Britain Shelves Plan for Visitor Bonds
LONDON: The British Govt has put on hold its proposed scheme to take bonds worth 10,000 pounds each from visitors coming from some countries including India to see their relatives. The scheme was intended to expedite immigration procedures for early clearance for the visit and to check overstay. The money was to be returned when the visitor left

US Revises Rupee Rate for Visa Fees Go to top
NEW DELHI: Following changes in dollar-rupee exchange rates, the US has with effect from August 14 revised the visa fees for all categories of applicants. The new rates are: Non-immigrant visa application fee Rs 2070 ($ 45), non-immigrant visa issuance fee Rs 3450 ($ 75), immigrant visa application fee Rs 11960 ($ 260), immigrant visa issuance fee Rs 2990 ($ 65), returning residents fee Rs 2300 ($ 50). There is no change in fee paid in US dollars.

Train to Puttaparthy Go to top
RAJKOT: The Railway Minister has announced that train service to the pilgrim centre of Puttaparthy, well-known the world over for Sathya Sai Baba's ashram, from Sept 1. The express train will run between Puttaparthy and Bangalore.

Harappan Treasure Found Go to top
NEW DELHI: A very large deposit of gold jewellery belonging to the Harappan period dating back to 2000 BC was discovered by a farmer while he was tilling his fields in Mandi village of Muzzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh recently. As the news of the discovery of the treasure spread, the villagers descended on the spot and laid their hands on whatever they could. There were about three tonnes of precious materials including jewellery, gold coins, agate etc. Only about 10 kg of the treasure reached the Govt.

As per the rule, anciemnt treasures belong to the Archaelogical Survey of India. Now that it has all disappeared, the ASI has gone to the extent of offering the villagers amounts twice the value of the jewellery they return.

Machine-printed Passports Go to top
NEW DELHI: The Govt has started issuing machine-printed and machine-readable passports. It carries scanned photo of the holder. The personal particulars are included in an alphanumeric form in the machine-readable zone. The new passport facilitates quicker entry and exit at immigration counters, apart from being tamper-proof.

Virgin Airways Enter India Go to top
NEW DELHI: Emerging from the cockpit dressed in Punjabi style, and holding a tricolour in hand, British business tycoon Richard Branson inaugurated the new Virgin Atlantic Airways London-New Delhi flight on July 6.Virgin with its good services and discounts plan to challenge arch-rival British Airways on this route. He has also entered into a tie-up with Air India. Branson, known for his publicity stunts, rode on an elephant and later was seen driving an autorickshaw through the streets here in a procession.

Hyderabad Airport Becomes International Airport Go to top
HYDERABAD: The Central Govt has declared the Hyderabad airport as an international airport. Only domestic departures will be from the NTR terminal. All other flights will be handled at the Rajiv Gandhi terminal.

Permit Restrictions for Nagaland Relaxed Go to top
KOHIMA: The Central Govt has relaxed the restrictions on foreign tourists visiting Nagaland.

The order simplifies the procedure for issuing restricted area permit (RAP) and monitoring of their movements in the state. The state has been divided into four circuits for the purpose: Dimapu, Kohima, Mokokchung and Wokha.

The permits are issued by: the ministry of home affairs, New Delhi; all Indian missions abroad; foreigners registration offices in Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai; chief immigration officer in Chennai; Nagaland home commissioner in Kohima; Nagaland Resident Commissioner in New Delhi.

Darjeeling Toy Train Gets Speed Go to top
CALCUTTA: The Darjeeling toy train, which was recently accorded World Heritage status by the UNESCO, has been dieselised. The diesel engine cuts short the Darjeeling-Jalpaiguri journey from eight and a half hours to six hours.

The Hill Bird and the Mountaineer, hauling up tourists for well over 100 years, will now shuttle from Ghoom and Kurseong. .

-India Overseas

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