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Guwahati, Assam, India
Proposal for OOoCon


Section 1 - Mandatory Information

Proposed Date(s)

Main conference, November 10-12, 2009. Tourist trips: (either or all options available): November 13-16; November 13-18

Weather: The weather at Guwahati and adjoining areas during November is the most pleasant one with temperatures ranging from a minimum of 14 degrees Celsius at night and maximum 24 degrees Celsius at daytime. There will be no rainfall in November.

Location (country, city)

Guwahati, Dispur - State Capital of Assam, INDIA

Guwahati, Assam, the gateway to the northeast is well connected with the rest of India by air, rail and road. The Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati is 18 km from the city center and is well connected to New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet and Indigo fly operate regular flights to Guwahati from New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. Air India also operates an international weekly flight between Bangkok and Guwahati.

Special visa or entry requirements (e.g. vaccinations)

Visa

Applying for a Visa is mandatory. A Vaccination is not required to our knowledge, but to be on the safe side, you should also contact the Indian Missions in your country.

Foreign Nationals desirous of coming into India are required to possess a valid passport of their country and a valid Indian Visa.There is no provision of 'Visa on Arrival' in India and no fee is charged for immigration facilities at the airports. Foreign passengers should ensure that they are in possession of valid Indian Visa before they start their journey to India except nationals of Nepal and Bhutan who do not require visa to enter India and nationals of Maldives who do not require visa for entry in India for a period up to 90 days (a separate Visa regime exists for diplomatic/official passport holders).

The Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs is responsible for issuance of Indian visas to the foreign nationals for their visit for various purposes. This facility is granted through various Indian missions abroad.

Visa fees are non-refundable and subject to change without notice. The High Commission reserves the right on granting and deciding type/duration of visa irrespective of the fees tendered at the time of making application. Granting of Visa does not confer the right of entry to India and is subject to the discretion of the Immigration Authorities.

Specific Visas are granted for a variety of purposes. Listed below in a tabular form are the types of visa; categorized on the basis of purpose of staying in India.

Type Period Documents Required
Tourist Visa 6 months Docs supporting the applicant's financial standing
Business Visa One or more years Letter from the sponsoring organization
Student Visa For the duration of the academic course of study or for a period of five years whichever is less Proof of admission to recognized Universities/Institutions in India
Transit Visa Maximum for 15 Days Evidence of onward travel to a destination outside India
Conference Visa For the duration of the Conference Letter of invitation from the organizer of the conference

Visa Application Form

Visa application form is available at the office of Indian Embassy in the country where the NRI/PIO resides. Visa form for nationals of Pakistan and Bangladesh are generally different. All NRIs/PIOs, including children (who don't possess OCI or PIO card) need to apply for Visa in separate visa forms.

Procedure for obtaining Visa

Visas can be applied for in person or by post at the High Commission of India based in the country from where the candidate intends to depart for India. Specific visas are granted for a variety of purposes that are aforementioned.

Requirements for Visa

Generally the following documents are required for obtaining Indian Visa. However, the requirement may vary from country to country.

Visa for NRIs and PIOs

Persons of Indian Origins and Non-Resident Indians who possess either OCI (Overseas Indian Citizenship) or PIO card don't need Indian Visa. OCI and PIO give them the freedom to visit India without visa. OCI and PIO cards are multi-purpose life long visa for visiting India.

However, those NRIs and PIOs who don't have OCI or PIO card can apply for and get Indian visa through the procedure mentioned above. For more details visit our Section on 'Indian Missions/Embassies Abroad'

Conference venue(s) (e.g. university campus, municipal buildings)

The conference venues will be:

  1. Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG)
  2. Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Amingaon, Guwahati
  3. Desbhakta Tarunram Phukan Indoor Stadium, Amingaon, Guwahati
  4. Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara, Guwahati
  5. Maniram Dewan Trade Center, Guwahati

Conference facilities (e.g. WiFi, video streaming/recording)

The following facilities will be made available to all the attendees for the conference period in all the venues and hotels:

  1. Free Broadband Internet Access on WiFi /WLAN
  2. Free VoIP Telephone Numbers
  3. Free Video Conferencing / Streaming facilities
  4. Sufficient Power Sockets (220 V AC. 50Hz)
  5. Free Lunch and Snacks between conference sessions
  6. Free OpenOffice.org Kit with DVD and high quality print Manual
  7. Free UBUNTU DVD with latest version with all patches
  8. Free dedicated volunteer support for every delegate
  9. Cultural Shows on all conference evenings with Free Dinner

Accommodation (especially any low cost hostels etc)

Hotel Rooms will be available in 3-Star and above standard hotels with rentals starting from 60 Euro per night for a single room and 120 Euro for a double room. The organizers will take care of the hotel bookings at discounted rates for the convenience of the attendees. Lunch will be provided free during the conference days. On the first day, the organizers would like to invite all attendees to a welcome dinner.

