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April 2004
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Work on Nankana Sahib resort to start in May

         Lahore: The government in Pakistan's Punjab Province has announced plans to start work on building a modern tourist resort at Nankana Sahib next month. Provincial Tourism Minister Aslam Iqbal was quoted by the Daily Times as saying that the resort would be built over an area of over 12 kanals. The resort will have a restaurant, a souvenir shop and a tourist information centre, besides other facilities. The road from Sheikhupura to Nankana Sahib is also being repaired, the paper reported. Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhary Pervez Illahi has approved Rs.30 million for the project and the local government has provided Rs.12.372 million. Rs.400,000 would be spent on the provision of drinking water at the resort and Rs.8 million on sewage and sanitation facilities.
April 20, 2004

HP reels under severe water crisis (Go to Top)

         Dharamshala: A scorching heat wave coupled with a severe water crisis has thrown life out of gear in Himachal Pradesh, where many people are surviving on just two buckets of water a day. In the beautious Dharamshala region, the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile, wells have run dry and hand pumps are non-functional. Villagers have to queue up for hours, often literally battling to get their turn at the few functional handpumps and community taps. "It's been 45 years since I am here but the water problem has not been solved as yet. One handpump was installed here but it is dry in the summers. We managed without water in winters but in summers it would be very difficult for us," Urmila Devi, a resident, said. The problem might only worsen if the dry spell continues as most of the water supply schemes in the state are based on rainfed catchments. Local leaders said the water crisis in the Himalayan state is worsening in most big cities.

          "The situation is so disturbing that in Shimla people have to buy tokens to get water. The situation was not so bad two years ago," Krishna Kapoor of the state's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said. Though abundantly rich in water resources, large swathes of Himachal Pradesh do not have proper water supply schemes. In 1996, 400 million rupees were sanctioned solely for augmenting the state's archaic water plants but little has borne fruit. The state's farmers as well are a worried lot as about 40 percent of the crops stand to be adversely affected. India's weather office forecast on Thursday a near normal monsoon rain this year. The southwest monsoon is vital to the economic health of Asia's third-largest economy, with the farm sector generating about a quarter of the country's gross domestic product.
April 17, 2004

ISSMA-2004 on snow mountaineering begins in Manali (Go to Top)

          Manali: The International Symposium on Snow Mountaineering and Avalanches (ISSMA-2004) is underway in the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) in Manali. Chief Controller R and D (ACF) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) M Natrajan inaugurated the function on Wednesday. As many as 20 scientists from the USA, Switzerland, Germany, Russia, France besides India are participating in the symposium that will conclude on Friday. SASE Manali is one of the main field laboratories for collecting and doing research on snow and avalanche studies. "In this symposium we are having a three-day session in which we are demonstrating what we are doing and understanding what they are doing. We are showing our facilities to the scientists from other countries", Major General S. S. Sharma, director, SASE, said. "Over the years I have corresponded with many of the scientists here so it is chance for me to meet them in person and share their experiences thereby improving research I am doing", said Mathew Stuem, a scientist from the U.S. who was happy to participate in the symposium. SASE was established in 1969 and today is responsible for practically everything that goes into the snow-bound areas in the Himalyan region. Besides Manali, there is another SASE institute in Jammu and Kashmir.
April 15, 2004

Heavy downpour dampens Manipur festivities (Go to Top)

          Imphal: People in Manipur on Wednesday celebrated Cheiraoba, a harvest festival, with religious fervour and joy. During the festival, Meiteis, one of the prominent communities in the state, pray for good harvest and the god of grain is worshipped on the day. However, heavy downpour dampened the festivities. "Heavy downpour since early morning washed away the festive moods of the youngsters as well as the old ones as most of them faced difficulties while taking a walk to the nearby hillocks on this occasion. Otherwise, like the previous times we could have had a nice time," Ibom Cha, a young boy said. Married women give gifts to their parents and brothers on the occasion. A special meal is prepared in every household as divine offerings in the morning. When the food is offered the houdeholds pray for a good harvest. After the meal, the family members together take a walk to the nearby hillocks in their traditional attires. "Ougri-hangen-chongba",a unification dance of all the communities was performed in various parts of the state. Cheiraoba also heralds the new year according to the Manipur calendar.
April 15, 2004

