12 killed in bus accident in Uttaranchal

        Dehradun: Twelve pilgrims were killed and several others injured when the bus in which they were travelling fell into a ditch near Udai Palace Hotel at Joshimath town of Chamoli district early this morning. According to police, the bus was carrying 27 pilgrims from south India and was going to Badrinath from Joshimath when it skidded off the road and fell into the 200-metre deep ditch. Rescue and search operations have been launched and senior administrative and police officials have rushed to the spot.
- Sept 24, 2004

Landslides disrupt Manipur traffic (Go to Top)

        Imphal: Different parts of Manipur, including parts of National Highway-39 that links the state capital Imphal to Assam's principal city of Guwahati and National Highway 53 that links Imphal-to Silchar in West Bengal have been severely hit by landslides. Official sources here today confirmed that vehicular traffic has been completely disrupted. Heavy landslides were reported in the Phikomei area near the Manipur-Nagaland border town of Mao on NH 39 and at Makru and Nungdolan areas on NH 53 following heavy rains in the past few weeks, the sources said. Some Manipur-bound trucks, which were stranded due to the ongoing 16-day blockade of passenger buses and trucks by an agitation demanding removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, could not be brought to Imphal with security escort because of the landslides.
- Sept 22, 2004

`Red Bloom' spreads panic in Thiruvananthapuram  (Go to Top)

         Thiruvananthapuram: A public health scare has surfaced following reports of the `red tide bloom' of toxic plantkton, which normally feeds on sewage, fertiliser and pet waste dumped into the sea, invading the city coastline. Over 100 school children have reportedly been given medication for nausea, as the stench caused by the dead plankton-affected Šfish has spread far and wide. Over 200 persons have reportedly been admitted to different hospitals for treatment. "This is algae bloom phenomenon, and it's due to rapid increasing of industrial sewage, and from this some dangerous gases have been produced which makes people sick," said Dr. N.Vishwanathan, Medical Superintendent of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. No emergencies have been reported as yet. The red tide bloom was first detected in Kollam last week, causing panic in the coastal areas. The bloom is known to subside after four or five days. "The phenomenon came to notice on 17th September, we found some dead fish in the seashore, many people became sick after consuming these fish, but still now we are not confirmed about the entire matter," said P.P. Ouseph, a scientist. Scientists at the Centre for Earth Sciences Studies (CESS) here have drawn a correlation between population growth and the aquatic scourge. The increased volumes of fertiliser, sewage and other biological waste pumped into the sea lead to the formation of a nutrient- rich mix, which is gobbled up by the algae. Giant blooms are known to pull oxygen from the water when they die and rot. Fish and other sea creatures thus suffocate and die en masse. The concentration of plankton gives seawater a distinct colour during a bloom. It is normally brownish red, as was found in the Kollam seas. But in Thiruvananthapuram, fishermen and coastal residents reported a greenish tinge in the seawater. A red tide bloom was earlier reported from the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram in 1997 and 1999.
- Sept 21, 2004

India liberalises visas for Pak nationals (Go to Top)

        New Delhi: India today announced further easing of travel restrictions for Pakistani nationals which would benefit doctors, academicians and accredited journalists. The announcement comes ahead of the crucial meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in New York next week, aimed at carrying forward the peace process. Foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said the new regulations would permit them to visit upto 12 places in this country during their visit as against three at present. "Several measures for liberalisations have already been taken in the recent past. The additional measures that would be immediately implemneted include the following-accredited journalists with minimum three years accreditation with national or international media ofd repute could be issued multiple entry visas, without prior reference to headquarters and with exemption from reporting to the police," Sarna told reporters. Sarna added that the measures, with immediate effect, have been taken to promote people-to-people contacts. All Pakistani nationals above the age of 65 will be granted visas with exemption from police reporting. Medical doctors, if accompanying patients for treatment at reputed hospitals in India, could be issued visas without prior reference to headquarters and with exemption from reporting to the police. Under the existing mechanism, visas are issued to meet relatives on the other side and group travel to religious shrines on special occasions. The South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), comprising journalists from the SAARC countries, has strongly advocated that respective Governments should ensure free movement of journalists among these countries, particularly between India and Pakistan.
 - Sept 18, 2004

Bangladesh agrees double entry visa for Indians
by Nazrul Islam

         Dhaka: Dhaka and New Delhi have reportedly agreed to allow double entry visas for Indian citizens through any international airport or land port of Bangladesh. The decision was announced at the end of the two-day home secretary-level talks, which also made substantial progress over issues concerning the two close neighbours. The issues included the implementation of 1974 land border boundary agreement, security issues, cooperation in anti-narcotic operations, border patrolling, cross border movements, an extradition treaty and an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. "Earlier, they had requested us and from now on, we will allow them entry and exit visas," Bangladesh Home Secretary Omar Farook told reporters after the meeting. "Both the sides approached all issues on the basis of mutual understanding and appreciated each other's position and sensitivities," a joint statement issued on behalf of the two officials said. "We have agreed for coordinated patrolling on the border. The BSF and BDR will stay on their own territories, but they will maintain communications between them during the patrol," Indian Home Secretary Dhirendra Singh said. The two border forces will work out the modalities at the next Director General-level meeting scheduled for September 29.
- Sept 17, 2004

CP in chaos over new NDMC parking fees, contracts (Go to Top)
by Ashok Dixit/Pankaj Yadav

