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Jan 2005
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Dense fog hits rail, road, air traffic in Capital
by Pankaj Yadav

     New Delhi: Dense fog greeted the Delhites and the people in the NCR as they woke up this morning. Long queues of traffic could be seen on the National Highway No. 8. At most of the places the traffic moved at a snail's pace with fog lights on. The fog also hit the rail traffic. As many as six trains namely Kalindi Express, Unchahar Express, Lal Quilla Express, both to and from their respective destinations were cancelled. While Mahananda Express, Sealdah Rajdhani and Kolkata Rajdhani were rescheduled, those arriving late at New Delhi/ Nizamuddin Railway stations included Kaifiyat Express, Shaheed Express, Mahananda Express, and Saryu Yamuna Express. Air Traffic was equally hit by the dense fog even as a number of domestic and international flights had to be delayed by a few hours. According to an Air Traffic Control officer, the air traffic could resume only after 10 a.m. when visibility increase. This was perhaps the first morning of this winter season when the traffic was hit in the Capital by poor visibility due to fog. Normally, according to Air Control Office, fog disrupts traffic in the Capital between Dec 20 and January 20.
- Jan 2, 2005

Tourists visit Chilka Lake to see Irrawady Dolphins (Go to Top)

     Satpada (Orissa): A large number of people, some of them tourists, are still making a beeline for Orissa's famous Chilka Lake to have a look at its Irrawady Dolphins. According to a survey done by the Wildlife Preservation Society, the Chilka Lake has the largest number of Irrawaddy Dolphins in the world. "Chilka is home to a very unique species of dolphins called Irrawaddy Dolphins. This variety is restricted to few lagoons of the world, Chilka being one of them. From a recent assessment, Chilka has the highest number of Irrawaddy dolphins all over the world. We have got more than 124 dolphins," said Ajit Patnaik, Chairman, Chilka Development Authority. The Chilka Development Authority has identified few threats to the existing dolphin population in Chilka, one of them being the callousness of the tourist boats that kills or injures a number of dolphins. Orientation programmes have been organised for the boatmen to prevent them from harming the dolphins. "During the month of December and January, the tourist inflow is very high. More than 250 boats ply within the span of a month or so. We have conducted an orientation programme for boatment so that they don't chase the dolphins," said Patnaik.

      The boatmen too have realised their duty towards the dolphins and are refraining from any such activity that would harm the mammal which attracts numerous tourists thus serving as a means of providing livelihood to them. "We know that the dolphins provide us with livelihood. We are taking care of them," said Babu, a boatman. A number of tourists are visiting Chilka just to see the dolphins. "It was a great experience to be in Chilka. We came here for the first time. It was a great experience even for the children to see the dolphins in the lake," said Sangeeta Bakshi, a tourist. " We saw so many dolphins, birds and fishes. It was really nice," said Bofri Nattilam, a foreign tourist. The Chilka lake in Orissa is Asia's largest inland salt-water lagoon. The pear-shaped lake spreads across 1,100 sq km, and has a unique eco-system with a range of aquatic flora and fauna found in and around its brackish waters. An impressive array of bird life, both native and migrant, makes Chilka one of the best places in India for a bit of satisfying bird-watching.
- Jan 1, 2005

NHAI projects will boost tourism in India: Travel buffs (Go to Top)
by Sutirtha Sanyal

     New Delhi: Travel enthusiasts who believe in exploring the country on cars and bikes rather than on trains and buses, and prefer living life in the open, rather than in plush hotels and inns, feel that the massive efforts launched by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to extend the road network across the country, will vastly improve tourism in the country. While earlier a short journey by road to places of tourist interest like Agra, Jaipur and Mathura was usually undertaken by young American and Western tourists and a miniscule of the Indian population, there is a feeling now that the improving road conditions across the country will give an impetus to travel on road more often. "I am an outdoor person. I like travelling on bikes and jeeps. I have undertaken journeys on bikes to places like Agra, Brindavan etc. I have a desire to travel to Ladakh on bike. If the road conditions improve I will undertake that journey sooner than one might expect," said Charu Brahma, a senior instrumentalist with Prasar Bharti, which is under the aegis of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Even renters of bikes across the capital believe that there is a change taking place. Earlier, they said the renting of bikes was restricted to places like Goa or other parts of South India.

     Now, improving road conditions has given rise not only to rented bikes, but also to rented cars. "Earlier only Americans, Europeans and Australians, specially the younger ones used to come to us to rent bikes for one week, one month or two months as per their requirements," claimed Gobind Kumar, the proprietor of Joga Motors, a bike dealer in the Capital. "But, now even Indians specially the younger ones pay their deposits and take the bikes on rent for travelling to places like Agra, Mathura, Nainital, Shimla etc. Obviously if the road conditions across the country improve then younger people who like adventure will certainly like to travel on road rather than train or air," he added. Foreigners, who generally like outdoor travel believe that travelling in India on bikes is more interesting than travelling by train or air. "I come from Bavaria in Germany. I have travelled across Switzerland, Austria and even Germany on own bike. Even in Goa, I travelled on rented Royal Enfield. I would have loved to travel across Rajasthan on a rented bike," Otto Richter, a German tourist. "But, I was advised against doing so because of the road conditions in the state and other safety factors. But I do hope that the next time I come round to India, I will be able to fulfil my wish," Otto added. The immense benefit to trade and commerce notwithstanding, the massive projects undertaken by the NHAI, will also boost tourism in the country and soon young Indians with a taste of adventure, like their Western counterparts, explore the vast land like backpackers on bikes and cars.
- Jan 1, 2005

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