Thai Airways World's Outstanding Airline
BANGKOK: Thailand's national carrier Thai Airways International has been voted as the world's outstanding airline by 150,000 passengers who were interviewed, according Thai press. ±The survey was conducted by an international agency, In-flight Reserach Survey (IRS). The questions were based on assessment of quality and impression of services by the airlines. Over 150 world carriers were assessed.

Emirates Airlines to Operate Service to Chennai
DUBAI: The Emirates Airlines will start a new service to Chennai. It will fly four times a week from Sept 1. The operations to Chennai will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Return flights will be on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, according to airlines sources. Its Airbus 300 aircraft will have 18 seats in first class, 25 in business class and 131 in economy class. The arlines already flies to Delhi and Mumbai.

Beware of Fakes
Counterfeit currency is the bane of the globe-trotter. So, beware of conmen and private money-changers/agents/agencies. Click here for image.
Caution on entering the Indian sub-continent: Seizure of 500-rupee notes from Samjhauta Express passengers some time back alerted the Indian police. Interrogations revealed they were nobody's agents: they were given these currency consignments at Lahore, capital of Punjab in Pakistan. There are dubious people at both ends who use innocent travellers to push in fake currencies. Everyone is on guard. So be you. You have seen all the stories in the press and on the screen. But you can't refuse to deal with someone offering a 100-rupee or a 500-rupee note merely on suspicion. That's the law. You must know the fake from the real. You must prove it in public and to the police. The Reserve Bank of India tells you how. Watch the RBI ads on the TV and in the press. You can easily learn the checks and identity tests. Look for the hologram, put it against light. You will know the real one.

RBI View: RBI officials explain counterfeiters can access printing technologies, which are changing fast. All the computerised equipment is easily available in the market; printers and scanners today need little space. The RBI is really worried. Will it hit the economy? Will it affect internal security? The Government will take its own measures. But it can't really help you, if you are taken for a ride by some conman. So, don't let them dupe you or your friends. Carry Out These Checks: * At the centre of the note, the printed matter around `500' is in intaglio; feel it with your finger. * So is `I promise to pay...' and the Governor's signature. * Watermark of Mahatma Gandhi's portrait gives off a light-and-shade effect. Hold the note against light. On the strip right of the portrait is a concealed image of numeral `500'. See it eye level. * Ashoka pillar logo, RBI seal, MG's face and the arch around `500' in the middle are in raised print. * Check with a magnifier criss-cross lines in watermark window white space.Æ See a security thread in front with `RBI' and `Bharat' in Hindi printed on it. Continuous black line on reverse. * Check the lotus hologram.

Indo-Pak Samjhautha Train
NEW DELHI: The train service between Amritsar in India and Lahore in Pakistan resumes from May. The service had been curtailed for some time. According to the new schedule, the train will leave Attari station on the border on Mondays and Thursdays for Lahore and will return to Attari on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Drought Hits Indian States
NEW DELHI: Several Indian states such as Rajasthan and Gujarat (western India), Orissa and Andhra Pradesh (south-east), Himachal Pradesh (north), Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram (north-east) have been severely affected by drought. The worst affected are Gujarat and Rajasthan. There are also reports of death from some parts of Gujarat. Two and a half crore people have been affected in the state, in 17 of 25 districts. For Rajasthan the figures are 2.6 crore people and 26 out of 32 districts. Destruction of crop and cattle has been heavy.

Varanasi Normal
VARANASI: Life in this pilgrim town, affected by communal disturbances recently, has become normal. Business establishments have opened and started functioning fully. After a week of tension in the month of April curfew imposed on certain areas has been lifted.

Helicopters for Vaishno Devi
SHIMLA: At the instance of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation of the state Government, a helicopter service has been started for the convenience of tourists on a package basis, especially with an eye on foreign tourists. The service is being operated by Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd, a Government of India enterprise. The fare for the route Jammu-Sanjichhat-Jammu is Rs 5,000.

Kedarnath, Badrinath to Open on May 10
NEW DELHI: The Hindu shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath will open on May 10, both the same day together this year, after a winter break of 6 months. Millions of pilgrims visit the Himalayan shrines every year. A visit is considered a life-time achievement.

Thiruvananthapuram Airport to Be Upgraded by Sept
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Government has announced that the international airport here will become operational round-the-clock with effect from September. Passenger amenities will be improved and the number of flights increased. Provision of facilities for Jumbo landing is under consideration, according to official sources.