Cultural evenings would be organized on all the nights of the conference. Assam is known for its rich cultural heritage and hospitality.

Selected Hotels:

(A) Luxury 4 Star Hotels:

  1. Hotel Dynasty http://www.hoteldynastyindia.com/
  2. Hotel Rajmahal http://www.rajmahalhotel.com/

(B) Luxury 3 Star Hotels:

  1. Hotel Vishwaratna http://www.vishwaratnahotel.com/
  2. Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok http://hotelbrahmaputraashok.com/

(B) Luxury 2 Star Hotels:

  1. Landmark Hotel http://www.asiarooms.com/india/guwahati/landmark.html


External transport links (nearest airport(s))

Nearest Airport: It is the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, 18 Km from Guwahati city.

Flight Connections to Guwahati:

(A) Flight Schedule from New Delhi:

Departure
(Delhi)

Airlines

Days

Arrival
(Guwahati)

Flight Num

05:30

Indigo

Daily

07:50

6E201,

07:45

Indian

Tue/Thu/Sat

11:05

IC880

09:55

Air Sahara

Daily

12:05

S2311

10:15

Jet Airways

Mon/Wed/Fri

12:25

9W601

10:15

Jet Airways

Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun

13:40

9W602

10:30

Kingfisher

Tue/Thu/Sat

13:05

IT3334

10:30

Kingfisher

Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun

13:45

IT3334

10:45

Indian

Wed/Sun

13:00

IC889

11:15

Indian

Mon/Fri

13:30

IC879

11:25

Spice Jet

Tue/Thu/Sat

14:00

SG881

11:25

Spice Jet

Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun

14:45

SG882

13:40

Jet Airways

Daily

15:50

9W607

(B) Flight Schedule from Mumbai:

Departure
(Mumbai)

Airlines

Days

Arrival
(Guwahati)

Flight Num

06:50

Jet Airways

Daily

11:20

9W201

09:20

Indigo

Daily

14:20

6E321,

10:40

Kingfisher

Daily

13:55

IT162

(C) Flight Schedule from Kolkata:

Departure
(Kolkata)

Airlines

Days

Arrival
(Guwahati)

Flight Num

06:10

Air Sahara

Daily

07:15

S2361

06:20

Kingfisher

Daily

08:10

IT4569

08:15

Alliance Air

Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun

10:55

CD7703

09:50

Indian

Daily

11:00

IC229

10:10

Jet Airways

Daily

11:20

9W201

10:45

Kingfisher

Daily Ex Sun

11:55

IT431

10:50

Indigo

Daily

12:10

6E207,

10:55

Air Sahara

Daily

12:10

S2363

12:35

Spice Jet

Daily

13:35

SG528

13:00

Indigo

Daily

14:20

6E321,

13:50

Jet Airways

Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun

16:00

9W619

13:55

Kingfisher

Sun

15:05

IT431

17:15

Alliance Air

Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun

18:40

CD7729

18:00

Jet Airways

Daily Ex Sun

19:10

9W627

Flight connections from Guwahati:

(A) Flight Schedule to New Delhi

Departure
(Guwahati)

Airlines

Days

Arrival
(Delhi)

Flight Num

11:00

Indigo

Daily

13:25

6E202,

11:45

Indian

Tue/Thu/Sat

13:50

IC880

13:15

Jet Airways

Mon/Wed/Fri

16:50

9W601

13:35

Kingfisher

Tue/Thu/Sat

16:50

IT3334

14:15

Indian

Mon/Fri

17:40

IC879

14:15

Kingfisher

Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun

16:50

IT3334

14:20

Jet Airways

Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun

16:50

9W602

14:30

Spice Jet

Tue/Thu/Sat

17:55

SG881

15:15

Spice Jet

Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun

17:55

SG882

15:30

Air Sahara

Daily

17:45

S2312

16:30

Jet Airways

Daily

18:45

9W608

16:40

Indian

Wed/Sun

18:55

IC890

(B) Flight Schedule to Mumbai

Departure
(Guwahati)

Airlines

Days

Arrival
(Mumbai)

