NEW DELHI: Haj pilgrims have started leaving for Saudi Arabia. Altogether72,000 people were scheduled to undertake the pilgrimage. They take off from New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Jammu. The centre at Ahmedabad has been cancelled after the earthquake in Gujarat.

Air India will operate six chartered flights and 30 extra flights to Jeddah.There will be a total of 168 flights. Six 330-seater Lockheed aircraft have been leased from Kampuchean airlines. Saudi Airlines also will fly about 20,000 pilgrims. The pilgrimage is in two phases - the first from January 27 to February 26 and the second from March 8 to April 8.

At New Delhi airport there is a new terminal to ease the pressure on the main terminal. It has a massive hall which can accommodate 1000 pilgrims.There is also space for prayers. The terminal has a duty-free shop.

The Government has fixed a subsidised fare of Rs 12,000 per head. The subsidy is calculated to be Rs 19,044 per head, and the total subsidy  amount Rs 150 cr.

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan have signed agreements to continue the running of the Samjhauta Express train between India and Pakistan for another three years. The new agreement provides for economy class sleeper accommodation. Ordinary accommodation costs Rs 100 from New Delh to Lahore. The train terminates at Attari on the Indian side of the border. Pakistan's proposal to have it extended up to Amritsar was not agreed upon.

SAWAIMADHOPUR: The male tiger called Bambooram which was spotted by US President Bill Clinton during his visit to the tiger sanctuary last year and reportedly and not sighted since then, has been found, according to park officials.

It was thought earlier that this wild cat , aged 15 years, might have died a natural death. However, some wildlife enthusiasts had alleged that it had been poached, raising a controversy.

BHARATPUR: A stray tigress has entered the Bharatpur bird sanctuary and is posing a threat to bird-watchers.

First seen in August, the authorities are yet to tackle the problem though tourists have since been prohibited from entering certain areas of the  sanctuary as a first step. It is believed that the tigress digressed in from the Ranthambhore tiger reserve.

AGRA: The Department of Archaeology has discovered the `jal mahal' of Mughal emperor Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri.

Built as a chamber under a layer of water to stay off summer heat, the jal mahal finds a mention in the chronicles of Badayuni.

DEHRA DUN: The Badrinath shrine atop the Garhwal hills will reopen for  pilgrims on April 30 after the winter shut-down.
The date was fixed at a meeting of the temple committee at Narandranagar  palace of the former ruler of the Tehri state on Basant Panchami day on Jan 29 in  accordance with the tradition.

AHMEDABAD: Several foreigners on visit to Gujarat as well as some among those working at various projects in the State are reported missing in the devastating  earthquake that claimed over 20,000 lives in the State.

An instance is the Polish consulate in Mumbai seeking information on the whereabouts of Polish technicians who were working at the thermal power station in kutch.

Similarly, the Norwegian embassy in Delhi has sought the help of the Gujarat Government in locating six Norwegians who were on a visit to the state during the time of the earthquake and were reportedly mssing.

The embassy has given their names as: Daniel Fossum Bratbak, Hanne Olaussen, Surekha Prabhakar, Yogesh Roji Patel, Bhautikaben Manubhai Patel and Shruti Patel. 

NEW DELHI: The working hours of the Intenational Tourist Bureau have been extended. The bureau caters for foreign tourists.

Located in the first floor of the New Delhi railway station, the bureau will function from 8 am to 8 pm, instead of 5 pm, from Monday to Saturday, and till 2 pm on Sundays.