WMF to give 5 million dollars to conserve Jaisalmer fort

          New Delhi, Aug 13: The World Monument Fund (WMF) has agreed to give five million dollars to conserve a 12th century fort in Rajasthan. The Jaisalmer fort, declared as one of the world's most endangered sites, is under threat from tourism, urban decay and water percolation. "We are very much looking forward to working quickly with your staff, everyone involved in the efforts to save the fort. It's been a priority of the world monument fund since 1995 and today is a very big day and we are very pleased that it has come. Thank you very much," Mark Weber, director of the New York-based WMF, said in New Delhi on Tuesday after signing the agreement.

          Named after the Rajput ruler Jaisala who built it in 1156, the fort used to house an entire city. Even today about a quarter of the old city's population resides within the fort walls. In 1999, three of its 99 bastions collapsed after unusually heavy rains in the desert state and the famed 'Rani ka Mahal' (Palace of the Queen) was severely damaged. Tourism minister Jagmohan said the latest initiative would also boost tourism in a big way. "Its life will increase by hundreds of years and it will become a very splendid monument, which will attract a large number of tourists. It will also enable people from this country as well as people from abraod to see what a glorious heritage India has, what great pieces of art and architecture were produced in this country," Jagmohan said. Jaisalmer, famous mainly for its medieval forts, attracts around 150,000 domestic and 50,000 foreign tourists every year.

Fishing resumes as Goa lifts ban (Go to Top)

           Kutbana (Goa), Aug 13: Fishing in Goa has commenced after a two-month ban by the government. The ban is imposed every year from June 10 to August 11 to protect the breeding fish which are found in the waters in this season. Fishermen offered special prayers before going deep in the sea. "Today is Poornima (full moon day). By worshipping the sea it becomes peaceful. Storms are controlled. That is why it is important." said Gurudas, a priest, explaining the significance of the special prayers. Traders, who had been importing fish from neighbouring states during the ban period, said they hoped for good business in the coming season. "I hope we have a good season this year. But the problem is that other states have already started fishing. I hope God gives us a good season this year. Fishing has already started in Karnataka and Maharashtra from the 1st. We are starting ten days later," said Victor Gonsalves, a trader. Goa contributes 40 per cent of India's total prawns export and generates about 13 million dollars.

Foreigners throng Nasik for Pitcher festival (Go to Top)

          Nasik, Aug 11: Hundreds of foreign tourists watched in awe as sadhus took out a procession in Nasik city on Sunday during the Kumbh Mela or the pitcher festival. The highlight of the day was a procession of naked sadhus on horseback. Known as the nagas, they consider themselves as warriors ordained to protect the Hindu faith. The dreadlocked seers who live in remote caves and forests survive on herbs and roots and usually make their appearance only during the pitcher festival.

          Most of the foreigners said they were fascinated by the large gathering of seers. "I came here (India) specially for the Nasik Kumbh mela. It's a very nice place and I love it," said Veenitra from Holland. "It's incredible there are so many people here, you meet people from all over India. There are so many Sadhus (Hindu seers) here, all the people are laughing, it's holy, it's a real festival," said Francois, a French tourist. "I think the seers are very interesting. They are so colourful, with their long hair and wonderful figures. Perhaps, it is because they sit and meditate, where they can find real peace," said Thomas Jamrosiac from Poland.

          Security was tight to prevent clashes between the warring seers belonging to various sects. The 'Kumbh' normally lasts six weeks, but a rare alignment of celestial bodies has made this a year-long event. Pilgrims have been thronging Nasik, situated on the banks of the Godavari, since the festival began on July 30. One of the world's largest festivals, the 'Kumbh' is celebrated in rotation at one of the four cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik every three years. According to Hindu mythology Nasik is one of four places where the nectar of immortality fell to earth after Garuda, the winged carrier of Lord Vishnu, spilled it while flying off with the pitcher of nectar.

Snakeboat race a big draw in Alappuzha (Go to Top)

          Alappuzha, Aug 10: Alappuzha (Alleppy) town in Kerala, dubbed as the Venice of the East, came alive to the music of slithering boats as an annual boat race, the largest team sport in the world, was held on Saturday. The Nehru snakeboat race, named after the country's first premier Jawaharlal Nehru, is a gala event for this small town. While tourists come here for fun, most of the locals for whom the event is equivalent to a Las Vegas-style casino frenzy, wager their life's savings on the winner.

