October 20, 2005.

Greetings,

We hope all of you have your travel plans finalised and are in possession of your Indian visa .  Not all of you have provided us with your travel itinerary. If you have not already done so, we request you to send us at the earliest so that we can  plan the arrangements at Pune and Mumbai.   Please do not hesitate to contact us in case you need any information or assistance.

Posters

We also urge participants wanting to put up posters, to inform us immediately, if they have not already done so, in order that necessary space can be ensured.  Each poster will be alloted a space of 3 ft (wide)  X 4 ft (vertical). It would help if they also send us the title of the poster and the author/s.

More Information about transit accommodation at Hotel Parle International, Mumbai.

20  delegates have made transit bookings in the Hotel Parle International, Mumbai. In accordance with our understanding with the Hotel, the last date is over, for the block booking and concessional rates. However, as a special case they have agreed to accommodate upto 10 more persons at the same rate (Rs 2800/- for single and Rs 3200/- for double occupancy rooms) even if delegates come at the last moment. The check-out time of the Hotel is 12.00 noon.  The Hotel will pick up the delegates from the Mumbai International Airport. A hotel representative will be waiting at the arrival gate of airport with the placard of the Hotel.

The delegates availing of transit accommodation in Hotel Parle International and intending to fly to Pune will be dropped at the domestic airport, Mumbai by transport arranged by the Hotel.

Arrangements by LOC for travel from Mumbai to Pune by Road.

On Sunday (October 30) morning, a representative of SKA LOC will be present at the Hotel Parle International to coordinate the travel to Pune by road.  Since about 10 delegates have requested  transport from the Hotel Parle International by road, we have arranged for an air conditioned luxury coach for Rs. 13,500/-, which can be shared among the people traveling. The bus will depart from the Hotel at 12 noon on Sunday and should reach Pune around 1600hrs. The bus can accommodate more people. People not staying in Hotel Parle International, but wanting to use this bus should let us know or directly contact our Representative (R. S. Chaughule) at his cell phone no. 98693 65871 at the Hotel Parle before the departure time. The payment for the trip should be made in cash at the SKA secretariat desk in the Hotel Pride, in Pune.

Direct pickup from Mumbai airport

Those who opted for travel to Pune directly from Mumbai International  airport, will be met at the exit of the International Arrival gates by the travel agency Akbar Travels, who will arrange their travel  to Pune.  The driver of the travel agency will be waiting near the Customs exit point at the Mumbai International Airport with a placard showing "SKA-2005" along with the name/names of delegates and flight number. Akbar Travels has its counters close to the exit points at both Terminal 2-A and  2-C of the international terminal. Their telephone numbers are (022) 2682 8572, 3954 0497 at terminal 2-A and 2682 9410 at terminal 2-C.  They also have counter at domestic airport (phone no: (022) 2615 6292, 2615 6553).  The charges will be in the range Rs. 3000 to 4000, depending  on the kind of vehicle requested.  It is easier if the amount is paid in cash. However, it is also possible to pay by credit card at the offices of  Akbar Travels  in Mumbai and Pune.  The amount is normally paid after reaching the destination.

Pick up at Pune Airport

Pick up at Pune Airport is being arranged for all those delegates arriving at Pune Airport, either from Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore. LOC has made arrangements for a reception desk near the arrival gate at the Pune airport on 29 and 30 October. Please contact this desk  for the transport to the Hotel.

Contact Numbers in case of emergency

In case of emergency, please contact:

Mumbai:  Hotel Parle International: (022) 26102122
Mumbai:  LOC Representative (R. S. Chaughule) : 98693 65871 (cell phone)
Pune:  Pride Hotel: (020) 24042211 (9 lines)
Pune:  LOC, Representative (A. Joshi/ K.P. Bala): (020) 2569 7107  (NCRA exchange. Request operator for these  gentlemen  who can be reached from the exchange at all times)

Some useful information repeated from third circular:

Welcome and Registration

A welcome party (light refreshments) has been arranged on Sunday, October 30, 2005 at 19:00 hrs at the Conference Venue (The Pride Hotel). All delegates and their spouses are invited. The registration will take place during 19:00 - 21:00 hrs at the Conference Venue. The registration will continue on Monday, October 31, 2005 at 08:00 hrs.

All the sessions except for the evening lecture on 31 October and the programs of 03 November (GMRT visit and Interaction with industry) will be held in the Pride Hotel where most of the delegates are staying. Arrangements will be made to transport delegates in other hotels to Pride Hotel in the morning and evening. Arrangements will also be made to transport the delegates to other venues whenever the programme is not in Pride Hotel.

