12 July,2010 08:26 AM IST | | Shashank Shekhar
Railways, Greater Noida authority plan to cash in. Steam locomotive, hot air balloon as part of grand plans
Blowing hot
The National Capital Territory of Delhi is set to get it's first hot air balloon facility, courtesy the Commonwealth Games.
Eyeing the tourist rush expected during the mega sporting event, the Greater Noida authority is in talks with a few adventure tour operators to start a thrilling ride on a hot air balloon at the height of 5,000 feet above the ground.
Greater Noida authority Deputy CEO confirmed that they were in talks with some agencies. "We are yet to finalize the operator but since Noida is so close and well-connected to Delhi, we will have a fair share of tourists visiting us. Therefore, we wanted to give them something special."
According to the initial plans, the hot air balloon will carry 6-8 people and the timing of the rides will be 6:00 am to 4:00 pm. The balloon will go across the city and all documents that you need to produce at the airport will be asked before you are allowed to board the balloon. "This is for security purpose," an authority official explained.
The ride may cost as high as Rs 12,000 or $225 for one-hour flight. The hot air balloon is quite famous in the desert state of Rajasthan and the flights operate from the Pink City of Jaipur, the holy town of Pushkar, and Ranthambore National Park.
Eye in the sky
The government plans for a novel "Z" category security for the Commonwealth Games using a hot air balloon.
A Zeppelin - a kind of rigid gas balloon - fitted out with radar, cameras and other monitoring equipment is likely to float across Delhi's skies during the October event to watch out for any hostile intrusion.
The Rs 74-crore balloon-airship or blimp can be a huge asset for Delhi even after the Games.
Its high-resolution cameras can keep an eye on every street and car, not only boosting police's surveillance capabilities but also helping them clear or avert traffic snarls.
Steamy Scenes
That's what Commonwealth tourists will get riding on a loco made in 1947
Representative pics
It will surely add that much-needed old-world charm to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
A special train, run by a steam engine, manufactured in 1947, would take the tourists expected during the mega sporting event around the city.
The service would begin at Rewari in Haryana and culminate in the Capital. It will take about two hours to cover the 80 km distance between Delhi and Rewari in the steam loco train with one or two operational stoppages.
There are about 10 heritage steam locomotives, including one manufactured in 1893, stationed at Rewari loco shed.
The proposal floated by the railways is yet to takeu00a0 final shape though. The number of locomotive engines, fares, route and number of coaches are yet to be decided by the railway ministry. The trains will run from Delhi to Rewari while the visitors could also hop in for small rides at the Rewari railway station.
Earlier there were plans to run the steam locomotives on the Capital's ring railway but the plan was shelved after railway raised operational issues.u00a0u00a0
A large number of visitors including foreigners are expected to come here during the Games. As per the plan, railways will run the train during weekends.
"We are developing the steam loco shed at Rewari as a tourist spot and it will be ready before the Games. As per the plan we are exploring the possibilities of running a steam loco with four heritage coaches between Delhi and Rewari," a senior Railway Ministry official said.
Iron curtain
The Railways are planning to construct a half-a-kilometre long special corridor for the stretch of tracks passing close to the Akshardham Temple. The corridor made of steel and concrete would cost Rs 2 crore and completed in time for the games. Walls made out of steel and concrete would be erected parallel to track to bring down the noise level which often crosses 65 decibels. "The 3-metre long corridor would be constructed in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Railway ministry," a senior official said.