          Thousands of frenzied onlookers cheered frantically as 19 boats with nearly 126 rowers each cut through the calm water at speeds crossing 50 km an hour. For Olonga, a French tourist, the sight was amazing. "We are here for the last 20 days and I didn't want to miss the boat race. These are wonderful snakeboats and it's amazing to see them. It's the first time I saw them and I am very happy," said Olonga. Snakeboats are long and narrow country boats, originally designed to transport soldiers to the war front. But these days they are used exclusively for boat races.

Newly launched metro train derails in Hyderabad (Go to Top)

          Hyderabad, Aug 10: A newly-launched metro train derailed in Hyderabad on Sunday, barely a day after its inauguration. The accident took place between Boraband and hi-tec city stations after the train ran over two buffaloes who were crossing the 25 feet-high railway track. "We never expected the buffaloes to go onto such high tracks. It is very strange that these buffalloes got caught. When you say safety we mean safe tracks. But if someone crosses the tracks then we cannot ensure safety," said Stanley Babu, General Manager of the South Central Railway. Babu said no casualties or injuries took place.

          Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, state Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Railway Minister Nitish Kumar were among those who took ride in the inaugural train on Saturday. A partnership joint venture between the South Central Railway (SCR) and the Andhra Pradesh government, the Multi-Modal Transport Services (MMTS) services envisaged dotting a stretch of 43 km, with specially designed trains and feeder services, in two phases. The Hyderabad Metro, India's third after Kolkata and New Delhi, is in stark contrast to the country's antiquated and much- criticised railway network.

Rajaji Park security beefed up to counter poachers (Go to Top)

          Dehra Dun, Aug 10: In a bid to counter increased poaching during monsoon, forest officials in Rajaji National Park have deployed special anti-poaching squads to protect wildlife. Less than 30 km from Dehra Dun, capital of Uttaranchal, the renowned sanctuary is known for its Asiatic elephants and currently houses over 150 pachyderms. Though poaching is a regular problem, officials say monsoon in particular poses a greater threat as overflowing and heavy vegetation make patrolling difficult.

          Alarmed by the recent rise in poisoning and shooting cases of elephants, officials have now brought in former army personnel exprienced in combat training and jungle warfare to counter the highly-trained mafia. "We patrol both during day and night. We move in groups of eight to ten, sometimes more and try to catch hold of poachers and those who try to smuggle wood," said Rajeev Thapa, a special officer. N.K Singh, Deputy Director of the park, said the army personnel had added the much needed teeth to their defence. "The army men who have come here are well experienced in staying in such forests. Our forest guards have been inspired by this. It has helped greatly in keeping poachers and wood smugglers at bay," Singh said.

          Wildlife experts, however, maintain that it is a tall order for the poorly equipped force to man 820 square km of the forest reserve. State forest minister Nav Prabhat said the government was aware of the problem and would soon provide more resources. "With former army personnel we have the advantage that they can prove to be effective during a raid. We will try to get these personnel more and more equipment," Prabhat said. Last year more than 89 incidents of poaching of wild animals were reported in the state. Poaching, timber smuggling, man-animal conflict and encroachments pose major problems in the forest-rich national parks. Forests are a major natural resource in Uttaranchal as the state has at least 65 percent forest cover.

Goa-Delhi train derails, passengers safe (Go to Top)

          Pune, Aug 10: Six coaches of the Delhi-bound Goa-Nizamuddin Express derailed early Sunday near Adarki in Satara district of Maharashtra. However, there were no casualties. Railway sources said the accident took place at 1.50 am when the train, coming from Goa, crossed a ghat section. The train resumed its onward journey after accommodating the passengers of the derailed coaches.

Cockroaches found in Haldiram mixture packet (Go to Top)

          Lucknow, Aug 9: After PepsiCo and Coke, it was the turn of fast food chain Haldiram to suffer an image dent. The company suffered a setback when the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) seized a packet of Haldiram 'dalmoth' allegedly containing cockroaches. The packet was sent for a test on Friday. Uttar Pradesh Information Director Rohit Nandan, who found large number of cockroaches in the packet, has directed Lucknow's Chief Medical Officer Dr HB Kumar to have the specimen tested for contamination. Zonal Health Officer Dr A.K. Pandey and sanitary food inspectors A.M. Srivastava and Nafees Ahmad collected more samples of the namkeen from a supplier in Narhi, who had delivered the contaminated packet.

Himachal Pradesh bans polythene bags (Go to Top)

          Shimla, Aug 9: Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country to impose a complete ban on polythene bags. State Chief Minister Veerbhadra Singh said that non-compliance of the ban would result in imprisionment of five years or a fine of up to Rs. 5 lakh or both. He also said that a proper awareness drive would be undertaken to educate people on the ill-effects of polythene bags. Asserting that proper care would be taken to rehabilitate the small-scale industries affected by this ban, he said it was being introduced to preserve ecological balance. The people of Himachal are quiet happy with the move.

