India-Myanmar Flight Buzz

By Khelen Thokchom

Imphal, Jun 10 : There is hope of regular air services between Imphal and Myanmar, with an Imphal-based private company recently signing an agreement with Golden Myanmar Airlines.

The first chartered flight from Mandalay, after signing the agreement, will land in Imphal on June 27.

This is the result of initiatives taken by KB Enterprises to improve trade and cultural relations between the two countries and also promote tourism in Manipur.

This will be the second chartered flight from Myanmar to land at Imphal airport since November last year.

A 180-seater flight carrying a 100-member delegation from Myanmar, including two chief ministers landed at Imphal airport on their way to attend the 10-day long Sangai festival, an annual tourism festival held in Imphal during the last 10 days every November.

The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also signed a bilateral air services agreement in 2012 with Myanmar.

With Manipur having border trade with Myanmar, many private bodies are working on improving ties between Manipur and the neighbouring country. KB Enterprises’ initiative is one of the efforts.

In addition to this, there are many Manipuris settled in Mandalay. The Manipuris who were taken away by the Burmese soldiers for use as forced labourers during their invasion of Manipur from 1819 to 1825, were made to settle there. There are also many Tamil and Nepali people who live in Mandalay and they are expected to take advantage of the flight to visit Imphal, where they have relatives.

Proprietor of KB Enterprises, P. Kunjabihari, said the 67-seater ATR-72 model would land on June 27 at Tulihal airport in Imphal and the consul general of India at Mandalay agreed to issue visas for Myanmarese willing to take the flight to Imphal.

He said the airfare was fair enough as one passenger would spend Rs 14,500 for a round trip to Mandalay.

At present, the only means to reach Mandalay from Imphal is to take the 578km long Imphal-Mandalay route via the state’s border township of Moreh.

To facilitate regular chartered flight services between Imphal and Mandalay, the state transport department has proposed to chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh to reduce the value-added tax imposed on aviation turbine fuel.

At present, the state government charges 20 per cent VAT on aviation turbine fuel.

State transport secretary M. Lakshmikumar said regular chartered flights would boost the tourism sector.

He said state chief secretary P.C. Lawmkunga would hold a series of meetings to facilitate the Imphal-Mandalay air service and make it a success with officials of the Airports Authority of India.

Kunjabihari said his company sent proposals to Air India and Indigo for starting chartered flight services between Imphal and Mandalay but got no response.

NH 39, Lifeline of Nagaland, Manipur in Bad Condition

Kohima, Jun 10 :  National Highway 39, the lifeline of Nagaland and Manipur, is in a pathetic condition posing not only traffic hazard but health danger too as water in the crater-like potholes have remained stagnant since onset of last monsoon.

Official sources said a meeting was held with the Border Road Task Force (BRTF) of Border Road Organization, State Roads & Bridges Department and the district administrations over the constant negligence of BRTF in this sector and accordingly, the BRTF was asked to act at the earliest.

According to regular travelers and taxi drivers they had lodged complaint with the Home, PWD and other departments and the district administrations. But till date no action had been taken.

Non-existence of side drains results in water-logging. The entire stretch is damaged with knee-deep water accumulating in some stretches. Besides heavy local traffic, volume is compounded as Imphal-bound heavy and light vehicles ply on this road throughout the day.

Chances of accidents are high near the Customs Office stretch as there is a critical blind curve, they said. Though officers and technical field staff of the BRTF cross this stretch daily, they seemed to have turned a blind eye to the deplorable road condition, they further said.

What a scorcher! Delhi swelters in record 47.8C heat as Capital gets its hottest day for sixty-two years

Sunday turned into 'Stunned Day' for Delhi residents as a weather station near the airport recorded a high temperature of 47.8ºC, the highest in over six decades.

The last time this happened was in 1952, five years after Independence.

Put another way, Delhi residents less than 62 years of age have just experienced the hottest day of their lives.

The more downtown weather station at Safdarjung recorded 45.1ºC, five degrees above normal and the hottest in five years.

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Brutal weather: People cover their faces (left) to beat the heat on Sunday, while a foreign tourist (right) protects herself from the scorching sun.

The forecast was even worse. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said clear skies and the heat wave are expected to hold, and there will be more of the same on Monday.

