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Now, a spa and a gym for railway passengers (Go to Top)

          On Board the Deccan Odyssey: Railway passengers can now look forward to having a more interesting journey, especially if they opt to travel in the luxurious Deccan Odyssey. Passengers undertaking a tour of Maharashtra on this train can also enjoy facilities like a full-fledged spa and a beauty salon, besides workouts in a gymnasium and a refreshing steam bath. Not surprisingly, many of the passengers described their journey as an unforgettable experience.

          "It's the first time I have got a massage done on a train and it is an absolutely invigorating experience. The treadmill was also great. She (the masseur) is also really good and has given great massage," said Parineeta Sethi, a passenger. Most of the spa's staff said that their main objective is to provide a hassle-free and value-added travel to their patrons. "This spa room area is travelling with the wheels. This is a different experience that even I have had. Here, we are having a salon and a small gym. We have got a massage parlour and a sauna. In the salon, we have basic treatments for manicure, pedicure, highlights for hair colour and shampoo. In the massages, we are having Swedish, aromatic, foot and back massages," said Sonali Kadam, the Deccan Odyssey's spa expert.

          The Deccan Odyssey has 48 suites in total, 11 air-conditioned cabin cars with four presidential suites, a conference car, two restaurant cars with attached bars and a health car with a gym, beauty salon and a yoga centre. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had flagged off the train from Mumbai last month. The 21-coach train, built at a cost of Rs.320 million, is a joint venture of the Railways and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. The state government hopes to recover the amount at the end of three years.
-Feb 7,  2004

Jaisalmer desert festival (Go to Top)

          Jaisalmer: Jaisalmer's three-day desert festival concluded here amid fanfare after showcasing Rajasthan's folk culture and rural sport in all its glory. Turban tying competitions, camel races, folk songs and dances were some of the signature events at the festival. The folk dances, in particular, were backed by high-pitched music, taking the audience to an euphoric high. The looping sand dunes provided the ideal background.
-Feb 6,  2004

Nagaland bans poultry sales (Go to Top)

          Kohima: Nagaland today imposed a ban on poultry sales in view of the potential threat from avian flu in neighbouring countries. Official sources said that the ban would apply to both domesticated and wild birds, day-old chicks, turkey poultry and other newly-hatched avian species, hatching eggs, semen of domesticated and wild birds, among others. Nagaland has a common border with Myanmar where avian flu has been reported. State veterinary and animal husbandry department officials said that while there was no large-scale import of chicken to Nagaland from Myanmar through the Moreh route in Manipur, processed meat and meat pickle imported from South-East Asian countries were available in the markets of Kohima and Dimapur. The state government has constituted various committees to monitor and prevent the spread of the bird flu, an official release said.
-Feb 6,  2004

Border vigil stepped up to stem bird flu (Go to Top)

          New Delhi: Government officials on Wednesday said vigil along the border areas has been stepped up to prevent illegal entry of birds. The government has banned imports of processed poultry but its outbreak in Pakistan where four million chicken have been slaughtered has created a scare among the people. VK Taneja, Deputy Director General (Animal Sciences), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, said the northern borders with Pakistan were put on high alert.

          "We have a higher focus with regard to the vigil on north-eastern border and in the Western sector with regard to Pakistan. Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat have mounted their vigil to ensure that no poultry bird is entering our country illegaly. And at the same time bordering state and area officials are regularly monitoring this and till date there is no problem as far as any poultry farming community and farms are concerned with regard to this disease," Taneja said in an exclusive interview with Asian News International. Taneja said chances of a bird flu outbreak in India were slim as the country's processed poultry imports were small, with five- star hotels being the main buyers.

          Media reports say chicken prices have crashed at the wholesale markets in New Delhi and other high consumption markets. States have been advised to immediately report any incident of bird flu and to destroy all chickens on any farm where a case is found. The government has also advised poultry farm owners in areas bordering Pakistan to be cautious and report any suspected bird flu deaths. Laboratories in India are equipped with facilities to test for the bird flu which has killed at least ten people in Vietnam and Thailand. The human victims, especially children, are believed to have caught the flu after coming into contact with infected chickens and there have been no cases of someone catching it from another person. But health officials fear the H5N1 avian flu virus might mix with human influenza and unleash a pandemic among people with no immunity to it.
-Feb 3,  2004

Kolkata shutdown paralyses rail traffic (Go to Top)

          Kolkata: A 12-hour Opposition-sponsored shutdown paralysed Kolkata on Tuesday. Traffic stayed off the roads and schools and business establishments were closed. The strike was called by the Opposition Trinamool Congress party against the hike in taxes by the Communist government. The Trinamool Congress also held the state government responsible for the lax law and order situation. Suburban train services were partially affected by the strike, causing harassment to commuters. Late last year, the government hiked the water tax by 3.2 percent and also increased fees for government colleges. The city's electricity provider also raised the power tariffs by 2.5 percent.
-Feb 3,  2004

 -ANI

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