Taj number three global landmark

New Delhi, Dec. 28 -- India's biggest tourism grosser the Taj Mahal is number three favourite landmark for global tourists, according to a survey.
The Taj receives about 15 per cent of the total foreign tourist visitors to India.

A poll survey done recently by hotels.com has shown Eiffel Tower in Paris to be the most favourite landmark for the global trotting crowd.

Ten thousand travelers from all parts of the world participated in the poll.

The second position has gone to St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican city, Rome considered to be one of the holiest Chrisitian site claiming to have the largest Church interior which can hold over 50,000 people.
The finest example of Mughal architecture and one of the wonders of the world the white domed marble mausoleum Taj Mahal has got the third position.

According to the survey 16 per cent of travelers gave a thumbs up for Eiffel Tower as number one, while 9 per cent voted for St.Peter's Basilica and 8 per cent voted for the Taj Mahal.

Statue of Liberty at Liberty Island, New York harbour given by people of France to represent their friendship with US during American Revolution, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and the 102 story Empire State building, New York all got 7 per cent each.

The top ten position was missed by the London's landmark as the Big Beg clock got the eleventh position. The popular London Eye having the largest ferris wheel in Europe (443 feet height) was at number 12.

The research showed the Spanish traveled the most drawn by the charms of a building, 83 per cent of Spanish respondents said that traveled just to see a famous specific building, followed by Italians 80.4 per cent.

The others in the top 12 were, world's most famous performing art Centre in New South Wales, Australia, the Sydney Opera House; the Sagrada Familia, the Roman Catholic church that has been under construction since 1882 and still incomplete in Balrcelona, Catalonia, Spain; the Acropolis in Athens and the 130 feet tall statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

AP loses property worth over Rs 250 cr over Telangana issue

As Andhra Pradesh boils over the Telangana issue, public and private properties worth over Rs 250 crore were destroyed by protesters in all the three regions of the state so far, government sources said.

Adding the loss caused to businesses because of the seemingly unending spate of shutdowns in Telangana, the figure could be a few hundred crores of rupees more.

Of the total loss to properties, about 80 per cent was caused in Telangana region alone where people demanding a separate state have been more "violent," the sources said. As many as 52 public and 28 private properties were burnt while 62 public and 114 private properties were damaged in the violence that broke out in Telangana region from November 29 to December 9, after TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao began his indefinite fast demanding separate statehood for Telanagana.

The agitations supporting a united state recorded 37 public properties and 11 private properties being burnt and 46 public and 47 private properties damaged between December 10 and 23, statistics compiled by the police reveal.

The state-run Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bore the brunt of the strife with 35 buses being burnt and another to 214 damaged. 50 private buses were also damaged and seven were set on fire by Telangana protesters.

Pro-Telangana groups went on a rampage and damaged as many as 268 buses in the state capital and other districts of Telangana region on a single day following the Centre's announcement on the statehood issue on December 23. Besides, over 50 public and over 150 private properties were also badly burnt or damaged in the second round of "protests" in Telangana so far.

According to Transport Minister S Vijayarama Raju, APSRTC suffered a loss of over Rs 110 crore since November 29.

"These are only bare estimates as the destructions are still continuing in Telangana region," a top ranking bureaucrat said.

The protesters also targeted railway properties causing a loss of several crores of rupees due to burning of four railway stations and other damages at various places in all the three regions of Andhra Pradesh.

The protesters damaged railway signalling panels and equipments besides burning two bogies and pelting stones on two Express trains.

"Apart from attacks on railway properties in view of bandhs, rail rokos and demonstrations, railways are also losing particularly due to non-transportation of goods and parcel which are lying at different railway stations," a senior official of the South Central Railway (SCR) said.

The protesters did not spare telephone exchanges, cell phone towers. They also set fire to optical fibre cables at a BSNL warehouse in Anantapur causing over Rs 30 lakh loss. The number of persons who ended their lives demanding

Telangana state was three times higher in the region with 18 persons resorting to the extreme step while six persons committed suicide in support of unified Andhra Pradesh.

As many as 82 persons tried to end their lives for Telangana state while 49 attempted suicide in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, police sources said.

Pune to have first open jail system for women inmates in the country

Pune, Dec.27 (ANI): Having received a go ahead from the Central Government, the historical Yerawada Central Jail in Maharashtra's Pune city is all set to have first open jail for women inmates in the country.

This Open Jail will be inaugurated on the occasion of Republic Day, January 26, 2010.

The objective behind the introducing the open prison system is to inculcate a sense of self-confidence among chosen women inmates and improve their living condition. In this, the women inmates will be given training in farming, painting, weaving and other skills. The women prisoners will also earn remuneration for their work.

It is expected once skilled, these women on release will be able to take up a paying vocation and put behind the sad chapter of imprisonment in their life.

The State Home Minister Ramesh Bagwe said that the idea to have women's open prison system after observing that in men's prison, the prisoners raised ample remuneration for their work besides developing a reformed attitude in their outlook. It was felt even women prisoners had the right to receive remuneration for their work.

"This open jail for women has been in demand since many years as in men's jail, some inmates receive financial assistance for the work they do. Sometimes if a prisoner is convicted for 10 years, their punishment even gets reduced to five years. So whatever the men receive even women have the right to receive the same. Therefore this concept of open women's prison came in mind," said Ramesh Bagwe

The proposal by the Maharashtra administration for open jail for women was pending with the Central government for the last four years, and has now finally been approved. By Shivaji Saluke (ANI)