Cloud burst kills 23 in Manali, Kullu region (Go to Top)

          Shimla, Aug 8: A cloud burst in the hill station of Manali has claimed the lives of 23 people, most of them labourers. Reports reaching here on Friday said the incident had taken place last night near the village of Dhundi, close to the strategically located Rohtang Pass. Superintendant of Police of the Kullu region, Shivinder Thakur, was quoted as saying that the bodies had been recovered from the Kangni nullah, a tributary of the River Beas. Sixteen persons were still missing and the death toll could go up to 40, he said. He said the victims hailed from Bihar and Nepal and were engaged by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for construction of a road leading to a tunnel that is to be built through the Rohtang Pass to connect this hill resort to the tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti.

'Chari Mubarak' on way to Amarnath (Go to Top)

          Srinagar, Aug 7: A group of pilgrims on Thursady left for Amarnath, a cave shrine 3,880 metres above sea level in the Himalayas, carrying the 'Chari Mubarak', the holy mace of Lord Shiva, from Srinagar. The pilgrims led by Mahant Dipendra Giri, head priest of the Amarnath cave temple and also the custodian of the holy maces, offered prayers at the Akhara temple at Lal Chowk in the city. Earlier, the pilgrims had performed rituals at Sankaracharya temple devoted to Lord Shiva in Srinagar to mark the commencement of the pilgrimage.

          The pilgrimage would conclude on August 12 when the mace reaches the Amarnath shrine. Adequate security arrangements have been made for the pilgrimage which would stop over at various militancy-hit areas. SK Sinha, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, who was present at the ceremony, said the number of pilgrims has increased manifold this year. "This year the pilgrimage has been successful. The number of people coming for the pilgrimage has increased and despite that it has been peaceful. There are three more days to go and everything is going fine," said Sinha. Thousands of devotees are expected to join the procession at Pahalgam, the base camp of the pilgrimage, 96 km from Srinagar.

          Legend has it that the cave was discovered by a Muslim shepherd, Adam Malik, four centuries ago. His descendants still receive a share of the cash and other offerings made by devotees to Lord Shiva at the cave. The pilgrimage leads devotees through monsoon rain-swollen streams and past a glacier-fed lake to the Amarnath cave, 141 km from Srinagar.

Fake currency racket busted in Raipur (Go to Top)

          Raipur (Chattisgarh), Aug 7: Police in Raipur busted an inter-state fake currency racket, seizing Rs 28,000. Five people, including a doctor, have been arrested. The gang was busted after two of its members were caught trying to pass off fake notes to a hotel. Police seized computers, laser printers and scanners, used for printing the fake 100 rupee notes, from their hideout at Dhamtari, on the outskirts of the city.

          "We were getting regular information about fake currency, particularly 100 rupee notes, being circulated. Based on this information the police apprehended Dr. Arun Sinha (main accused) and on his leads we arrested more people and recovered Rs 28,000 fake notes. We have also seized the currency making machine, scissors etc from the offenders," said city suprintendent of police, Dipanshu Kabra.

          Kabra said the gang was equipped to print millions worth of fake currency and were initiating young boys into the racket. "He lured me into the racket. He used to give me all the computerised equipment. First he gave me Rs 5,000 and then I learnt that one can make fake notes by simply pressing a few buttons, "said one of the accused. Fake currency rackets are not uncommom in India, particularly in border areas like Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

Two Air-India flights to China (Go to Top)

          Mumbai, Aug 5: Close on the heels of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's visit to Beijing, Air-India will operate two flights to China per week from December, said newly appointed AI Managing Directgor Sunil Arora. Arora told reporters here on Tuesday that the flight will operate on the Mumbai-Delhi-Bangkok-Shanghai sector on an A-310 aircraft. Currently there is a single flight between the two countries operated by China Eastern Airlines.

Bangla cabinet okays Dhaka-Agartala bus service (Go to Top)

          Dhaka, Aug 5: The Bangladesh Cabinet has given the go-ahead for the proposed Dhaka-Agartala bus service starting this month. Official sources said here on Tuesday that the Dhaka-Agartala bus service would be launched on the lines of the Kolkata-Dhaka bus service. Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan told newspersons here that the approval was in keeping with the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting held in Dhaka on July 14-15 wherein it was decided to extend the bus service.

