is mandatory. Every visitor will be thermally screened at the entrance for Corona symptoms. - It has been decided to keep the exhibition hall of the temple closed. However, the musical fountain program will stay open. - Only a limited number of people shall be allowed to be seated in the musical fountain area in order to maintain physical distancing. - Food courts, bookshops, gardens and gift centres will remain open.

Read more

Dubai to unveil world’s largest fountain on Oct 22

In a bid to make a Guinness World Record, Dubai is all set to unveil the world’s largest fountain on October 22. The fountain will be located at the Pointe, a lifestyle and dining destination, and will be spread over 14,000 sq ft of sea water while its super shooter will be 105-metre tall and have over 3,000 LED lights. Omar Khoory, managing director, Nakheel Malls, said, “We look forward to the inspiration this will bring customers at The Pointe, residents of Palm Jumeirah, our retailers, tourists and the wider community.” Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said the Palm Fountain is yet another incredible addition to Dubai’s list of world-famous landmarks and is sure to be a big draw among residents and visitors alike. The Palm Fountain will have 20 bespoke shows with five different shows running daily between sunset and midnight (7 pm to 12 am) while swaying to an array of popular songs including Khaleeji, pop, classic, international and more. Each show will last three minutes and will be performed every 30 minutes. Xin Su, chairman, Beijing Water Design Technology, said, “We are proud to be part of the design, build and operation of The Palm Fountain — an extraordinary feat. As one of China’s largest fountain specialists, this project was unique for us as we had the opportunity to tackle many firsts in ingenuity.” Shaddy Gaad, senior marketing manager–MENA, Guinness World Records (GWR) said the fountain will be a great addition to Dubai’s long list of attractions. “The GWR is in the process of verifying the largest fountain and we look forward to hopefully seeing this world-class landmark being declared officially amazing,” Gaad said.

Read more

India, Germany to hold talks on October 6 on resumption of flights

Germany said on Friday it will hold talks with India on October 6 on how to resume passenger flight operations between the two countries. "We have received signals that India is also interested in a quick and satisfactory solution for both sides," the German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) told . On Tuesday, Lufthansa had announced cancellation of all "planned flights" between India and Germany from September 30 to October 20 because of an "unexpected rejection" of its flight schedule by the Indian authorities. Air India on Thursday cancelled all 12 flights between Frankfurt and India till October 14 because Germany withdrew its permission to operate them. In response to queries sent by the , the BMVI stated it and the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation are "confirmed to hold bilateral talks on October 6 through video conference". "The aim is to find a solution on how to restore civil air transport between Germany and India in the spirit of the existing air transport agreement between our two countries," it added. In response to question on what is the way forward to resolve the situation, the BMVI said it "does not want to anticipate the bilateral talks". "In the light of our long history of good aviation relations, we are convinced that we can reach a mutually beneficial solution. We have received signals that India is also interested in a quick and satisfactory solution for both sides," it added. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus lockdown. However, special flights have been permitted under "air bubble" arrangements India has formed with 16 countries, including Germany. Few hours after Lufthansa's announcement on Tuesday on the cancellation of flights, Indian aviation regulator DGCA had said there are restrictions in place for Indian nationals desiring to travel to Germany which was putting Indian carriers at a significant disadvantage resulting in inequitable distribution of traffic in favour of Lufthansa. "As against Indian carriers operating 3-4 flights a week, Lufthansa operated 20 flights a week. In spite of this disparity, we offered to clear 7 flights a week for Lufthansa which was not accepted by them. Negotiations continue," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) noted. Asked to comment on DGCA's observation about "inequitable distribution of traffic", the BMVI said on Friday that the German authorities, like Indian authorities, have adopted special entry requirements due to the coronavirus pandemic and they are applicable regardless of which airline is carrying passengers into Germany. "German airlines and their passengers must also comply with the regulations. Even in the crisis situation, the German authorities have in principle not restricted the frequencies approved for the 2020 summer flight schedule," the BMVI added. Lufthansa said on Tuesday it had applied for continuation of the special flights it was allowed to operate until the end of September but would now have to cancel them because of the "unexpected rejection". The German carrier said it "sincerely urges" Indian authorities to work together with the German government to establish a temporary travel agreement between both countries.

Read more

Hotels in Kullu-Manali reopen after a long break

After a break of six months, hotels in Kullu and Manali reopened on October 1. The Hoteliers Association Kullu-Manali had taken a decision to keep the properties closed till September 30 although the Himachal Pradesh government had relaxed ban on entry of tourists within the state borders. According to the reports, the reason behind delay in reopening the hotels was their demand for basic infrastructure like COVID testing facilities and a COVID care centre in Manali. Anup Thakur, president of Hoteliers Association Kullu-Manali, told a news website that about 50 percent hotels have reopened on October 1, and the remaining will also reopen very soon. He also said that inquiries for room booking are pouring in after the government reopened state borders for outsiders. Since the winter season is approaching, the hotels in Kullu-Manali are expecting increase in tourist bookings. Due to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Atal tunnel on Saturday, October 3, a lot of VIPs had been staying in Manali, Kullu and Lahaul town.

Read more