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(FEBRUARY, 2003)
Two
American Tourists Injured in Delhi Restaurant Mishap NEW DELHI: Two American tourists - Kevin (53) and Lisa (47) - were injured when plaster from the ceiling of the restaurant they were eating from fell on them on Thursday. The restaurant is situated in Regal building in Connaught Place in New Delhi. Both of them have been hospitalised. The thud of falling plaster chunks raised dust and created panic. Customers feared it to be a bomb blast and ran helter skelter. In over five decades old Connaught Place, such incidents have happened in the past also. Truck
Falls in Himachal Ravine, 15 Killed (Go
to Top) SHIMLA: Fifteen people died on the spot and 55 were injured as the truck in which they were travelling went down a deep ravine near Nerwa in this district on Monday. All of them were BJP supporters heading for a rally in Chopal. The injured have been admitted to civil hospital in Nerwa, and 20 of the critically hurt shifted to Indira Gandhi Medical Hospital, Shimla, according to reports. US To
Tighten Visa Rules for Skilled Workers, Students (Go
to Top) NEW DELHI: Expressing concern for the Indian information technology industry, US Congressman F James Sensenbrenner Jr, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has said that the regulations governing the H1B visas which provides highly skilled foreign workers a work permit for the United States would be tightened further. Addressing CII members here on Friday, Sensenbrenner said this is to ensure that only skilled IT experts are to be allowed in and not cooks and poodle dressers! He also spoke about the new regulations that would affect student visas or I-20s. This, he clarified, would not affect legitimate students from entering the United States, but try and keep out those like Mohammed Atta, a Florida-trained pilot, suspected to have rammed American Airlines Flight 11 into the north tower of the World Trade Centre. The old I-20 rules meant that a university issued the student visa and the student was registered with the immigration authorities only at the port of entry. The new rules stipulate that the university would have to register the student with the immigration authorities directly prior to issuing the I-20 and notify the immigration and Homeland Security Office at every step. The Congressman did mention that there was resistance from US colleges and universities to implementing this change. He said the immigration department, which was often viewed as one of the weakest, is now being strengthened to deal with the new issues of homeland and border security, money laundering and the potential of chemical and biological attacks that the US is grappling with since September 2001. Home
Delivery of Train Tickets (Go
to Top) NEW DELHI: Train ticket reservation on Internet, where reserved tickets can be delivered at home, has been started through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. This project has commenced in Delhi and has since been extended to major cities, minister of state for railways Bandaru Dattatraya said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Goa Fishermen
Resent Plan to Set Up Water Sports School (Go
to Top) GOA: Hundreds of fishermen in Goa are up in arms against a proposal to set up a water sports school in Coco beach. They say it will adversely affect their source of livelihood. It was a private company that had proposed the setting up of the water yachting school. The idea has troubled the more than 500 fishermen families living in the vicinity. They fear that mechanised boating will be an impediment to their catch. A local politician said these people have been fishing here for ages. Once the water sports school is established, the mechanised boats would surely kill a large number of fish. But the firm in question, awaiting a go-ahead signal, maintains that such boats will hardly come in the way of the fishermen's area of business. Goa, which is a haven for tourists, attracts thousands of domestic and foreign visitors every year. And, water sports remains one of the most sought-after pursuits. Charminar
Re-opens After 16 Years (Go
to Top) HYDERABAD: Authorities in Hyderabad have re-opened the world famous Charminar monument to the public, 16 years after it was closed as five members of a family jumped to death from it. As a precautionary measure only the first floor of the 412-year-old monument has been re-opened and private security personnel are deployed to keep a watch on the movement of visitors. But undeterred by the restrictions thousands of people are thronging the monument, characterized by its four majestic minarets, rising 180 feet each and the beautiful and intricate floral work on its walls. "Amazing. It was very nice, It's a good experience. You can see the whole of old Nawab structures from this place. You go round this place you can see the entire Hyderabad city. It is quite interesting," said Anita Swami, a tourist. "Really it's a great pleasure. It's a very beautiful view. We can see the entire Hyderabad city from here, it's a nice experience," added Rajesh Madhok, another tourist. Though there are no restrictions on the number of visitors for the first week, but from Monday, only 50 visitors would be allowed at a time and will have 15 minutes to come down. The monument is unparalleled in the entire country and authorities are making all efforts to restore and preserve its intricate carving and magnificent Mughal architecture. "Recently we have been doing lot of things to improve and beautify the city. Charminar has been taken up as a special project area, we have introduced permanent lighting, coloured lighting and people are very happy with the changes. Surroundings are getting very attractive day by day. And allowing people to go up to first floor will certainly boost our tourism. There is lot of enthusiasm and people have been wanting this (re-opening of the monument) for several years. We had taken this up with the Governemnt of India, Archeological Survey of India, and ultimately they considered our request and have allowed people to go up," said G Kishan Rao, director, Andhra Pradesh tourism department. The yellow-coloured Charminar was built in 1591 by the founder of Hyderabad, King Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah. He placed the 75-metre-high structure, which has four arches and four giant minarets, at the centre of the city, with four roads fanning out in each direction. While Charminar has stood the test of time, the grand palaces and canals which once surrounded it have long vanished. But experts warn that the heavy vehicular movement around the monument was weakening its foundation and damaging the structure. While a thick layer of black soot deposited on the monument is clearly visible, smoke from nearby workshops has robbed it of its golden yellow sheen. Artisans