At this rate, Delhi could set an all-time maximum temperature record this week.

Delhi was not alone in its misery. North India reeled under a heat wave, with records being set and broken all over the region. Chandigarh baked at 45ºC, its second highest June temperature in 10 years. Hisar in Haryana boiled at 46.6ºC; Ludhiana touched 46.3ºC.

In Rajasthan, Jaipur hit 47ºC, eight degrees above normal, while Ganganagar burned at 48.6ºC. Uttar Pradesh wasn't spared: Allahabad recorded a high 48.3ºC.

Even the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh suffered. Una, a foothill town, saw the day temperature rise up to an incredible 45ºC, while Sundernagar, a town in the Beas-kissed Mandi district, saw the mercury breach 40ºC.

Power play

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Youngsters beat the heat as the mercury soars in New Delhi

The dismal power situation made life highly uncomfortable in the Capital. The damage wreaked to major transmission lines by the dust-storm of May 30 added to the usual peak summer deficit of power to bring hell across the city.

Residential colonies in South, South-west and West Delhi continued to grapple with long power cuts. In Chittaranjan Park, Kalkaji and Greater Kailash, residents complained of nearly three to four hours of power cuts during afternoons, when the heat was at its worst.

Bearing the brunt of sweltering heat and power cuts, residents of the walled city, Patparganj and North-east Delhi even raised protests against the power outages.

"We are not able to even recharge our inverters. We haven't been able to sleep all night. The temperature is breaking all its previous records, and so is the government in not providing us electricity," said Eklayva, a resident of Patparganj.

Delhi was able to meet peak demand of 5152 MW on 7th June 2014, and with highest-ever consumption of 109.206 Million Units. However the unrestricted peak demand was about 5600 MW, resulting in load shedding of around 400 MW during peak time in several parts of the city.

"This was due to system overloading and constraints, mainly due to damage caused to three main 220 kV Transmission Lines," said a power department official.

As a result of this, certain pockets in East Delhi, West Delhi and Central Delhi are more vulnerable to system load-shedding, including Uttam Nagar, Dwarka, Ghazipur, Mayur Vihar, Geeta Colony, Daryaganj, and the Walled City.

"Power supply is interrupted. Power comes for ten minutes and then there is load shedding for an hour. This has been the pattern since the last 10 days," said a resident of Dwarka.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, one of the two power distribution companies in the capital, claimed they are ready to meet the full load requirement.

"As far as TPDDL is concerned, it has arranged for adequate quantity of power to meet peak summer requirement of approximately 1,545 MW in its area in North Delhi. The current peak demand is hovering around 1,380 MW. The TPDDL network is completely ready to meet the full load requirement," a spokesperson said.

BSES said they have set up a team for internal monitoring and that they would put up the load-shedding schedule on their website. BSES, however, said the power crisis is due to failure of transmission of power.

"After the storm which hit the capital almost 10 days ago, transmission was hit badly. Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) is the one responsible for transmission of power but they have suffered the maximum damage. BSES is preparing its load-shedding schedule and will update it on website," said a BSES official on condition of anonymity.

Coming into action Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung directed the discoms to adopt measures to address this concern. The L-G has ordered discoms to announce a schedule of load-shedding.

Likewise, one of the strong measures will be to cut off the power supply to malls after 10pm, since power demand hits a peak between 10pm and 1 am.

Likewise, government establishments have also been asked to conserve their electricity consumption by switching off their air conditioning between 3.30 and 4.30pm when demand for power in residential areas hits an all-time high.

"Discoms are working out a schedule which will be shared with the public," an advisory from the office of the Lieutenant Governor said.

"Peak load conditions occur in the city between 3pm to 5pm and then again from 10pm to 1am during night. So, these measures will be adopted with immediate effect," the advisory said.

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L-G orders cut in malls' power supply after 10pm

By Heena Kausar in New Delhi

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Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung

As Delhi reels under a severe power crisis, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Sunday ordered that power supply to shopping malls in the Capital be stopped after 10pm.

The L-G held a meeting to review the power situation and directed that people be informed in advance about load-shedding in their areas.

Jung also announced a slew of measures to address the power crisis.

