discover india app launched by tourism ministry india

The Ministry of Tourism has launched a mobile application to enable its users to independently travel and experience 16 cities in the country. The self-guided tour application ‘Incredible India Walking Tours’ was launched by the Ministry in collaboration with Genesys International Corporation and will cover 16 Indian cities including Agra, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Coastal Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Patna, Pune and Surat. The facility will be extended to 36 cities by December 2015. The app enables users to sight-see free of cost at their own pace and convenience, with the help of walking tours curated by travel experts. “We are extremely excited about this because it is the first time an app can enable users to discover India on their own. It’s free, easy to use and, most importantly, comes with 360 degree street views and information put together by a panel of experts. It’s like having a local take you by the hand and show you his city, at your convenience,” Tourism Minister Sripad Naik said. The application, however, is only available on Blackberry mobile handsets. It runs on all BlackBerry 10 handsets including the Z3, Z10, Z30, Q5 and Q10 phones. An Android version of the free application is also being worked upon and is expected to be announced in coming weeks, said a senior Tourism Ministry official.

Delhi to have six new Metro lines

New Delhi: Delhi is expected to get additional 108 km of Metro lines in Phase III with the government suggesting two more lines to the six already planned. While the six new lines will be around 69 km long, the two lines suggested by Delhi government will be 39 km long. The Delhi Metro will now start preparing detailed projects on the two new suggested lines.



The government has suggested an Outer Ring Road route connecting Badli with Sector 18 in Noida through Uttam Nagar, Dhaula Kuan and GK II. Since this line is a completely new proposal, the DMRC will have to prepare a detailed project report of the route.

The other modification suggested is a 7-km link connecting Rajouri Garden to Dhaula Kuan. The Delhi Metro had proposed two corridors -- Rajouri Garden to Mukundpur and Dhaula Kuan to Anand Vihar -- both of which have been approved by the Cabinet, which suggested that both corridors be linked, said the officials .

The government has also asked the DMRC to reconsider the proposed Ashok Park-Delhi Gate corridor as two Metro corridors already run parallel to this and a light rail transit system is being planned on the same route. "We have asked the DMRC to reconsider this route. We feel that this corridor can be avoided as there are lines feeding this area. However, this is only a suggestion and the DMRC can re-examine it," Transport Commissioner and Secretary R K Verma told (Indian Express) Newsline.

The Dwarka Sector 9 to Noida/ Anand Vihar line and Inderlok-Mundka line run parallel to this proposed corridor. But sources said the new line was proposed as this has been identified as a densely populated area with high ridership possibilities.




Though the corridors proposed by the DMRC and the suggestions made by the Transport department were approved by the Cabinet on October 11, the DMRC received the notification on approvals and changes last Wednesday. DMRC Director (Projects) Kumar Keshav said, "We have received the suggestions and are looking into them. A detailed project report has to be done on the new lines suggested by the government."

Sources said that Delhi Metro officials were largely in agreement with the changes proposed. The link from Rajouri Garden to Dhaula Kuan was to be considered at a later stage by DMRC and hence wasn't proposed for the initial Phase III lines. However, with the government insisting that the line be considered, DMRC has been in agreement with the decision.

Meanwhile, geo-technical and topographical surveys are being conducted for the Central Secretariat-ITO and Jahangirpuri-Badli corridors which are expected to be expedited first in line. All the lines, however, have to go through Cabinet approvals once again after the routes are finalised and then through the Group of Ministers, following which the funding will be decided.

Source: The Indian Express

Floods feared in Delhi as Haryana releases more water

New Delhi/Chandigarh: Delhi faced fresh flood threats Monday with nearly seven lakh cusecs of water being discharged into the Yamuna river from the Hathini Kund barrage in neighbouring Haryana. Fresh alerts have also been issued in major districts like Karnal, Panipat and Faridabad.



The water level in the Yamuna reached 205.48 metre, .65 metre above the danger mark of 204.83 metre. Nearly 7.44 lakh cusecs of water has been released by Haryana, which is expected to reach Delhi by Wednesday.



Continuing rains in the national capital are also contributing to the water level. The national capital has recorded 59.2 mm of rains in the last 24 hours till 8.30 a.m. Monday morning. According to officials from the Flood Control Department, the water has broken a record of nearly 30 years.



"I have never seen so much water in the Yamuna ever since 1979, this is the highest," an official from the flood control department told IANS. With people having been evacuated from the river bed and adjacent low lying areas earlier, the flood control department says rescue boats and booster pumps are not required.