Converge on Surajkund (Go
to Top) SURAJKUND (Haryana): The 15-day rural crafts fair, which opened recently at Surajkund near New Delhi, is attracting thousands of people. Introduced in 1987, the fair is held every year with the twin objective of highlighting India's handicrafts and handloom traditions and providing access for rural artisans to an emerging market. This year more than 350 artisans and craftsmen from all over the country are displaying their products. According to Navraj Sandhu, member of the Surajkund Craft Fair Association, the biggest advantage for the artisans is that they get a ready market. "The idea behind organising these big fairs is to provide an opportunity for the craftspersons to exhibit their skills and talent, and provide a market to them. Delhi is a very big market. Secondly, you see India in a very big span, the whole of India, multi-cultural India is fully represented here", said Sandhu. While most artisans are satisfied with the exposure, they feel that the Government should now focus on developing newer marketing strategies and avenues. From wonderful rosewood carvings of south India to cane craft and wooden inlay work of Jammu and Kashmir, this fair has it all. But catching everyone's attention are the beautiful and exquisite art works from Uttaranchal, which is also the "theme" State of the fair and will get maximum promotional benefits. Jean Carlos, a French tourist, said he was impressed by the unique creations. Apart from traditional crafts, visitors are enthralled by the many colourful and captivating folk dances. Sonia
Renames Karwar Beach (Go
to Top) KARWAR: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked Karnakaka chief minister SM Krishna to focus on Karwar district as a tourist destination. She was addressing a public gathering in Karwar on the occasion of renaming the beach as Ravindra Nath Tagore beach on Tuesday. The huge gathering was arranged to welcome Sonia who was visiting the district for the first time as Congress president. It also may be an acid test for her to check her popularity status specially after the Gujarat election. She addressed the problems of drinking water and other problems faced by the farmers. Sonia also asked the chief minister to announce Karwar as a major tourist destination in Karnataka as it has beautiful a beach and other natural other scenery. Beware
of Bottled Water, Tests Find It Pesticide-laden (Go
to Top) NEW DELHI: Bottled water generally consumed are not necessarily safe. So reveals 'Down To Earth' magazine, based on tests conducted by the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). After analysing 17 brands of packaged drinking water sold in and around Delhi and 13 brands from Mumbai, the CSE lab found the samples to contain a deadly cocktail of pesticide residues. Most of the samples contained as many as five different elements, in levels far exceeding the standards specified as safe for drinking water, according to a press release. The samples had enough poison to cause, in the long term, cancer, liver and kidney damage, disorders of the nervous system, birth defects, and disruption of the immune system. The PML tested for two types of pesticides: organochlorine and organophosphorus. The findings were appalling. The four most commonly found pesticide residues were lindane, DDT, malathion and chlorpyrifos. Polluted
Ganga Forces Sadhus to Boycott Ritual Dip (Go
to Top) ALLAHABAD: The 'sadhus' have, in a unique way, demonstrated their anger over pollution of the Ganga, considered the holiest of holy rivers. Hundreds of saints in Allahabad, confluence of three sacred rivers - the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati - boycotted the annual 'Mauni Amavasya' dip, the main bathing day of the month-long 'Magh' fair, on Saturday in protest against the dirty and stinking waters. According to Hindu calendar, the month of Magh falls in February. Millions of Hindus converge in Allahabad on 'Mauni Amavasya' in the belief that a holy dip on this day absolves them of their sins. But not anymore, feels Swami Narendra Mohan Saraswati, head of the Kashi Sumeri 'Peeth' (regional religious centre) in neighbouring Varanasi. The faithfuls were outraged that they only emerged dirty after a dip in the filthy waters of the holy rivers, according to him. "Today thousands of sewage channels drain into the river Ganga. Till the authorities stop this practice, the holy men and the religious people of the country will not rest in peace. We raise slogans of 'Om Shanti' (peace) but now we will raise slogans of 'Om Kranti' (revolution) across India and will carry on our movement till the Ganga is freed of pollution," Narendra Saraswati said on Friday. The holy men, many of whom boycotted the ritual dip on Friday, plan to carry out a crusade to force the authorties to stop river pollution by industries, tanneries and emptying of sewage drains. District authorities, however, claimed that the polluting industries have installed water treatment facilities and the pollution is now less The Government has initiated a massive 'Ganga Action Plan' with Japanese aid. Apart from industrial and sewage pollutants, centuries of Hindu traditions also contribute to dirtying the rivers. Half burnt corpses can be seen floating around bathing ghats (river banks). -ANI & India Overseas |
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