INDIA: Permits For Tourist Buses Registered In Arunachal Pradesh But Not Operating In The State To be Cancelled

The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to cancel the registration and national permits of all tourist buses registered in Arunachal Pradesh but not operating in the state.

The decision is likely to affect private travel agencies operating vehicles in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana that acquire national permits from Arunachal and Nagaland.

According to official sources, the state transport commissioner has informed all the district tourism officers (DTOs) to cancel the registration of tourist buses and sleeper coaches in the state that operate their vehicles in other states, including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, in violation of the Central Motor Vehicle (CMV) Act, 1986 and Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1989.

In a second letter, the commissioner also ordered the cancellation of national permits to such vehicles.

The registrations of the vehicles have been done without physical inspection as mandated under the CMV Act, 1988 besides violation of the norm that requires verification of the address as required under the CMV Act, 1988 and CMV Act 1989, and prescribed dimensions of the motor vehicles under the CMTV Rules, 1989, the letters said.

The DTOs have been instructed to direct the vehicle owners to report their vehicles to the nearest police stations.

Tourism has taken a major hit in the scenic town of Darjeeling in West Bengal, with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) spearheading a shut down on Monday over a demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

Hundreds of tourists are still stranded in the town and nearby areas, unable to move out to other locations because of a lack of transport. Some people, however, managed to reach Kolkata on Sunday and expressed their relief at being able to get out of a tense Darjeeling.

Reacting to the crisis, a tourist said,We are facing a lot of problems right now. People know, since the offices are closed, anything can happen on the streets. For flight departures scheduled at 3 p m, people are leaving at 6 a m in the morning.?

He said tourism is the main revenue stream of Darjeeling, and therefore, political parties like the GJM must not hold protests when the season is at its peak.

I would have to think before coming to Darjeeling again,? he added.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the ongoing unrest over demands for the creation of a separate 'Gorkhaland' state, adding that her 'meaningless politics' has fueled the situation.

Nothing happened for seven years. Now with Mamata Banerjee forcing the Bengali language on the people, the situation has turned bad. She should end her interference and apologise to the people of West Bengal, BJP leader Rahul Sinha he said.

Supporting his stance, West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh alleged that the government was not interested in solving issues being dealt with in the region, adding that the violence witnessed is a result of forced interference by Mamata Banerjee.

The two most significant contributors to Darjeeling's economy are tourism and the tea industry. Darjeeling became an important tourist destination as early as 1860.

It is reported to be the only location in eastern India that witnesses a large influx of foreign tourists. It is also a popular filming destination for Bollywood and Bengali cinema.

Tourist inflows into Darjeeling have of late been affected by the political instability in the region. Presently, between 50,000 foreign and 500,000 domestic tourists visit Darjeeling annually if the situation is normal.

It is known as the 'Queen of the Hills' and in 2015 was the third most googled travel destination in India.

INDIA: Telangana New Tourism Destination

The formation of Telangana has certainly improved the prospects of Adilabad emerging as a prime tourist destination in the near future. Telangana is a landlocked state in South India and one of the 29 states in India. It was formed on 2 June 2014 with the city of Hyderabad as its capital.

An increased number of visitors during the Christmas vacation is a strong indicator to this.

Though adventure sports enthusiasts were the first to come to the district some four years ago, it did not catch the imagination of many.

Adilabad has so far turned out to be an excellent place for both leisure and adventure tourism, within the ambit of eco-tourism and village tourism.

Nature and culture are possibly two genres that would be of interest to photographers. The government should promote nature tourism and tours to interior tribal villages like Jodeghat during the Adivasi festival season,” she added.

The government should plan the development of tourism, keeping in view the fragility of the environment and interests of the locals.

Tribal people living close to eco-tourism spots could help to offer accommodation to tourists. It would generate income and make this new region sustainable in tourism.

INDIA: Brand Ambassadors Of Haryana Tourism, Dharmendra And Hema

Haryana Tourism Minister Ram Bilas Sharma has said that renowned film actors Dharmendra and Hema Malini would be the brand ambassadors of Haryana Tourism Department. While giving this information, the minister said that both actors would be invited in the upcoming Surajkund International Crafts Mela on February 1, 2016.

He said that this time, Telangana and China would participate in the fair as Theme State and Theme Country, respectively.

He said that Gita Jayanti Samaroh was organised in Kurukshetra at state level and in all the districts of the state, in which about 20 lakh people participated. He added that next year, Gita Jayanti would be celebrated at the international level. He said that a three-day festival would be organized in districts Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Kaithal, through which the route of Sarasvati River passes, on the occasion of Basant Panchami. Information pertaining to Sarasvati River would be disseminated during this event.

