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Nov 2004
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Tatkal scheme in all mail and express trains

       New Delhi: Tatkal Scheme, booking for which starts on November 14, will commence from the following day. Under the new scheme, Tatkal reservation currently available in about 100 trains mostly in non-AC class will cover all Mail and Express trains in both AC and non-AC classes.

      According to a press release, in the new scheme, the availability of Tatkal berths and seats will increase manifold. In Air- conditioned classes, the number of berths available for Tatkal booking will increase from the present 700 to about 11,000 berths and seats per day. This will register an increase of 16 times. Similarly, in non air-conditioned classes, the number of berths available per day will go up from the present about 6,000 to about 36,000 per day, increasing by 6 times. The new Scheme will cover all important Mail and Express Trains by December 31, 2004.

       Tatkal Scheme provides convenience to passengers, who plan their journey at short notice. The new Scheme seeks to simplify the procedure for obtaining Tatkal ticket. Accordingly, the pre- condition of production of Identity Card by the passenger at the time of purchasing the Tatkal ticket and to carry the same during the journey has been dispensed with. This has eliminated a big cause of complaints from users. Tatkal charges have also been revised. From existing Rs.200/- per berth in 2AC, the charges will go up to Rs.300/-, in 3AC, from Rs.150/- to Rs.300/-, in AC Chair Car, from Rs.50/- to Rs.150/- and in Sleeper Class from Rs. 50/- to Rs.150/- in peak season. However, during the non-peak season from July 15 to September 15, the charges for 2 AC have been pegged at Rs.200/- per berth, Rs. 200/- per berth for 3AC, AC Chair Car Rs.75/- and Sleeper Car Rs.75/-.

Canadian envoy visits Golden Temple (Go to Top)
by Ravinder Singh Robin

      Amritsar: Canada's High Commissioner to India, Ms. Lucie Edwards, on her one-day visit to the holy city of Amritsar, paid obeisance at the Golden Temple - the holiest shrine for followers of the Sikh religion, along with Deputy High Commissioner Brian Bickson here on Thursday. She was welcomed by Bibi Jagir Kaur the, President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC). Edwards offered a 'Scarf' to Bibi Jagir Kaur, who presented a Siropa (a robe of honour) to Edwards and her colleagues at the Information center of the Golden Temple. While expressing her feelings after visiting the Golden temple, Lucie said, " this is my second visit to the golden temple, as with my first visit I have very strong by the spirit in the holiness of this place. I am not the Sikh religion myself but I think the spirit in the holiness of this site touches people of all religion and that is very appropriate since the Guru said this should be a site that is open and welcome to all of the world". While clarifying her government's stand on the ban impose in France on Sikh religion for not allowing them to wear turban she stated that the decision of that kind for the matter of the government of country itself. However she informed that in Canada there was a debate some years ago of whether the uniform in military and police should were turban or not and the government in Canada decided that their would be appropriate to encourages there people and allows them to were headgear of their religion. Over a million people of Indian origin live in Canada, a country of 32 million. Two percent of the Canadian population is Sikh and many Sikhs have form an affluent section of society.
-Nov 4, 2004

Veerappan's grave becomes tourist destination (Go to Top)

       Moolakadu (Tamil Nadu): Just two weeks into his killing, the dreaded bandit Koose Munniswamy Veerappan, is beginning to get a cult following. A large number of people, who could never meet the brigand when alive, now flock to his grave in Tamil Nadu. Veerappan, a tall, wiry bandit in his 50s, who sported a long twirling moustache and was usually clad in military camouflage, was killed in a police encounter in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu. He was known as the "Jungle Cat" for his ability to move and disappear in the forests of south India that were his home for decades. Veerappan was accused of killing hundreds of elephants for their tusks and smuggling ivory and sandalwood worth millions of dollars. But, villagers in Salem, Kolathur, Dharmapuri, Mettur and his hometown Gopinatham in Karnataka refuse to believe that their hero naively played into the hands of the Special Task Force (STF). Many people could be seen stopping by Veerappan's grave and shedding tears. Some of the visitors also light up incense sticks after paying floral tributes. Women come in droves, accompanied by their family members to pay respects. Some even collect soil from the grave to carry home, a custom usually associated with Hindu fire rituals.

       Born to a poor ethnic Tamil family in a forest village, Veerappan is said to have killed his first elephant when he was a teenager. According to locals, he was inspired by a notorious bandit of the 1950s and 1960s and soon joined local poachers. He first came to the notice of authorities when he killed a forest official trying to stamp out sandalwood smuggling in the mid-1980s. Veerappan sealed his blood-thirsty reputation when he lured another top forest officer with the promise of surrendering and cut off his head. He chopped some of his rivals into pieces and tossed them into rivers and shot and killed policemen as they slept, police records said. The bandit has inspired at least two Bollywood movies, and despite his fearsome reputation, Veerappan was seen by many villagers as a Robin Hood figure.
- Nov 3, 2004

Tourists make a beeline for Darjeeling (Go to Top)

      Darjeeling: A large number of tourists are thronging the hill resort of Darjeeling these days. Offering magnifient view of the Kanchejunga peak (the third highest peak in the world) in the Himalayas, the resort is said to be among the favourite hill stations for tourists. "We enjoyed very much. Just about everything from mountains, people and the place," Danish tourist Mirin said. "Darjeeling is very beautiful. The natural beauty of the place is extraordinary and we all know about it. The Rock Garden and Tiger Hill are wonderful places to visit," Jhumpa, a local tourist, said. A visit to the hill resort is rather incomplete without a ride on the steam engine pulled toy train, a world heritage site declared by the UNESCO. In 1960s and 70s, the lush green town used to be the most favoured destination after Kashmir but lost its charm after a separatist movement broke out in the region dominated by Gorkha people. With the granting of greater autonomy resulting in the creation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Development Council within West Bengal state in 1988, the rebellion subsided and tourism has since been revived. India accounts for 0.4 per cent of the global tourists inflow. The annual foreign tourist inflow is two million (as against a domestic tourist volume of 100 million), and the total foreign exchange earning is around 70 billion rupees. The tourism industry is considered as one of the largest net foreign exchange earners in the country and also one of the biggest in terms of employment generation.
- Nov 2, 2004

Railways to launch single number SMS enquiry (Go to Top)

      New Delhi: Railways have decided to launch a single number SMS based Enquiry number 676747 shortly to enable the passengers to get information about their Passenger Numerical Record (PNR) status. This will also provide the status of train list. According to a press release, the same six-digit enquiry number will be valid all over the country. The single number SMS enquiry system will be yet another milestone towards passenger satisfaction. It will result in the passengers being required to remember only one number for the entire country.
- Nov 2, 2004

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