While breakfast is included in the hotel tariff, the LOC will arrange for lunch at the conference venue for all the participants. Dinner on 31 October will be hosted by the National Center for Radio Astrophysics and on 3 November will be hosted by the Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd at Hotel Taj Blue Diamond. On other days, delegates can visit the restaurants on Ferguson College and Junglee Maharaj Roads, close to the Pride Hotel.

Facilities at the Conference Venue

For the latest information, please check your conference bag.

The following facilities will be available at the Conference Venue:

• Projection facilities
  
• Computer/s with PowerPoint (Windows XP) and OpenOffice (Linux)
• OverHead Projector for Transparencies / Viewgraphs (on request)
• Four halls: Regal Hall (plenary meetings), Crystal Hall, Senate Hall and Xstasy Hall.
  
• WiFi facility for Internet connectivity in the rooms and the auditorium. Details of how to use the facility and the charges will be provided by the hotel at the time of the Registration.

Space will be arranged for display of posters. If you are putting up a poster, please let us know about it so that we can ensure adequate space.

Location and Climate

Pune (pronounced Poo-nay and formerly known as Poona) is located about 170 km south-east of Mumbai (earlier known as Bombay), on the Deccan Plateau about 550 m above mean sea level. It is well connected by air, rail and road to Mumbai, the nearest international airport. It is also connected by air to Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai (formerly, Madras) with two to four flights operating every day.

Pune with a population of about 2 million, is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra, the first being Mumbai, its capital. The local language is Marathi but Hindi and English are extensively used. It is a fairly cosmopolitan city with chaotic traffic and poor public transport facilities. The most common transport is the 3 wheeler auto rickshaw which seats 3 adults and charges by the meter (minimum fare of Rupees 8 and Rupees 6 for every kilometer after the minimum). Autorikshaw drivers are often not fluent in English and one should know some prominent landmark near ones destination.

Taxis are not very common (except at the airport),  however cars (with driver) can be rented for about Rs.600 to 800 per day for traveling within Pune. The rates are subject to change depending on the price of petrol and the actual distance and time, if it exceeds the contracted maximum. Those interested can enquire at the Hotel or with the LOC. 

The weather in Pune in October / November is generally pleasant and dry with a daytime maximum temperature of about 30 degree C and a night time low of about 15 degree C. Those who want to move out in the day, especially Spouses, are advised to bring light head covering, light walking shoes, sun screen lotions, etc.

General Information

• Electricity: The electrical supply in India is nominally is at 230 V, 50 Hz. The standard British type round pin connectors are used in most locations. While universal adapters may be provided in public places, delegates are advised to bring their own adapters if they want to use their laptops in other places. Power outages are not uncommon, but there are UPS facilities in the main conference hall and generator backup in the hotel.
• Hygiene: Tap water is not recommended for drinking. All are advised to buy bottled water and not to eat uncooked food at unknown places.
• Currency: The local currency is the Indian Rupee (1US$=Rs 43.7 approx) which is divided into 100 paise. Notes come in denomination of Rs 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 (the last 3 being phased out) while coins come in denominations of Rs 5, 2, 1 and paise 50, 25. While larger hotels and business establishments accept credit cards, most other transactions are by cash. A foreign exchange counter is available at the Conference Venue. Foreign currency can also be exchanged at the Mumbai International Airport. We advice the delegates to convert currencies worth a few thousand rupees at the Airport with a few hundred rupees in denominations of Rs 100 and less, to meet any emergency . ATMs are available near the Conference Venue.
• Communication: Pune is well connected by mobile and landline telephone services to rest of the world. A popular means of long distance communication (within India and abroad) is the ubiquitous STD/ISD booths from where one can make calls and pay the attendant the charge indicated by the meter. Local calls (within Pune city) cost Re.1 per minute (Rs.2 to a mobile number) while a call from Mumbai to Pune is about Rs 5 per minute. International calls can be made from ISD booths. While local calls are directly dialed, intercity calls start with 0, followed by the city code and then the number and international calls start with 00, followed by the country code and number. The attendant in the STD booth are used to helping customers who are not familiar with the system but it is advisable to give him the number on a piece of paper since language could be a problem.
  

Tours

Those desirous of taking tours and needing any help may contact Ms. Reena Shrikumar, Secretary, LOC, SKA 2005, ska_pune@ncra.tifr.res.in Special packages are available for Aurangabad (Ajanta and Ellora), Goa and Kerala.