The L-G directed that all government offices, including the Delhi Secretariat, universities and colleges, must switch off air conditioners between 3.30 and 4.30pm to conserve power during peak hours.

"This does not include emergency services and critical institutions such as hospitals," the LG said in a statement.

To ensure proper communication about power outages, Jung directed the discoms to prepare a schedule of power cuts and share it with public.

"Whenever there is less supply of power, the power distribution companies will announce a schedule informing people about the timings when electric supply will be cut. Discoms are working out a schedule which will be shared with the public," an advisory from the office of the L-G said.

"Power supply to malls will not be available after 10pm. High mast halogen lamps in the streets, which consume more power, will be switched off during night peak hours to conserve energy," the statement said, adding: "The discoms will strengthen their call centres by increasing the number of lines and deploying additional staff so that there is better communication with the public."

The advisory also said the measures should be adopted with immediate effect.

"Peak load situations occur in the city between 3pm and 5pm, and again from 10pm and 1am. So, these measures will be adopted with immediate effect," the advisory said.

Jung also asked people to run their air-conditioners at 25 degrees or above, and take all measures at home and in offices to conserve electricity.

The meeting was attended by the chief secretary, principal secretary (power), senior officers of Delhi Transco Limited and CEOs of all the power distribution companies.

Delhi registered its highest ever power consumption of 109.206 million units on May 7, leading to load-shedding of around 400 MW, which affected power supply in several parts of the city.

Water mafia still rules Capital's streets

By Shibaji Roychoudhury in New Delhi

Prolonged power outages have left its impact on the Capital's water supply. And in this hour of crisis, the water tanker mafia is making quick money.

While the usual rate for 1,000 litres of water is anything between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000, it has shot up to new heights as the water crisis is at its peak.

After the thunderstorm on May 30, people living in several parts of Delhi are not only suffering from erratic power supply, but are also unable to draw enough water using pumps for daily use.

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Residents in areas such as Sangam Vihar, Malviya Nagar and Khirki Extension are finding it tough to pay high charges every day

"The power supply is inconsistent and due to voltage fluctuation, the wiring inside the pump burned. Once we got that fixed, there was barely any water to pump up. We have complained to the DJB office, but they said that due to the power shortage, the water motors too are working inconsistently. Hence, we have no choice but to depend on private tankers," said K.K. Paul, a resident of Chittaranjan Park in South Delhi, while paying Rs 3,000 to a private tanker for 1,000 litres of water.

Paul can afford to buy water from private tankers, but residents in areas like Sangam Vihar, Devli Village, Malviya Nagar, Adchini, Khirki Extension, Saidulajab, Madangir, Tigri and Khanpur are finding it tough to pay the high charges every day.

"We used to pay Rs 1,500 for a thousand litre of water, but now they are charging Rs 2,000 or Rs 3,000...Since we can't afford that much, the cost is being shared by neighbours," Khanpur resident Vishal Nagar said.

According to a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official, the damage to the power transmission network has affected operations at various water treatment plants, affecting the supply of water in East, West and South Delhi.

The official added that the DJB is doing everything possible to bring the situation back to normal at the earliest.

The board has set up a 24x7 call centre and control room to register complaints.

The DJB supplies nearly 850 million gallons per day of water. This is far less than the Capital's demand of more than 1,000 MGD of water. It has roped in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to construct tube wells in various areas that fall under its jurisdiction.

In Dwarka, which has been the most affected area, the DDA has been sending water tankers free of charge to the residents.

YMA Rail blockade Threat Over Train Timings

By Satananda Bhattacharjee





















Hailakandi, Jun 9 : The Young Mizo Association (YMA) has threatened to block all trains at Bairabi in Mizoram from June 25 if the timings of the Badarpur-Bairabi (via Hailakandi) passenger train are not changed.

At present, the train leaves Bairabi at 6am and reaches Silchar via Hailakandi at 10am. Thereafter, it leaves Silchar at 4pm and reaches Bairabi at 8pm.

The association has demanded just the opposite — the train should reach Bairabi in the morning from Silchar and return in the evening in the greater interest of the farmers of the locality. A majority of the farmers prefer to send vegetables and fruits to markets in Barak valley in the evening.