Floods feared in Delhi as Haryana releases more water



Flood threat again looms over Haryana

The Yamuna continued to flow alarmingly high in Haryana Monday, posing a threat of heavy flooding in villages along the river, officials said. Fresh alerts have been issued in major districts like Karnal, Panipat and Faridabad.

Floods feared in Delhi as Haryana releases more water



According to government officials, nearly 700,000 cusecs of water was discharged into the Yamuna from the Hathnikund barrage Sunday. It was the maximum release of water into the river this season.



Incessant rainfall in the upper reaches of Shivalik hills and in Uttarakhand has led to heavy inflows. Officials said flood water has also entered into the territory of a few villages in Karnal and Yamunanagar districts and rescue work was on.



The Haryana government has issued fresh flood alerts in Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Faridabad and Palwal districts and their deputy commissioners have been alerted to take preventive measures.



"We have told the residents of low lying areas to leave for safer locations. We will make sure that all necessary assistance will be provided to them. We are closely monitoring the situation. Several acres of agricultural land are facing the threat of heavy floods," Ashok Sanghwan, deputy commissioner of Yamunanagar, told IANS Monday.



"Besides, over 25 villages, including Kalesar, Baburambass, Mamdubas, Tappukamalpur, Punehri, Baghwali, Jathlana and Sandhala-Sandhali villages, are on the verge of flooding."



In Karnal district, flood threat was looming over Chougam, Hansu Majra, Garhi Birbal, Garhpur Tapu, Palsora, Halwana, Nabiyabad, Japti Chhapra, Sayed Chhapra, Nagli and Dera Sikkligarh villages.



The Haryana government has also alerted the Delhi flood authorities about the increased discharge in the river and told the army to remain on standby.



Over 30 people were killed in floods in Haryana in July. Heavy flow of water has also damaged the Tajewala headworks point in Yamunanagar district. A portion of it was swept away with the heavy currents.

Source: IANS

Delhi woman keeps mom's body for months

A woman in Delhi kept her mother's body for 6 months without anyone knowing it. It was accidentally discovered by a man who went to repair a meter. Today's crime file also has the case of a freak mishap at Hyderabad airport. Read on

New Delhi: Shalini Gupta has just ordered the pizza that's lying on her dining table. On the wall adjacent to the longest sofa in the room are two photographs.

One is of a woman in a white sari with chandelier earrings, a distant look on her face. The other is that of her parents together. "My parents were rich. Look at my mother's earrings. Doesn't it seem so?" she asks.

Shalini betrays no emotions. At least nothing to suggest she has been living with the body of her 80-year-old mother, Vinode Gupta, who passed away at least six months back at their D58 residence in Saket.

Strangely, Shalini, who had been living with her for the past 15 years, had no idea that her mother was dead.

On the left is another bedroom which Shalini doesn't allow entry into. "It's too messy. The maid hasn't come in a long while," she explains. Shalini's mother's room is dimly lit. The corridor light is enough to reveal what lies inside.

The room has a strange stench; musty and gloomy. In the room is a sofa-cum-bed on which the body was found. Beneath it lie a pair of cream-coloured slippers.

Clad in a pair of black pyjamas, a dark grey shirt and a pair of red and black bathroom slippers, Shalini appears disillusioned.

"This was where my mother slept. My father died last December."

But she does not show any sign of remorse. "My mother died because she was ill. She was too old and had lived a very traumatic life." Shalini, the only child of her parents, has been taking care of her mother for the past 15 years.

Ask her about her father Purshottam Lal Gupta's profession and she says, "I don't know. He never told me... I never wanted to know either."

She says her daughter Rehana was born on December 13, 1983 and has just returned from Bangalore. "I have been fighting a divorce case with my husband and have just got custody of my child".

But is she her only child? "I don't know how many children I have. I have Rehana and the rest of them are with Nischit, my husband."

Nischit works for Taj Hotels.

Shalini, too, was working with the New Zealand High Commission until she quit her job.

"But, I'm scared. There are people trying to get their hands on my property." Suddenly, she says, "I need to take a shower" and shuts the door.

Outside, guard Harnat Singh says he has seen Shalini go out to buy basic commodities. "I even saw her husband and daughter the other day. But when I asked her where they went, memsahib said she didn't know."

Vinode's skeltal remains were discovered after a DJB officer found something amiss when he went to the house to repair a meter on Saturday evening. He informed the neighbours, who rang the police. The body has now been sent for post mortem. The police don't suspect any foul play and have started inquest proceedings.

Source: The Indian Express