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May, 2005
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Tourists flock to Shimla to beat North India's scorching summer

     Shimla: With the heat wave across North India intensifying, a large number of domestic and foreign tourists are heading towards hill town resorts like Shimla to get some respite from the sweltering summer season. The picturesque locales of Shimla are a favourite destination among tourists, especially among honeymooners. "Basically, we just got married on the fifth. So, for the honeymoon and other purposes, we decided to come here because it (Shimla) is the "Queen of the Hills." We heard a lot of things about these hills and we just wanted to spend some time in this area," said Mahesh Gupta, a tourist from New Delhi. Situated at 2,130 metres above sea level and with the maximum temperature rarely crossing 25 degrees during summer, Shimla is a popular destination for foreign visitors as well. Its beautiful architecture dating back to the colonial era when it was the summer capital of British India adds glorious charm to its beauty. "For foreign tourists this is terrific. During the summer it's quite warm. I'm staying down at Chandigarh and it's a terrific place to come up here on a nice weekend retreat. I would highly recommend it to everybody," said Michael Doug, an American tourist currently staying in Chandigarh. But the heavy tourist inflow brings its nightmares for tourists and residents alike as narrow roads are choked with cars and traffic jams.

     On an average, nearly 1,500-2,000 tourists are arriving here daily with May being peak tourist month. One of the biggest attractions of Shimla hills is the tiny toy train. Indian Railways is running three additional trains in addition to the existing five to cope with the rush. "This is the main season of our income. These days we have organised three special trains. Among them is the Shivalik Express. There has been an increase in traffic and we have increased our revenue. We intend to keep it going till 31st May," said Pravin Kumar, Superintendent of the Shimla Railway Station. Shimla holds a variety of options in shopping, adventure sports and entertainment. Four million tourists visit Shimla annually, and this year, the figure is expected to rise. The country reels under an intense heat wave which starts early in April and continues till late June. The weather cools with the arrival of monsoons in July.
- May 16, 2005

Air India's New Delhi-Amritsar-Toronto flight to boost tourism (Go to Top)

     Amritsar: Air India today launched an international link to Amritsar connecting Birmingham and Toronto besides New Delhi. The inaugural flight was jointly flagged off by Amarinder Singh, chief minister of Punjab, and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel from Amritsar airport. Three flights a week would cater for Punjabis travelling to their ancestral homes from United Kingdom and Canada, thus bringing the Non-Resident Indians closer to their culture. The service is expected to boost the religious tourism in and around the historic city which harbours the holy shrine of Sikhs, the Golden Temple. "We are trying to create a circle for religious tourism through Anantpur Saheb, Damdama Saheb, Goindwal Saheb, Darbar Saheb Amritsar. When this circle is made, the people who stay in foreign countries and whose children are unaware of their heritage and culture will come here and they will be able to link themselves with their culture and heritage," said Singh. Earlier, this morning the state-run international carrier resumed its service from New Delhi to Toronto, two decades after the world's deadliest aviation attack killed 329 people aboard the ill fated Air India flight on the same route. The maiden flight was flagged off from New Delhi which reached Amritsar before being flagged off to Birmingham and Toronto. The new Boeing 777 Air India aircraft will land at Toronto's Pearson International Airport this evening. The national carrier had received a fatal blow in 1985 when its Kanishka aircraft, a Boeing 747 flight from Toronto to Mumbai was blown off the Irish coast in the Atlantic ocean, killing 329 passengers and crew.
- May 15, 2005

Nigerian held with heroin (Go to Top)

     New Delhi: The Delhi Police today arrested a Nigerian national for carrying fine quality heroin worth 7.5 million rupees. Narcotics branch of the police arrested Innocent Neighbour Enumah, who had arrived in India last month, while taking delivery of drugs from a broker Hemant, who owns a hotel in old Delhi area. Police said the drugs were to be smuggled to England. "The international value of this seized heroin of 750 gms is worth 7.5 million rupees. But if the same is smuggled to England then there it is very expensive, that is for one gram it is 60 pound. So we are interrogating him, he wanted to send it abroad through courier," D.L. Kashyap, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Narcotics branch, told reporters here. Kashyap said Enumah was in search of cocaine but got only heroin. Police are investigating the possibility of the involvement of a bigger international racket.
-May 14, 2005

Himalayas summer camps beckon Indian school children (Go to Top)

     Shimla: The onset of summer holidays in schools has brought a large number of students to a summer camp in the picturesque northern Indian hill town of Shimla. For those with a spirit of adventure, the call of the mighty Himalayas is irresistible. Most of the children were happy to spend time doing adventure activities away from the heat of the plains. Besides trekking, participants are initiated into the more rigourous activities of slithering on ropes, rock climbing and river crossing. For many first-timers, the experience is thrilling. "This camp has been very adventurous for us. We have just been on the Burma bridge and it was good fun. We are into a lot of activities. It refreshes your mind, coming out of the class room," Harmeet, who studies in a school in New Delhi, said. Instructors said trekking camps complement an academic kit and are a great idea of physical work out, nature study and camaraderie. "The children get only a bookish kind of knowledge in schools. The activities they do here helps their overall development. They increase their basic general knowledge, get involved in sports and also get to know of adventure activities," said Ram Kumar. The trend of attending summer camp has caught up recently and more and more summer camps are being organised every year. The Himalayas are a favourite tourist destination during summers as the rest of India reels under a scorching sun. Situated at 2,130 metres above sea level with temperatures rarely crossing 25 degrees during summers, Shimla or the "Queen of hills" draws a large number of tourists. And as popular hill stations get overcrowded during holidays, more and more people opt for camps set up in natural environs. India reels under an intense heat wave which starts early in April and continues till late June. The weather cools with the arrival of monsoons in July.
-May 13, 2005

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