         New Delhi: Can parking get any worse in the centre of the Indian capital. Not if you experience the aggravation that the above two correspondents had to go through to first park their vehicles and then take them out to cover their respective journalistic beats. A fortnight after the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Delhi Government announced plans to hand out new parking agent contracts and higher parking rates, complete chaos reigns in New Delhi's premier business district. Parking attendants and agents were seen squabbling with each other over who will control prime parking slots. Though some admitted that the problem would in all probability be sorted by the end of this week, no solution seemed in sight on Monday and Tuesday. Owners of cars, two-wheelers and three-wheelers parked in the most haphazard way, taking advantage of what they saw as an "absolute free-for-all". We were so harassed that we desparately asked attendants to help us move our vehicles out. Bhushan, an attendant and a car washer of nearly 50 years standing in the area, absolutely refused to help, saying that about a week back he was taken to the Connaught Place police station and questioned about his antecedants. Another attendant, who did not want to be named for obvious reasons, was quite abrupt when approached for help. "I won't move any car. I won't help you to remove your car. There are policemen roaming in this area (Janpath) and they might take me away. I don't want to get into any trouble," he said. A parking contractor, whom we have known for years as our office is located in the Janpath area, said: " Out of 87 parking lots in the CP area, the NDMC had ordered a re-tendering of 29 parking lots. This has created a lot of confusion and heartburn over the last two weeks. There is a possibility of sub-tendering still. The matter has in all probability been sorted out. We can expect some normalcy by tomorrow." He said that the tender amount for securing the parking contract for the Janpath market area was Rs.2.20 lakh per month, and he was being asked by the new contractor to cough up an additional Rs.50,000 to be allowed to run the parking operations in the area. He said that he was only willing to pay Rs.20,000. "Negotiations are still on," he said trailing off. When attempts were made to talk to the beat officer of the area, all he said was that he was trying to prevent touts from making money from innocent drivers until the formal handing over of the parking lot to the concerned party. The NDMC naturally was not available for comment.
- Sept 14, 2004

Rope car for hill top Palani temple in Tamil Nadu (Go to Top)

        Palani (T Nadu): Palani temple, the second richest after Tirupati, is all set to have a ropeway to the hilltop shrine. The new rope car system is being installed at an estimated cost of Rs 50 million. Palani is one of the most popular temples in Tamil Nadu dedicated to Lord Muruga, the supreme commander of the celestial army. Muruga - the estranged son of Hindu god of destruction Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped in the South. The temple located atop the Palani hills, about 450 metres above the sea level, has 690 stone steps. A Kolkata based "Rope-way Resort" company will be completing the project and also maintain it for five years. Salil Mukherjee, rope car manager, said this facility would enable pilgrims reach the temple in a mere two minutes which earlier took them hours to trek. "There are 24 cabins in the ropeway. In each cabin there are four passengers. The ropeway is fully completed this is certified properly by all the committees of this organisation," said Mukherjee. Presently, pilgrims coming to the temple use a winch facility but it can carry only 200 pilgrims in an hour.
- Sept 12, 2004

Nepal unrest affects foreign tourist inflow in Varanasi (Go to Top)

        Varanasi: The number of foreign tourists visiting Varanasi has registered a sharp decline following the Maoist insurgency in Nepal. Situated on the banks of River Ganges, Varanasi is considered one of the holiest cities for Hindus in India and attracts a bulk of foreigners because of its temples, traditionally embroidered silk sarees and a quintessential oriental charm. But due to the Maoist insurgency in Nepal and the recent blockade of Kathmandu, foreign tourist arrivals from the Hindu kingdom registered a predictable decline. "Now, because of Maoist strikes, it's so dangerous. I want to go to Nepal but I cannot go now," said Wana, a Japanese tourist. The holy town, which is otherwise a huge draw for international tourists, now has less number of visitors. "The tourists coming to Varanasi also want to go Nepal but they are now scared because of the turmoil there. So definitely the tourism has been affected by the unrest in Nepal," said Ronald Nadar, Managing Director, Travel Association. Apart from being a huge tourist destination, Varanasi is visited by several international students and scholars to study Indian culture and religion.
- Sept 10, 2004

Kasuri to lay `chadar' at Ajmer Sharif today (Go to Top)

        New Delhi: Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, who is on a visit to the country, will visit the Ajmer Sharif of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti today. Kasuri will leave for Jaipur in an Indian Air Force plane from where he will take a helicopter to reach Ajmer and lay a `chadar' there. The last Pakistani leader who laid a `chadar' at the shrine was former prime minister Benazir Bhutto who visited the country earlier this year. According to Kasuri's itinerary as per Daily Times, on returning back to the Capital in the evening, he will attend a reception hosted by the Indian chapter of the South Asian Free Media Association. Prominent journalists and civil society representatives will attend the reception. On Wednesday morning the foreign minister will have a breakfast tete-a-tete with editors of leading national newspapers.
- Sept 7, 2007

Crowds throng annual Ladakh festival (Go to Top)

        Leh: The fortnight-long Tibetan Buddhist cultural festival inaugurated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday is proving to be quite popular with the locals as well as the tourists. Hundreds of resplendently attired artists from various regions of Ladakh such as Changpa, Nubrapa, Balti and Barokpa wowed the spectators with their cultural performances. The locals also performed mask dances, which was a major hit among foreigners. The mesmerizing dances, tempered by religion, are known for their simplicity and direct expression. Each dance begins with homage to the gods. The rhythm then slowly picks up in the second stage and breaches a feverish pitch towards the end. The Ladakh and the Sindhu Darshan festivals contribute 50 percent of the tourism potential of the remote region. Twenty-seven thousand tourists have visited Leh till August this year beating last year's record figure of 25,000. The festival ends on September 14.
- Sept 4, 2004

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