News & Update

With a motor road built between Govindghat and Pulna, the 22-km trek to the Himalayan Sikh shrine of Hemkunt Sahib has been reduced by four km.

Pilgrims visiting Hemkunt Sahib will now be able to go in their vehicles upto Pulna from where they will have to traverse a distance of only 18 km on foot to reach the shrine, Chamoli District Magistrate Ashok Kumar said. Better facilities including rain shelters and tourist amenity centres have also been made for pilgrims on the 18-km trek route this year, he said.

Yatra to Hemkunt Sahib will begin on May 30 as portals of the shrine are scheduled to reopen on June 1. However, the 18-km route is not completely ready yet for pilgrims with a four km stretch between Ghangharia and Hemkunt still clogged with snow.

But the district magistrate has expressed confidence that everything will fall into place by the time the yatra begins.

Powerlines damaged in snow avalanches at Hemkunt and Ghangharia in the past have all been restored, he said, adding that measures have also been taken to deal with avalanches and additional police deployment is being made in more vulnerable areas for the safety of pilgrims.

Located at a height of about 16,000 ft, Hemkunt Sahib is the highest altitude pilgrimage centre for Sikhs and is thronged by lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad. It is closed with the onset of winter every year due to snowbound conditions.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has asked the Centre to begin flight operations between Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Dehradun in view of Hemkunt Sahib pilgrimage beginning from June1. The request was made by Rawat in a letter to civil aviation minister P Gajapathi Raju, an official release here said.

~ Source – HindustanTimes

Restoring the heritage of the holy city, Sri Harmandir Sahib and Jallianwala Bagh surrounding area would be made to live up to the international standards, disclosed at a high level meeting to review the implementation of developing Amritsar as a smart city.

A Giant waterfall with the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh atop will be a major tourist attraction. This fountain would showcase cascading waterfalls, water animations, computerized water show and would emerge as a ‘thing of beauty’ in the city. This will be coupled with the façade development and beautification of the earmarked stretch.

Saragarhi parking will have electronic façade signage equipped like the Times Square. Town Hall building would to be transformed into a state museum. Renovation of Guru Nanak auditorium would be done.

The façade of buildings in the area including Dharam Singh market would be beautified under a uniform theme, with red sand stone and would have uniform signage. The automatic bombards would be installed near the main fountain, demarking the further stretch as pedestrian pathway having all amenities. He added that ample plantation and Punjab heritage related sculpture in front of Dharam Singh Market would be done besides a tall sculpture related to freedom struggle near Jallianwala Bagh.

The total pathway would be well lit up and information kiosks displaying weather information, electronic signage and tastefully chosen street lights would be installed. Moreover, the statues of stalwarts of Punjab would also be installed on the suitable spots.

Another main highlight of this prestigious project is transformation of the façade of Saragarhi parking area into an electronic façade signage equipped with LED video screens, on the pattern of Times Square, New York. A food court would also be developed opposite Dharm Singh market. Along with this project, the beautification of Town Hall building would also commence to transform it into a State Museum.

The detailed project report is ready and work would commence on it by August 2015 after completing tendering and allocation formalities.

~ Source: sikhnet.com

THERE are many things a person could spend $5,000 on. But none of them crossed the mind of taxi driver Sarbjit Malhi when a passenger left a jacket with a pocket full of cash in the back of Mr Malhi’s cab.

“I never thought about keeping it,” he said. “It wasn’t my money, how could I have kept it?”

In fact, the 34-year-old Zillmere man didn’t even count the money — but said he knew there was a significant amount just by looking at it.

Being unable to track down the passenger because he had hailed the cab from Brisbane International Airport, the taxi driver went to great lengths to track the man down. Mr Malhi went to a hotel on Mary Street where he thought the customer may have been headed. Despite being unable to find the man, the dedicated cabbie left his phone number at the hotel reception.

Thankfully, the distressed passenger phoned Mr Malhi the next day and was reunited with his goods. The customer was very, very happy,” Mr Malhi said. “I can’t imagine a happier customer.”And for all his trouble, the customer gave Mr Malhi a $100 reward — but he didn’t tell him why he was carrying so much cash. Mr Malhi said he would encourage anyone who has found lost goods to return them “as soon as possible”. Black and White Cabs managing director Greg Webb said he was “proud of the calibre” of drivers employed by Black and White Cabs.

~ Source: Courier Mail