International Status for Bangalore Airport
BANGALORE: The Bangalore airport has been given the status of international airport. The present HAL airport will have the facilities till the new airport at Devanahalli is ready. Work on the airport has been held up for quite some time.

UP State to Have Tourist Police
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh state of northern India will have a separate police force to ensure the security of tourists visiting places in the state. According to a press report, it will soon come into existence in the towns of Varanasi, Agra and Ayodhya. Costing over Rs 1 cr for infrastructure alone, the initial plan is to depute cops from the main police department.

India May Resume Flights To Nepal
KATHMANDU: Talks have been held between India and Nepal to resume the Indian Airlines flights to and from Nepal. The airline suspended its services following the hijacking of an IA plane last December. India has since expressed its concerns over the security arrangements at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan airport. The hitch has been over India insisting that IA staff should be allowed to check the baggage and passengers.

Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra
NEW DELHI: Kailash-Manasarovar is a fascinating geological splendour. A trip there is the most challenging trekking expedition. It is the `ultimate' in Hindu pilgrimage too. The Ministry of External Affairs organises a pilgrimage from June to Sept. One should have attained the age of 18 years to apply. Because of the rush, those who have once visited the mount are advised to give way to fresh applicants. The Government-organised yatra takes 27 days, 18 days on foot. The yatris should be possessing passport and have to complete visa formalities and medical check-ups. This year 16 batches of 35 pilgrims each are planned. Risk from altitude sickness and natural calamities has to be taken care of. The yatra involves trekking at altitudes of up to 19,500 ft. Those suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, epilepsy etc are advised not to undertake the yatra. The applicants have to submit a medical certificate. The official dealing with the applications is Under Secretary (China), Room No 271 (A), South Block, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi-110 011. The last date for receiving applications this year was April 7. An amount of Rs 35,000 will need to be paid to various authorities towards fee etc. This does not include personal expenditure for equipment, clothing, food and other things. Said to be the abode of Lord Shiva, Kailash-Manasarovar represents the Indian philosophy of Shiva-Shakthi. Other expeditions are organised by tour operators.

Heat Wave Sweeps India's Plains
NEW DELHI: The weather in the north-west, north and south-east plains of
India turned hot and the mercury rose above normal at the start of the summer season late April.
While in places in Andhra Pradesh in the east the maximum temperature was 46 degrees Celsius, in Rajasthan in the west the highest reading was 45 degrees C. In Haryana in the north the maximum temperature rose to 44.1 degrees C. Further north, in Himachal Pradesh, towards the Himalayas, the temperature was high at 25 degrees. New Delhi recorded 41 degrees C, three above normal.

Foreigner Kidnaps Indian Girl
ALMORA (Uttar Pradesh State): A girl in Maat village of Almora district in UP has been reportedly kidnapped by a foreigner. According to the police, the Swiss youth apparently wanted to marry the girl. The youth, a tourist, had come here to holiday in the hills, and rented a room in the girl's house. The police has registered a case of kidnapping. Foreigners seeking out cheap accommodation is a common affair in the hills here.

Littering Invites Fine
NEW DELHI: Thanks to the sense of hygiene of an `activist' apex court, the local Government in Delhi has made a law that makes littering punishable. In the first month of its enforcement on March, the various civic authorities caught about 6,000 people in the act and fined Rs 50 each. The offences ranged from passing urine on the roadside, throwing cigarette buds all over, to easing themselves not far from the roads in the open or dumping garbage in public places. An obnoxious situation prevailing on the roads in the Capital city of India was being sought to be brought to a neat conclusion. However, it appeared to be a case of putting the cart before the horse. Obviously, the drive has met its waterloo!

Singapore Double Trouble Claims Delhi Girl's Life
NEW DELHI: Sentosa islands in Singapore is a great attraction for those seeking entertainment the worldover. A trip to Singapore is incomplete without a visit to these islands. Alas! For 8-year old Delhi girl Saachi Sawhney a ride on the Double Trouble turned to be her watery grave. On March 21, Saachi and her sister Sukhna, 10, fell from a water slide in an amusement park in Fantasy island as the flap holding them broke loose. Saachi was sucked into the water recycling machine. While she died, her sister escaped with injuries. This was the second tragedy to strike the amusement park. Nearly two years after the Fantasy island started the park in 1994, a boy died in a similar mishap in a pool.

