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Jan 2005
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Dense fog around Delhi disrupts rail traffic

     New Delhi: The dense fog engulfing the Indian capital on Monday morning, disrupted the rail and air traffic as visibility remained low and chilly winds forced people to remain indoors. Many of the trains have either been cancelled or diverted as they could not enter New Delhi.,leaving the passengers stranded at the overcrowded Railway stations. "We are already six hours late. We are in a big trouble because of this," said Ramesh. Kamal Sharma "I am here since 5 a.m. (local time) and now got to know that train is four hours late. There is no place to even sit here...just passing my time," added George. The fog also affected large parts of northern and northwestern India.The Met department has blamed high atmospheric humidity for the fog, which is a common phenomenon in northern India.
- Jan 3, 2005

S African tourists arrested for entering Taj with lower tickets (Go to Top)

    Agra: The Central Industrial Security Force have arrested four South African tourists for trying to enter the Taj Mahal with tickets of lower denomination. All of them have been charged under Section 353 of the IPC. Moreover the family of four had to stay in the police station for 10 hours which has created anger amongst the tourists community. "Today four tourists later found to be South African nationals came to see the Taj Mahal, evaded the security check and when stopped they got, upset and hurled a lot of abuses. They were taken to our control room and we forwarded the case to the local police for necessary action," said V Khoma Singh, Deputy Commandant, CISF. "CISF lodged an FIR against them, they had complaints against them. It is a bailable offence," said Omprakash Bhati, SHO, Tajganj Police station. When the incident came to the knowledge of a local social worker, Hemlata reached the police station and gave the bail for the family. "They had come to our city as tourists and it is our duty to help them. They are our guests so we should always help them," said Hemlata, a local social worker. This is the first incident of this kind where the tourists were caught for purchasing the wrong ticket and spending 10 hours in jail.
- Jan 2, 2005

Winter carnival sparks in Manali (Go to Top)

     Manali: The annual five-day winter carnival is on in the picturesque valley of Manali. The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Vir Bhadra Singh inaugurated the carnival. The annual winter carnival begins in Manali in January every year. The carnival begins from Hadimba Devi temple at Dhungri with the worship of Goddess Hadimba and the cultural procession by the participating teams taken and terminates at Nehru Park, popularly known as Ram Bagh. The Himachal Pradesh Government declared it as a state festival. The carnival, which started sometime in the 1970's, is a unique youth festival in which teams drawn from various youth clubs, colleges and universities all over India participate and compete in many events. A panel of judges assesses their performance.

     "The carnival was started way back in 1970's during which there was the skiing competitions during the day and cultural programmes in the evenings. But the concept has changed. Now it is more of a cultural event rather than winter sports event. We have participants from all over the country like Mumbai and Gujarat. This carnival represents the culture and the ethnicity of Himachal Pradesh", said Himanshu, a carnival organiser. The carnival is gaining popularity and local talent is being encouraged. The winter carnival festival has been successful in attracting a large number of domestic as well as foreign visitors to Kullu and Manali. "Colours, materials they use, local clothes that they wear, everything is beautiful. This is definitely what India represents", said Jasika, a tourist from Holland. This is the time of gaiety and enjoyment for all in Manali. The carnival has proved a major source of entertainment to the tourists and local residents who otherwise were forced to remain indoors due to the chilling cold. "The winter carnival in Manali is an annual event. Tourism industry benefits to a great extent, hotels are full in Manali. If the winter sports event is also organised during this time then more tourists would be attracted", said Vir Bhadra Singh, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. This year teams from 16 states are participating in the winter carnival, and the carnival is playing host to a number of cultural troupes, folk dancers and singers who come from all parts of the country.
- Jan 3, 2005

Tsunami proves to be a boon for Varanasi (Go to Top)

     Varanasi: South India's loss is gain of the northern parts of the country as tourists are forced to change their plans. Varanasi, situated on the banks of the river Ganges, is witnessing a surge in tourists after the southern coastal belt was hit by tsunami, which claimed over 14,488 lives in the country. Bileriya, a foreign tourist from Italy, said she wanted to go to southern India but because of tsunami could not go. "I would like to see some places like Delhi, Chennai, Kerala, Andamans, but it is not possible because of the massive devastation. So I have come here to Varanasi and I and very well here," she said. Director of Tourism in Varanasi Srivats Sanjay admitted that tsunami has boosted tourism in the holy city. "Tsunami waves have boosted tourism in Benaras. All the tourists who had to go to south India have now started coming to Benaras," he said. Varanasi is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre and foreigners come in droves because of its temples and a quintessential oriental charm. Every year, a large number of domestic and foreign tourists visit Varanasi. But, this year the rush is largely due to tsunami, which battered several coastal areas. The country receives about three million foreign tourists annually.
- Jan 2, 2005

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