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Tourism industry is showing an up going graph with around five million foreign tourists reported in India in 2007. This is a big jump from the 3.92 million tourists during the previous year, said Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni.

Around 400 million domestic tourists had also traveled across different parts of the country during 2007, she told after declaring open the Rs 35 crore `Zest Big Beach-Puducherry` a project of the Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Limited (MHRIL) at Manapet coastal village near Puducherry.

Soni also told about the possibilities of Puducherry emerging as a major centre for cruise tourism in future.

She said that efforts to promote this project would be intensified in collaboration with the Union Shipping Ministry.

“We should work together to make Puducherry as a major destination as was done in respect of Sikkim and Goa and other destinations. In the near future Puducherry would emerge as a centre for cruise tourism”, she said.

Around 74 heritage sites had been identified in Puducherry and we should look at the best of them for promotion and restoration for the benefit of the people here, she said.

Tags: India, Puducherry, Tour, Tourism, Travel

sQuba, the swimming car came out of dreams!
Frank M Rinderknecht, the 52-year-old automobile visionary and boss of Swiss automaker Rinspeed manufactured the world’s first real submersible car that can ‘move like a fish underwater’. It can dive up to 32.8 feet (10 mt) below the surface of the water and can move at a sedate 1.8 miles per hour.

Rinspeed sQuba is the most exciting thing at this year’s Geneva Motor Show and is creating many a ripple.

The electric car is based on energy-saving LED lighting technology. Three electric motors propel the wonder car. This car is totally environmental friendly as it is declared a zero-emission car as documented by the rotating license plate in the rear. It produces no exhaust emissions.

The history of swimming cars included the first car named Quandt’s Amphibicar, built in 1968. Only 3,878 units of that were produced but not much successful attempt in water was recorded. Many are still being driven on roads. Then Gibbs Technologies came up with Gibbs Aquada in 2004 which Virgin boss Richard Branson used to break the speed record for crossing the English Channel.

These attempts are followed by the sQuba in 2008 which seems to be the most exciting of them all.

The sQuba is 3′785 mm long and 1”940 mm wide. Its height is 1′117 mm. It can be run with a maximum speed of 120 Km/h which changes to 6 Km/h under water. Its Power output is max. 54 kW at 4′500 /min

The sQuba is environment friendly and all factors are considered for safe drive also. It has an open cockpit for ’safety reasons’ so that people can get out easily anytime in case of an emergency. The occupants of the car have to breathe compressed air through built-in scuba masks.

The sQuba can be run on roads through a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged light-weight wheels from AEZ with 17 and 18 inch diameters.’

Tags: Auto, car, Geneva Motor Show, sQuba, Swimming car

The proposed Mumbai second International Airport plan is seems to be in trouble. This new Airport is proposed as a solution to air traffic congestion at Mumbai’s only airport. Government agency CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra) has planned the new airport on 1.140 hectares of land near Panvel in Raigad district, 35 Kms from Mumbai. But the one-fourth of this area falls under CRZ I (ecologically very sensitive) area. Hence the environment Ministry objected the plan.

Currently the Mumbai airport can handle only 40 million passengers and studies showed that High rush at the Mumbai airport is expected to come this year. An estimate shows around 25 million passengers a year by 2008, which can go up to 91 million within next 20-22 years. That’s the reason behind the plan for a second international airport at Panvel. The Centre has already granted conditional approval to the project.

The central environment ministry rejected the plan to amend the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification to allow construction of the airport on a mangrove zone. CIDCO is suggested by them to look for an alternative site. A letter to this effect was already sent last Friday to CIDCO by Dr A Senthil Vel, Additional Director in the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

CIDCO managing director GS Gill said, “We have already asked them to reconsider. It is an important project for Mumbai and they should be making an exception,” he told on Thursday to the sources. “Since the national authority on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) has proposed amendment, it should be accepted by the ministry”.

CIDCO had approached the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (which has powers to allow construction in CRZ) and the latter recommended amendment in the CRZ notification for the airport construction. But the ministry has now turned down the proposal.

The airport is proposed to be developed through public-private participation in which CIDCO and the Airports Authority of India will hold 26 per cent equity. The rest will be held by a private developer, to be chosen through public bidding.

Tags: Airport, Mumbai