In a memorandum to railway authorities, the association has threatened to block all trains for an indefinite period from June 25 if the timings are not changed.

Two goods trains were stopped for two days at Bairabi station by the members of the association.

The Hailakandi district unit of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) has condemned the association’s threat. “We condemn the demands of the YMA and will be compelled to launch a movement if the association’s demand is considered by the railway authorities,” KMSS leader Jahir Uddin Laskar said. He also threatened that all goods trains towards Mizoram would be stopped at Hailakandi station if they block the tracks.

Laskar said the KMSS has pressed for two trains along the route for the benefit of the passengers and urged the members of the association to extend their co-operation.

The KMSS has also submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner of Hailakandi asking the administration to retain the present timings. Railway officials in Hailakandi, however, refused to comment on the Mizo organisation’s demand.

MNF To Contest Rajya Sabha Seat from Mizoram

Aizawl, Jun 9 : The party took the decision on Friday after consulting the alliance partners of the United Democratic Front (UDF), Lalthangliana said.
  
The UDF is the alliance of eight opposition political parties which unsuccessfully contested the just concluded Lok Sabha polls by fielding a common independent candidate against the ruling Congress.
  
He said that the name of the opposition candidate would be announced on Monday which is the last day for filing of nominations for the polls.
  
Meanwhile, nomination committee of the ruling Congress on Wednesday held discussions to name the Congress candidate for the coming polls.
  
The ruling Congress has 34 legislators in the 40-member state legislature, while the MNF has five members and its alliance partner, and the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC)has one.

Ronald Sapa Tlau is Cong nominee for lone RS seat in Mizoram

The ruling Congress today announced the name of Ronald Sapa Tlau as its nominee to contest the election to the lone Mizoram Rajya Sabha seat to be held on June 19.

Tlau, who is chairman of the public sector Zoram Electronics Development Corporation Limited (ZENICS) since 2009 and had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls from Hrangturzo seat in 2008, would file his nominations tomorrow, the last day of filing nominations.

NRL May Export Fuel To Myanmar

By Surajit Khaund

Guwahati, Jun 9 :  Taking advantage of the ‘Look East Policy’, the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is now exploring opportunities to export its products to Myanmar and is understood to have initiated a process to ink a deal with the neighbouring country.

“We have already started a discussion with the Ambassador of Myanmar to India and he is positive in this regard. But the discussion is now at an initial stage,” P Padmanabhan, Managing Director (MD) of NRL, said while sharing his future plan with this correspondent here today.

He, however, admitted that the deal would take some time to materialise. According to a study, the demand for oil products in Myanmar is expected to reach 60,000 barrels per day, and, therefore, major oil companies are now targeting the Myanmar market to fuel their growth.

Asked whether the deal would be possible given the current law-and-order situation along the international border, especially in the Moreh area, Padmanabhan replied in the affirmative, saying the Indian Petroleum Ministry is optimistic about the deal.

After signing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with ASEAN, Myanmar has now become a strategic business point for India, and during the last couple of years, the Indian Government has extended soft loans to Myanmar in the energy and IT sectors. “We have a mega expansion plan from the current level of 3 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) to 9 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA).

So, we will be able to export our products to Myanmar and Bangladesh,” the MD of NRL said, adding that NRL has already signed an agreement with the Nepal-based Birat Petroleum Pvt Ltd (BPPL) for sale of motor spirit (MS) and high speed diesel (HSD).

Four Cops Suspended for Allegedly Abandoning Assam Top Cop During Encounter

By Zoya Anna Thomas

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju today joined a host of senior government officials and police officers in Assam to pay last respects to SP Nityanand Goswami.

Guwahati. Jun 9 :  Four policemen were suspended today for allegedly abandoning a top cop during an encounter with militants in Assam.

Nityanand Goswami, the Superintendent of Police of Assam's Hamren police district was killed in an encounter with militants in the Karbi Anglong district on Thursday. He was leading three police parties in an operation against Karbi People's Liberation Tigers (KPLT) in a remote forest area, when they came face to face with a large group of militants who opened fire on them.

The police team retaliated and in the ensuing encounter, Mr Goswami and his personal security guard were killed.