Dutch National Has a Fall
NEW DELHI: Frams Bissop, a Dutch national, found himself lying in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) one morning with multiple fractures. He had a fall from the visitors' lounge in the first floor of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the Capital the previous night. He claimed that he was pushed down after a tiff with the airport staff. According to the airport officials, he had crossed the transit area unauthorisedly and was handed over to the police. And later he was found again in the same area dozing near the railings. He might have tripped over, they said. The embassy officials later shifted him to the Holy Angels hospital from the AIIMS.

Passports to be issued out-of-turn for an extra fee
NEW DELHI: The Government of India has introduced a scheme of issuing passports quickly for certain categories of applicants for an extra payment with effect from the new year day. Under this `tatkaal' scheme, out-of-turn passports will be granted in cases of genuine urgency. The imposition of additional fee is based on the assumption that the issue of one out-of-turn passport disrupts the normal chain of issue of passports and involves extra amount of work, manpower and equipment required for the issue of five normal passports. For issue of fresh out-of-turn passport within seven working days of the date of application an additional fee of Rs 1500 plus the passport fee as applicable in India and Rs 3750 plus the passport fee as applicable abroad, between eight and 28 working days Rs 1000 plus the passport fee in India and Rs 2250 plus the passport fee abroad, within five working days in lieu of an ordinary passport where it has been stolen, destroyed or for any other such reasons Rs 2500 plus the passport fee and no additional fee abroad.The scheme would also be valid for students requiring a passport for appearing in examinations or students going abroad to join foreign universities, businessmen planning urgent travel, blood relatives of persons residing abroad who is seriously ill and spouse, parents, parents-in-law, children, brother, sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law of individuals working abroad. The ministry of external affairs said that initially passports under the scheme without any enhanced fee would be granted for patients requiring to go abroad for medical treatment and in case of death abroad of a close relative.

Makarajyothi sighted at Sabarimala
PATHANAMTHITTA: Chanting of "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa" by lakhs of pilgrims rent the air at the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala as the "Makarajyothi" (celestial light) appeared on the horizon over Ponnambalamedu on the evening of January 14. The pilgrimage had been going on for two months. The mysterious Makarajyothi appeared thrice over Ponnambalamedu after the Deeparadhana was performed. Earlier the idol was adorned with the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments) carried to the sanctum sanctorum in a procession. The temple was scheduled to close on January 20. The total collection
during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season was Rs 38 crore, Devaswom Board sources said. The sighting of Makara Nakshathram and the Makarajyothi attracts devotees from all over south India.

On Line Booking for Tirupati
TIRUPATI: The Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which administers the famous Venkateswara temple (Tirupati temple), introduces credit card facility for its devotees from January 17. Transactions can be done abroad with the TTD's website and internet through the Standard Chartered and Citibank. Inside country dealings are supposed to be transacted through Indian banks. The credit cards could be utilised by the pilgrims for getting pooja (rituals) tickets and booking accommodation and for other services. The TTD said by January 15 its information centres in New Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras) and Hyderabad would go on line.

Gorichen peak scaled
NEW DELHI: The mountaineering expedition team of the 4 Maratha light infantry has successfully scaled the 6488 mts high Gorichen peak in Arunachal Pradesh. The expedition undertaken as part of the bicentenary celebrations of the regiment was flagged off by Lt Gen Kalkat, GoC-in-C Eastern Command, on 22 September 99 from Calcutta. Led by Maj IS Thapa, the team consisted of 25 members, including an officer. It was flagged in here on 27 Nov. Gorichen is one of the most challenging and treacherous peaks in the eastern Himalayas.

Himalayan Toy Train Is World Heritage Site
MARRAKESH (Morocco): The 100 years old Darjeeling Himalayan train, a toy train that runs through plains and beautiful mountains connecting New Jalpaiguri with Darjeeling, has been declared as a World Heritage Site. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which met here in the first week of December, selected a total of 48 sites as of ``exceptional universal value". With this, the number of sites declared as World Heritage Sites has gone up to 630 in various countries. India had proposed 13 sites this time. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, started in 1881, was the first hill railway in the world. It covers a distance of 89 km, running on a two-feet gauge. The second highest railway station in the world, Ghum lies on its track at a height of 2,258 mts.

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