Feature
Window of swanky Tejas Express was damaged before its launch
Mumbai: The much awaited swanky Tejas Express was on Monday flagged off by the Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu from Chatrapati Shivaji Station in Mumbai.
However, even before the country’s first high-speed and feature rich train was launched, reports emerged that it had been damaged while it was traveling from Delhi to Mumbai on Saturday.
After this incident again the same old question arises: do we Indians really deserve world-class public facilities, given that we can’t seem to help ourselves when it comes to somehow blemishing them spitting, breaking, vandalising etc?
According to various media report, a window of the Tejas express was found to be smashed on Saturday. The incident took place after the new train left the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala on Thursday.
Speaking to media on Sunday, General Manager, Central Railways, DK Sharma said, “We came to know that a few glasses were damaged, but it is not a serious issue. We will correct it.”
“The train is expected to reach Mumbai on Saturday. Once it arrives, we will inspect it and make the necessary repairs,” Sharma added.
The coaches will have tea and coffee vending machines, magazines and snacks tables. The Tejas Express is also equipped with close circuit television cameras and fire and smoke detection facilities for the security of passengers.
The coaches, which have been manufactured at the Indian Coach Factory in Chennai, are equipped with automatic doors, Wi-Fi and LCD screens. It also includes other features like touch-less water taps, water level indicators and hand dryers. Also, all coaches are fitted with bio-vacuum toilets.
A one-way trip from Mumbai to Goa would cost Rs 2,740 with food and Rs 2,585 without food, while the fare for the ordinary chair car has been fixed at Rs 1,310 with food and Rs 1,185 without food.
Unlike the Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express, passengers will have the option to avail on board food or not. The fare of the Jan Shatabdi Express on the same route without food is Rs 940.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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