Mr Goswami's son demanded that a CBI inquiry be launched into the incident. "I demand CBI inquiry, I want to know what happened to my father," he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today joined a host of senior government officials and police officers in Assam to pay last respects to Mr Goswami.

Mr Rijiju said, "I have come here to give condolences to my senior officer and PSO who lost his life in such a tragic incident. I have come here on behalf of Rajnath Singh and the Central government."

The KPLT was formed in 2011 to demand that an Autonomous Karbi State (AKS) be carved out of Assam.

It is a breakaway anti-talks faction of the ethnic insurgent Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF).

A Day’s Journey To Explore The Unexplored

By Oken Jeet Sandham

It’s always adventurous to explore the new areas, locations, mountains, lakes, caves, trees and other historical objects. From time to time, scientists, enthusiastic and curious people used to venture out to areas unseen and unexplored. In Nagaland also, there are many areas which still remain unknown.

Local vendors selling local fruits and vegetables at Mao bazaar
Most of these areas are highly potential for making tourist destinations if they are properly developed with basic infrastructures. Rural tourism can really be developed and that will give economic and social benefits to the rural people. This is also one development that will discourage the exodus of rural people to the urban areas searching for their livelihood.

With this idea in mind, Speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly Chotisuh Sazo organized a whole day survey on May 31 with a team that included tour operators, officials and media persons to many sites which are highly potential for the development and promotion of tourism.

After briefing all of us by the Speaker, the team under his stewardship left Kohima at about 8:00 AM for a day’s trip to survey many sites highly prospective for the development of tourist circuits. The route is Kohima-Mao Gate-Makhel-Khezhakeno- Pfutsero- Phesachodou- Thepuzu- Chesezu-Chozuba-Kohima. It is like a one-day tour package.

We reached Mao Gate, Manipur at about 9:00 AM and had early lunch there. Generally, travelers stop and have food, besides buying local fresh fruits and vegetables here. Hundreds of passenger vehicles ply on this NH 39 daily and have stopover at this bazaar. Every tourist passing through this historic bazaar can visit the Mao Village which also preserves 2nd World War wreckages. Foreign goods are also sold here at relatively cheaper rates. Travelers can enjoy shopping here.

Then we left for the Makhel Village. It is about 10-minute drive from Mao Gate. The Village bears the testimony of the Nagas. The Makhel Village holds a central place in Naga tradition in connection with a belief that the Nagas at one point of time settled here and later dispersed to their present areas of habitation. The village of Makhel and the surrounding areas have several historical as well as mythological monuments and relics that are of interest to ethnographers, historians and cultural anthropologists. Monolith written about the significance of the Nagas is still preserved at this village.

Some village elders narrated us the importance the village.

After spending about 40 minutes at the Makhel Village, we proceeded to Chida Lake which lies at the periphery of Khazhakenoma Village under Phek district. The Lake can have boating facilities and variety of fishes which can give attraction to tourists. You can move around the scenic green hilltops which surround the Lake. Form the hilltops; you can see the beautiful Tungjoy Village of Manipur. In fact, the areas are pristine sceneries which will have vast tourist fascination.

We had light refreshment at the hilltop overlooking the Tungjoy Village before proceeding to Khezhakenoma Village.

On the way to Khezhakenoma Village, you will find a wayside Medicinal Plant Conservation Area where herbal nursery of locally available medical plants is maintained. The locally found Naga ginseng and other medicinal herbs are grown in the place. Many of us were thrilled seeing at the way medicinal plants were grown in this place, more so of the Naga ginseng plants. These unique herbal medicinal plants will give a charm blend to the tourists. The tourists can also get treated if they so desired.

While going to Khezhakenoma Village, you will come across Zuketsa junction. There is a monolith erected which had inscription written of a friendship treaty between the Phesachodouma and Khuzha Netho Ketshu. It said a stone got split into two. One erected at this Zuketsa Junction while the other at Phesachodou village with the same inscriptions of the friendship treaty written.

At Khezhakenoma Village, historical objects are still preserved. The Speaker was kind enough narrating the significance of the Village. C Kemvu Koza, Village Council Chairman, also shared of the Village’s history. Visitors will never return without knowing the story of this village.

