The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

For tourism sake, govt to spread wings
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

The new terminal at the Dehradun airport. Tribune photo: Anil P. Rawat

Dehradun, April 3
With the mercury soaring, the tourist season in the serene surroundings of Uttarakhand hills will start soon. Also, the Char Dham yatra to Hindu pilgrim centres of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath will start with the opening of portals of these shrines by the end of this month till the first week of May. The Sikh religious shrine of Hemkund Sahib also opens by May 15.

To cope with the rush of tourists and pilgrims, the Uttarakhand government has been trying to rope in more airlines to strengthen air services in the hill state, besides coming out with a comprehensive plan to give a boost to tourism infrastructure facilities by allowing more hotels and resorts to the state.

With the opening of the new passenger terminal and expansion of Jolly Grant airport near Dehradun, the state government has been trying for more air services by different airlines.

Indian Airlines has applied for a licence with the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to operate a regular service from Dehradun. Officials expect a positive response on the issue soon.

Already, Kingfisher airlines is regularly operating two flights from Jolly Grant to New Delhi. “We are doing well with 90 per cent occupancy in these flights. During the tourist and yatra season, there will be greater rush,” Pankaj Shah of Global Passages, agents of Kingfisher said.

The Jolly Grant airport has been upgraded by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operation of Boeing-737/Airbus-320 aircraft considering the traffic potential and requirement projected by airlines. For this purpose, the government acquired land and spent Rs 100 crore on modernisation works.

Work is in full swing for night landing and other facilities that will allow aircraft to fly even in bad weather conditions.The newly constructed airstrip is now 7000 meter long and 150 metre wide.The airport will be ready in the next three months.

With the expansion of the Pantnagar airport in Kumoan region, the operation of Boeing and Airbus will be a boon for industrialists and tourists visiting the area.

The Airports Authority of India is carrying out the expansion of runway, that is 4,500-feet long, at a cost of Rs 75 crore. In the second phase, the runway of will expanded to 7000 ft to facilitate the landing of bigger aircraft.

There has been rising demand by industrialists and tourists visiting the area for better air connectivity. Since the setting up of large number of industrial units, particularly Tata Motors, manufacturing their famous Nano car, Bajaj Auto and Nestle, the demand for air link between Pantnagar and New Delhi has been on the rise. Kingfisher will begin Pantnagar-New Delhi services soon.

Nearly 1.5 million pilgrims visit the Char Dham every year. A move is afoot to introduce helicopter services to some of the pilgrim centres, especially Badrinath and Kedarnath. Already, two helicopter companies, namely Pawan Hans and Parbhatam, are flying choppers up to the Kedarnath shrine fron Fatta during yatra season.

Officials said the Centre had promised to start a cargo service for the Dehradun airport, one of the 35 metro airports in the country. Officials are also in touch with MDLR Airline, which stopped operations last year. Once new airlines start operating, the officials expect the airfares to go down.

Meanwhile, the government is trying to complete a road connecting airport with the new terminal building which was inaugurated by civil aviation minister Praful Patel last month. Forest clearance in this regard is awaited. On the other hand, despite economic meltdown, investments for hotel resorts and spas have started trickling into Uttarakhand.

The state government has received scores of proposals for hotels, resorts, spas and eco-tourism facilities at important tourist destinations. Bharat Hotels is setting up a five-star hotel at Rishikesh for which the government has already given the go-ahead.

According to officials, Pindar Glacier Resorts plans to invest Rs 2.25 crore in a resort at Kodiyala on the banks of the Ganga near Rishikesh.The state government has received proposals for setting up hotel resorts at Kempty Fall near the hill resort of Mussoorie.

The state government has formed the Tehri Lake Development Authority for planned growth of areas around Tehri Lake, billed to be another tourist attraction, and major centres of water sports in North India. More than 20 proposals have been received for hotels and resorts near the Badrinath shrine in Chamoli district.

Besides, the government is encouraging yoga and ayurvedic huts on the hills. The state government has cleared the proposal of Olympic ace shooter Abhinav Bindra to start work on his five-star hotel at Dehradun. It is also looking for new entrepreneurs in eco-tourism and adventure sports.

Python caught, let go
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, April 3
It may not be common to spot a more than 16 feet-long python in your surroundings, but it surely is a common sight for those residing in the vicinity of BHEL.

In recent months, there have been more than three incidents when pythons have been spotted in the BHEL residential area. So there was little panic when residents found the boa inside the BHEL factory today. Only two months ago they had gathered around a python in the Sector 3 colony.

At about 11am, one of the factory employees near the turbine section noticed the coiled creature. He informed the security personnel who were quick to phone forest officials. By the time the forest team reached the site, a crowd of curious onlookers had gathered there. People were seen comparing the python to the one seen two months ago.

“ They are similar in length,” observed Tanuj Shah.

Ranger KP Verma said the age of the python was about 10 years and was about 16 ft in length. It had been left in the Tibdi forest nearby, he informed.

BHEL residents are perturbed by these regular visitors. Since the past six months the specie has seen in various sectors of BHEL. I

has been three times that forest officials have caught and then left pythons in the nearby jungle.The BHEL colony is on the outskirts of Rajaji National Park.

Sewerage floods temple road, again
Divya Semwal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 2
The inability of the municipal corporation to check overflow of sewerage water in 19/20 East Canal Road, opposite the Convent of Jesus and Mary, has left the area residents a harried lot.

From past one week, the faulty sewerage in the area is affecting the smooth flow of traffic. Besides, the stagnant water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. This is in addition to the foul smell that pervades the entire area.

This is for the third time in five years that reconstruction of road is taking place here, but without any proper supervision on part of the authorities, which has led to the overflow of sewerage water.

“It’s not only difficult to walk on this road, but parking is another major problem. We have to park our cars outside before entering the lane. People on two-wheelers are always in a danger of falling off,” said Harish Mehta, a resident.

“The authorities should have been more pro-active before starting work. This is such irresponsible behaviour,” said Ram Kumar Yadav, another resident.

“Not more then two days are required to complete this work. Since this road leads to the famous temple, people throng here all the time,” added Harish Mehta.

Residents complain that despite repeated complaints, no action has been taken so far. “We have asked authorities to keep a check on the labourers, but no one takes the matter seriously. Now we have planned to visit the mayor to seek a remedy,” said SR Malhotra, another resident.

On the other hand, local area counsellor Vinay Kohli said action will soon be taken in this regard.

“I have received complaints from the residents. Within two days we will get the reconstruction done,” he said.

Doonites throng handicraft expo
Divya Semwal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 3
A handicrafts exhibition has been organised by the Indian Development Society of Saharanpur, a voluntary organisation working with the Union Ministry of Textile, here with an aim to promote their creations as well to provide the artistes with a market. The exhibition, which started on March 31, will end on April 11.

“In the city, we have been organising handicraft fair for the past three years. Over the years, the response has been excellent. This time, around 200 artisans are participating from various cities showcasing their collections,” said Suresho Thakur, president, Indian Development Society of Saharanpur.

From Rajasthani clothes, terracotta items, brass items, jewellery to cane and bamboo showpieces and furniture, there is a lot to attract the crowd here.

However, the main attraction of the fair is “sheesham” wood furniture from Saharanpur which is modern but carries an antique look. Wrought iron and wooden furniture for outdoor purposes appears trendy and sturdy.

“Saharanpur city is famous for its furniture and whenever we come here, people appreciate our work. We try to follow the latest style and don’t mind experimenting as we believe offering something novel to our customers,” said SM Nadeem, an artisan.

Another major factor that attracts crowds is the reasonable price for the handicrafts.