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Dec 2004
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Luxury tourist train in Karnataka

     New Delhi: The Indian Railways will run a luxury tourist train in Karnataka on the pattern of the Palace On Wheels train in Rajasthan sector. The luxury train in Karnataka will be marketed by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation for ticketing and provision of hospitality services. According to a press release, the train will cover a distance of 2155 kilometres on Bangalore-Mysore-Hasan-Hospet (Hampi)- Gadag- Londa-Madgaon-Bangalore sector. The traian will have 18 coaches including 11 air conditioned saloon cars, one air conditioned bar car, one conference car, one air conditioned restaurant car, one staff car and two power cars. The train will operate throughout the year. During the peak season from October to March, the tariff per night per person for foreign tourists will be 300 dollars per night per person and for Indian tourists Rs. 11640 per night per person. During off season in April, May, August and September, the tariff for foreign tourists per night per person will be 200 dollars and for Indian tourists Rs. 7760 per night per person. The introduction of luxury tourist train in Karnataka in early 2005 follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Karnataka Government and the Indian Railways on December 20, 2002.
- Dec 24, 2004

Fog forces flight diversions to Jaipur (Go to Top)

     Jaipur: Heavy fog across northern India today forced many flights heading towards to the Indian capital to stop at Jaipur. Road, rail and air traffie in Delhi was thrown out of gear on Wednesday. Most people also opted to stay home because of the chilly weather. Several flights were diverted to Jaipur as they could not land in New Delhi "My flight is delayed till 10.30 a.m. (local time) so I have no option but to wait as I have come from a long distance. So, a lot of hardship one has to go through. Wish some other kind of response mechanism was available here which ensures that passengers are informed prior to the delays," said Anup Kumar, a passenger. "I have so many things to do. So many appointments, but because of this inconvenience I have got troubled. And of course I am alone, it's more terrible." said Roopa, a stranded passenger in Jaipur. Rail traffic too was disrupted by the poor visibility. Passengers had to wait for hours as trains were either running late or rescheduled. Weather office has blamed high atmospheric humidity for the heavy fog. While the mercury levels are mild by some standards, they can prove deadly in India where thousands are homeless or live in shacks without heat.
- Dec 22, 2004

Rail enquiry service (Go to Top)

     New Delhi: Indian Railways have decided to integrate the various train enquiry services into one single platform of common No. 139, a computer server based Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) provided with adequate number of lines to cater to the users. To increase the availability of this service to larger users, the enquiry system will work as a Call Centre within one BSNL Basic Circle. This new concept will make 139 (the service number) accessible to all telephone landlines, WLL and Mobile users in one Telecom Circle without prefixing the STD codes within such Circle to make it a local call. Two such Call Centres at Patna and Bangalore have been commissioned since November 29, 2004, with 240 lines each terminated with a capacity to handle 100,000 calls daily. Apart from the automatic IVRS, which will provide Passenger Numerical Record (PNR) status, accommodation availability, train arrival/ departure information, 12 agents will also man the Call Centres to provide more user specific information. This system, when successful, will be extended across the Indian Railways at every BSNL Circle to provide a unified 3 digit Railway Enquiry System through advanced computer based IVRS to users.
- Dec 22, 2004

Tourism flourishes in Manali after heavy snowfall (Go to Top)

     Manali: Early snowfall in Himachal Pradesh has set the business tones ringing. After a decade, the Himalayan region has received rainfall ahead of Christmas, which is attracting large number of tourists from across India. Manali hill town has been enveloped with a thick white blanket. The neighbouring Kashmir also received heavy snowfall. Chilly winds could not dampen the spirit of revelers who were seen in large numbers enjoying the weather. More and more tourists, especially honeymoon couples, are visiting the hill station to experience the snowfall. "We were not expecting snowfall at this time as there is generally no snowfall in this month. But now we are enjoying too much," said Vineet Sondhi, a tourist from neighbouring Dalhousie. Tribal valleys of Lahaul and Pangi in Himachal Pradesh were cut off from rest of the state while the mighty Rohtang pass in Kullu district also had good snowfall. The mid and lower hills including state capital Shimla shivered under piercing cold wave conditions with strong velocity winds sweeping the region. For the hotel owners its time for brisk business again. 70 percent of the city hotels have been booked ahead of Christmas and new year. "This year after a span of 8-10 years we have received snowfall before Christmas. So large number of tourists will come here and witness the white sheet. It is very good for tourism as well as for the agriculture," said Praveen, general secretary of hotel owners association, Manali. Keylong, the headquarter of the upper reaches of Lahaul and Spiti, also had good snowfall of 15 centimetre with the temperatures coming down minus 10 degrees. This year it's a white Christmas awaiting the tourists at various hill resorts in northern India.
- Dec 21, 2004

Cold wave hits north, eastern parts of country (Go to Top)

    Patna: Northern and eastern parts of the country felt bone-chilling cold today morning as cold wave and heavy snowfall in the Himalayan reaches brought the temperatures down. Normally, the cold wave hits Bihar and Uttar Pradesh during first week of January, but this year it has hit the states early. The thick fog has already disrupted flight and trains schedules from Patna. "Probably it is the coldest day of this year. It is very cold here. Normal life has been disrupted. Trains are delayed, some have been cancelled," said Mahesh, a local. Motorists and two-wheelers had a tough time as there was almost zero visibility. The cold wave has specially hit people living below the poverty line. People hurdled around roadside fires are a common sight. "There are no arrangements for us to fight this cold. We sleep on the footpath. We do not have blankets or beddings. We somehow manage to burn a little fire, there are no logs available, said Baidhnath, a rickshaw-puller. While mercury levels are mild by some standards, they can prove deadly in India where thousands are homeless or live in shacks without heat. Lack of good food worsens the cold's impact, lowering body heat and leading to hypothermia.
-Dec 21, 2004

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