In reply to a question, the Tourism Minister said that Sahitya Akademis in Haryana would be re-constituted in January so as to provide good writers and other literateurs with the opportunity to express their talent. In reply to a question, Sharma said that school children would be taught shlokas of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita from the next academic session. He said that the wrong education policy of the previous government had led to lower standards of education. However, the present government has taken a decision to reconduct the Class-8 Board examinations.

INDIA: Adilabad Tiger Tourism Will Grow

The arrival of a couple of wild cats within a span of three months at the Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Adilabad district has already had conservationists raising toasts.

It should be renamed as Kamal Tiger Reserve,” suggested an excited tourist at the Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Adilabad district as he animatedly discussed about the trend of tiger influx in the park.

The arrival of a couple of wild cats, a male and a female, within a span of three months has already had conservationists raising toasts.

“More tigers will come as they feel safe here,” predicted KTR wildlife researcher Jogu Yellam. “A lot of effort has gone into strengthening anti-poaching activity,” he stated, giving reasons for tigers to arrive at KTR in the coming months.

There is also the talk of urgency in developing tiger tourism even as conservation efforts are strengthened at the facility. “Kawal should soon become an ecological paradise and tiger tourism here should rival the one at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in the neighbouring Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, if not improving upon it,” observed K. Ashwin Rao, a realtor from Hyderabad, also a well known eco-tourism enthusiast from Hyderabad.

Even those who are not die hard wildlife enthusiasts are likely to welcome development of tiger tourism at the place which is evident from the excitement of Srinivas Reddy, a medicine and drug store owner from Karimnagar.

He became the first tourist to have sighted a tiger in the wild from the safari jeep on which he was moving in the jungles on December 20.

“The government should look into this aspect seriously as there is a lot of potential for tiger tourism at KTR,” stated Mr. Rao from his experience of the park.

“The management of the place should be professional, locals should be trained to become naturalists before incorporating them in the scheme of things,” he suggested some of the measures.

The conservation enthusiast also underlined the need for sensitising tourists about some of the finer aspects of eco-tourism. The eco-tourism enthusiast drew underscored the need for people maintaining silence and refraining themselves from polluting the area.

“We have plans of increasing protection for the tigers and a Tiger Protection Force unit has been sanctioned for Kawal,” revealed KTR’s Jannaram Division Deputy Director B. Ravinder.

“In view of the vulnerability of the big cats, we will monitor the movements of visitors too,” he added, while giving details of the conservation plan.

KTR should soon become an ecological paradise and tiger tourism should rival the one at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, if not improving upon it. -K. Ashwin Rao, Eco-tourism enthusiast

INDIA: 150 Indian Accounts Being Tracked For Following ISIS Propoganda

In order to combat the threat of Islamic State, intelligence agencies are tracking social media accounts of nearly 150 Indians following ISIS propaganda, the government sources revealed. According to the report of intelligence agencies, around 150 Indian youths are under the surveillance of security agencies for allegedly supporting or promoting ISIS ideology.

As per the report made by security agencies, a majority of those under surveillance are from the southern states. However the agencies haven’t begun any crack-down on Indian youths showing interest in activities of ISIS but the tracking of such people is aimed at to prevent them from joining the terror outfit. An intervention will be made by security forces if those under surveillance show signs to radicalization. ”Most of them are in regular contact with some ISIS activists through online. Hence, we have kept all them under surveillance of security forces,” an official privy to the development said.

So far, a total of 23 Indians have gone to ISIS hold areas in Iraq-Syria to fight for the terrorist group. Of them six were killed while one returned home in Mumbai. 30 other Indians, who were radicalised by ISIS elements, were also prevented from travelling to the conflict zone in the Middle-East. Among those who are currently fighting for ISIS include two youth from Kalyan in the outskirts of Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian.

Among the six Indians, who fought alongside ISIS and got killed were three Indian Mujahideen terrorists, including Sultan Ajmer Shah and Bada Sajid, who had joined its ranks after being in Pakistan, two from Maharashtra and one from Telangana. On September 15, the UAE deported four Indians suspected to have links with ISIS. The UAE had also sent back in September a 37-year-old woman, Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph, who was allegedly involving in recruiting youths for ISIS. In January, Salman Mohiuddin of Hyderabad was arrested at Hyderabad airport when he was preparing to board a flight to Dubai on way to Syria via Turkey.

In an advisory sent yesterday, the Home Ministry said the recent multiple attacks in Paris clearly indicate the intention of the outfit (ISIS) to expand the area of terror action beyond the core area of Iraq and Syria. The Home Ministry said though the ISIS has not been able to establish any significant presence in India, its success in radicalising some youth, attracting certain sections of local population or Indian diaspora to physically participate in its activities or the possibility of piggy backing on terrorist groups operating in India have opened up the possibility of ISIS sponsored terrorist action on Indian territory.