Shutdown in Uttaranchal disrupts normal life (Go to Top)

          Dehra Dun, Aug 5: Normal life came to a stanstill in Uttaranchal on Tuesday after a number of organisations in the state called for a shutdown. "The shops are closed. No vehicles are plying. Attendance in government offices is also very low. It has definitely affected normal life", said G S Martolia, S P, Dehra Dun. The shutdown was called by Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and Uttarakhand Democratic Front to protest against a high court order to acquit Anant Kumar Singh, former DM of Muzaffarnagar, who was involved in police firing on activists demanding bifurcation of Uttar Pradesh in 1994. Angry protestors took to the streets, Another bandh and chakka jam has been called for September 2 on the same issue. Uttaranchal was given the status of a separate state on February 8, 2000.

Gangsters pose as police to fleece foreign tourists (Go to Top)

          New Delhi, Aug 4: Three members of a gang of cheats fleecing foreign tourists by impersonating as policemen have been arrested in Delhi. They are Rajesh, Raju and Sunny, in their twenties. The arrest followed a complaint lodged by a Japanese tourist at a police station in Connaught Place that she had been deprived of the cash and traveller's cheques she was carrying at the New Delhi railway station, according to a police report.

          The modus operandi is like one sub-group of the network would approach a foreign tourist and pass on narcotics while another will pose as police and stop them later for carrying drugs. In a search that they stagemanage thereafter, all vauables are removed from the bags of the unsuspecting foreign tourist. The network is well-organised and involves several cheats. They trap their victims in areas around Connaught Place and the railway stations.

Private operators begin Agartala-Dhaka bus service (Go to Top)

          Agartala, Aug 2: Indian and Bangladeshi private tour operators on Saturday began a bus service between Tripura and Bangladesh. India had given the go-ahead for a government-run bus service between Agartala, capital of Tripura, and Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. However, Dhaka is yet to give its nod. The original schedule of a maiden run on August 9 was deferred indefinitely last month. While the government is undecided, private operators are eyeing the region's huge Bangladeshi migrant population.

           At least two operators have planned weekly tours and are already booked for weeks in advance. Passengers said they were happy to get a chance to visit their ancestral homes. The week-long package tour will cover major tourist spots in Bangladesh. Bangladesh and India opened the direct Dhaka-Kolkata bus service in April 1999. The 155-km Dhaka-Agartala bus service was slated to be the second route. Bus services between India and Pakistan were resumed last month.

Atari station decks up for Samjhauta (Go to Top)

          Atari (Punjab), Aug 2: Preparations are on at the Atari railway station in Punjab for the possible resumption of Samjhauta Express, the only rail link with Pakistan. Although both sides have not formally announced any date for the resumption of the rail service, it is believed to be yet another fence mending exercise between the two countries after the resumption of Delhi-Lahore bus service.

           The train which runs from Delhi to Lahore was discontinued after an attack on Parliament in December 2001, which India blamed on Pakistan-based militants. The trans-border passenger train used to be the cheapest means of travel, the fare being as low as Rs 166, and a large number of people travelled by it to meet their families and relatives separated during the 1947 partition. Surinder Singh, a wireless mechanic at the Atari railway station, the last rail head on the Indian side, said engineers are sprucing various systems including a CCTV (Closed Circuit Television), in anticipation of the likely resumption of the train service. "When the train was discontinued, we had to hand over the cameras to the railway authorities. Now with the possible resumption of bus service between the two nations, we have been asked to install and check all the systems," said Singh.

           The livelihood of most people of this township, about 20 kms away from Amritsar, depended on this train as it was the only major train to arrive at this remote station. The train also supported numerous local businesses like porters, taxi services and restaurants. Jagdish Lal, who has been running a small time shop for sixteen years near the Atari railway station, is hopeful of better business once the cross-border train resumes. "Conditions are improving in Atari. With the resumption of the train everyone will get work. The rickshaw-pullers are also dependent on this train and when the train resumes, they will get work. The poor rickshaw-pullers are unemployed. They are able to earn only 25 rupees and don't have much to do. When the rail services resume everyone will get employment," said Lal. For many Indians the Samjhauta Express is more than just a train. It is an emotional link with friends and families on either side of the border.

Buddhist township excavated in Sirpur (Go to Top)

          Sirpur, Aug 1: The Archaeological Survey of India,during a recent excavation, discovered a Buddhist township dating back to the 6th century in Sirpur, Chhattisgarh. The Boddhisatva Nagarjun Smarak Sanstha, with the permision of the Archeological Survey of India, carried out the excavation. "We feel happy when we find something like this," said Arun Kumar Sharma, an archeologist, under whom the excavation was carried out. The township is under reconstruction. It is being done with the same bricks that were recovered from the township. The newly-revealed township would definitely add to the existing USP of tourism and would place Sirpur as an important place in the Buddhist tourist circuit.

 -ANI

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