350-year old palace in Madurai gets a facelift (Go to Top)

          Madurai: Repair and renovation work is in progress at Thirumalai Nayak Palace, one of the chief tourist attractions of Madurai, in Tamil Nadu, to give the 350-year old monument a new lease of life. Built by King Thirumalai Nayakar, the most famous ruler of the Nayak dynasty, in 1636 AD, the palace is renowned for its unique Indo-Sarcenic architecture, and is a shining example of the splendour of Nayaks. Of late, however, cracks had developed in its walls, roof and the whole structure was in a dilapidated state.

          Authorities in Madurai are, however, making all-out efforts to preserve the structure's originality, necessitating immediate renovation. "We are trying to restore this palace as it was originally constructed. We are not using cement mortar, but a combination mortar of lime and sand. It is a tedious process, nevertheless, it's being carried out under the expert guidance of our PWD officials. Sand and lime will be mixed and then would be ground together. Then after seven days, when it will be left to slag, and only then will it be used," said B. Chandramohan, the district collector of Madurai. Over 300 workers have been hired to give the historic building a facelift.

          Madurai is one of the oldest cities of India, with a history dating all the way back to the pre-Christian era. During the 16th and 18th centuries, Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Thirumalai Nayakar.
April 13, 2004

Mumbai trekkers cross the longest valley ropeway (Go to Top)

          Lingana Pinnacle (Maharashtra): A group of trekkers from Mumbai entered the Limca Book of Records, an India equivalent of the Guinness Book, by crossing a 1020-feet long valley using a ropeway. Arun Sawant along with a group of trekkers from Dhumketu group of trekkers in Maharashtra, crossed the massive valley, which lies between the famous pinnacle of Sahyadri hills and Raaling Plateau. The trekkers, who used a new technique-"flying fox" method, wherein the person is a vertical position while crossing- took only 14 minutes to cover the distance. The 1300 metre-long rope, used by the trekkers, was specially made for them. The rope was tied 3,000 feet above sea-level. Jatin Mhatre, technical coordinator of Dhumketu trekkers, said the new technique had made their task easier. "If you are crossing the valley in a normal way, you can cross 200-500 feet length very easily. But when you have a target of 1020, crossing normal way would be a difficult task and as the stress is on the back of your neck, it will pain too. Here the new technique, flying fox, comes for your help," Mhatre said. Sawant and Dhumketu trekkers had prepared for three months for the adventure. A group of trekkers from South Africa, who crossed a 2000-feet long valley by rope, holds the world record in this category.
April 13, 2004

Srinagar-Leh highway to be reopened next week (Go to Top)

          Srinagar: The crucial highway passing through Zojila, one of the highest mountain passes of the world, would be reopened by next week, Indian army said on Sunday. A convoy of the army passed through the road after the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) declared it traffic-worthy. "Earlier we had almost cleared this road by March 31 but we had not opened it officially as we had anticipated snowfall during this period. That's why we had not opened it earlier. But now we will open it by April 15," said K.Ashok, incharge commander of the BRO. The strategic Srinagar-Ladakh highway passes through the 11,578-feet high Zojila Pass which lies on the lower depression of the Himalayan ranges, about 100 kilometres from Srinagar.

          The pass attracts the heaviest snowfall during winter and it remains closed to traffic for nearly six months in a year. The accumulation of snow over the Zojila Pass, which was unprecedented this year, presents the biggest hurdle to traffic on the road. Ghulam Nabi, a porter, said many accidents have happened due to landslides. "We are 20-25 people here. At times there are lot of difficulties as there are landslides, or stones fall over. At times we clear the road and find that the portion is still covered with snow. In 1999 some 15 people were killed in landslides out here," said Nabi. The 434 kms long highway is Ladakh's lifeline and after Kargil skirmishes in 1999 with neighbouring Pakistan, the Central government has stepped up the pace of road construction because of the strategic significance of the area.
April 11, 2004

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