After spending about an hour at Khezhakenoma Village, we set out for the next destination towards Pfutsero Town. Pfutsero Town is the commercial hub in the Phek district. We inspected the Mini Tourist Lodge maintained by the Pfuteromi Women Welfare Society. The double-bedded room is charged at Rs 700 while twin-bedded at Rs 500. They are bathroom-toilet attached and reasonably cleaner and cheaper. Sazo also personally checked all the rooms, dining and conference halls and the records of visitors.

Pfutsero headquarters has two Tourist Lodges and a few hotels. And accommodations for the tourists should not be the problem. The town also has a Baptist Theological College and also Government College. Churches of various denominations add to the beauty of the town. From the Mini Tourist Lodge you can not only see the complete town but also beautiful pristine peripheries of the magnificent town.

From here, we proceeded to Pfutsero’s Glory Peak. From this Glory Peak, you can see the birth’s eye view of Pfutsero Town. Picnics, workshops, meetings etc. can be organized in this place. This place can also be one of the tourist circuits as they can see the town, far off Chakhesang villages and even Kohima and Manipur.

Speaker was narrating every nook and corner of Pfutsero Town to us and the tour operators while having our 2nd light lunch here. Sometimes, we joked with him that “your head is the dictionary of Chakhesang areas.” Although he is Speaker of the Nagaland Assembly, he acted like a tour guide to all of us. In fact before setting out for the trip, he briefed all of us at his official residence saying that, “Today, I will be your tour guide and not as Speaker of Nagaland Assembly.” We spent about one-and-half hours here.

Then we again proceeded towards Phesachodou village. The Speaker is from this village. His village has cultural significance and that is widely known to outsiders. The villagers can present variety of traditional dances and songs to the visitors at the drop of a hat. It is a cultural hub itself. This could be one of the important tourist destinations.

On the way to Chesezu Village, one can see K-Basa Village below the highway. This village has been declared as “Green Village” with all village house roofs painted green under the initiative of Sazo in 2010 when he was Parliamentary Secretary for Social Welfare.

And before reaching Chesezu Village, we had one stopover at Thepuzu hilltop. It was leveled purposely to construct a new village church there.

From this hilltop, you can see a very steep mountain peak called Curhanyi from where it said the Naga army shot an Indian army chopper that was carrying a GOC. He was grievously injured. In retaliation, the Indian army started herding the village male folks but the GOC ordered not to harass them.

The last and the most important one come here. That is Chesezu Village where one of the historical significances took place during the infamous 2nd World War. The leader of the Indian National Army (INA), Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, came to this village and lived here. The villagers extended material helps to Netaji and his INA troops during their stay in the village. In memory of him, a Committee constituted started constructing a Memorial Center of him. A huge statue of Netaji carved out of stone in sitting position yet to be given a final touch is also here. Near the statue, there is a spring well from where Netaji used to fetch water for his personal use. All these important places including the spring well are still well preserved. Just one km away from the statue, a guest house with amphitheater in the name of Netaji Memorial Center is about to be completed. This will be one of the important tourist destinations once it is dedicated.

So the survey of the tour mapping is unique in the sense that “one-day complete tour package” can be organized - Kohima to Mao Gate to Makhel to Chida Lake to Medicinal Plant Conservation Area to Khezhakenoma Village to Pfutsero and visit Glory Peak at Pfutsero and from there have a birth’s eye view of the town (Pfutsero). Then proceed to Chesezu Village to have a final look at the INA Chief Netaji Shubas Chandra Bose Memorial Center. On the way to Chesezu, one can still enjoy looking at the green village of K-Basa Village and also visit Thepuzu maintain peak from where one can see a very steep and historic mountain peak called Curhanyi from where the Naga army shot an Indian army chopper that was carrying a GOC who suffered grievous injury.

In fact, ecotourism has become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the tourism industry, growing by 10-15% worldwide. One definition of ecotourism is “the practice of low-impact, educational, ecologically and culturally sensitive travel that benefits local communities and host countries.”

Rural tourism can thrive as we can showcase our rural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations and in villages, which have core competence in art and craft, handloom, and textiles as also as asset base in the natural environment. The rural tourism will also give economic dividends to local communities so also socially. By developing rural tourism, there will be economic development in the villages and thereby preventing the exodus of rural people to the urban areas.


Source: Asian Tribune