Flight Num

07:45

Air Sahara

Daily

12:05

S2702

15:15

Kingfisher

Daily

18:35

IT165

15:30

Indigo

Daily

20:20

6E322

(C) Flight Schedule to Kolkata

Departure
(Guwahati)

Airlines

Days

Arrival
(Kolkata)

Flight Num

07:45

Air Sahara

Daily

09:00

S2702

11:40

Indian

Daily

12:50

IC230

12:00

Jetair

Daily

13:10

9W207

12:40

Indigo

Daily

14:00

6E208,

13:30

Alliance Air

Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun

16:10

CD7704

14:05

Spice Jet

Daily

15:10

SG527

15:25

Air Sahara

Daily

16:35

S2364

15:30

Indigo

Daily

16:50

6E322,

16:00

Kingfisher

Daily

17:10

IT432

16:35

Jet Airways

Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun

18:45

9W620

17:40

Kingfisher

Tue/Thu/Sat

20:10

IT4576

17:50

Kingfisher

Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun

20:10

IT4559

19:05

Alliance Air

Mon/Wed/Sun

20:35

CD7730

19:40

Alliance Air

Tue

21:10

CD7730

19:40

Jetair

Daily Ex Sun

20:50

9W628

Travel Costs:

The organizers would try their best to offer special discounted prices for both international and local flights as well as sightseeing tours.

(A) Round Trip Airfare to Guwahati City

  1. New York – New Delhi/Mumbai – Guwahati: 600 Euro onwards
  2. Europe – New Delhi/Mumbai – Guwahati: 700 Euro onwards
  3. Cape Town – New Delhi/Mumbai – Guwahati: 800 Euro onwards
  4. Beijing – New Delhi – Guwahati: 800 Euro onwards
  5. Tokyo – New Delhi – Guwahati: 1600 Euro onwards
  6. Sydney – Kolkata – Guwahati: 800 Euroonwards

    Travel sponsorship will be provided for special contributors from developing countries and the handicapped.

Internal transport links (within city)

The organizers will arrange free transport by shuttle bus/taxi between all venues/hotels and also provide free pick up and drop in at the airport before and after the conference. Volunteers will be provided to accompany the visitors for local sightseeing tours also.

Team Lead (main contact person)

Mahendra Kumar Yadava

Prof. Gautam Barua
Anupam Barman,

Monoj Baruah,

Biju Phukan Bhagabati

Team Members

(All members are committed to planning the conference during the last four weeks before OooCon 2009):

PROF. GAUTAM BARUAH, DIRECTOR, IIT GUWAHATI

MAHENDRA KUMAR YADAVA, MD AMTRON

ANUPAM BARMAN, SYSTEM CONSULTANT, AMTRON

MONOJ BARUAH, PROJECT MANAGER, AMTRON

BIJU PHUKAN BHAGABATI, TECHNICAL OFFICER, AMTRON

RANGALAL MAZUMDAR, GENERAL MANAGER (BO), AMTRON

SANJIB SARMAH, MANAGER, AMTRON

SHYAMAL BHUYAN, DM, AMTRON

BABITA GOSWAMI, ADDITIONAL MANAGER, AMTRON

MUKUL KALITA, ADDITIONAL MANAGER, AMTRON

ARUP BARMAN, DM, AMTRON

ANUPAM SARMA, MD OFFICE INCHARGE, AMTRON

GAUTAM DAS, HW ENGINEER, AMTRON

RAJIB RANJAN DAS, DM, AMTRON

JYOTI PRASAD, DM, AIIL

DR. AMRIT PAL SINGH, GAUHATI UNIVERSITY

DR. ABHIJIT SARMA, GAUHATI UNIVERSITY

DR. HERAMBA BAILUNG, IASST

NIRANJAN BHAGOBATY, IASST

UTPAL HAZARIKA, ISS

Local events that are taking place in parallel (or immediately before/after)

  1. Children's Day, November 14, 2009
  2. The 11th Annual International Conference of Society for Emergency Medicine in India (EMCON), November 18 – 22, 2009 http://emcon2009guwahati.com/
  3. International Trade Fair (IITF), New Delhi, November 14 – 28, 2009

Section 2 – Proposal

In 400 words or less, answer this question:

Why should the Community award OOoCon 2009/2010 to your team?

Assam Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (AMTRON) is representing the Guwahati OpenOffice.org community and is pleased to propose Guwahati, Assam (INDIA) as the second OpenOffice.org Conference outside of Europe in this year 2009.

AMTRON is a big promoter of OpenOffice.org and hopes to contribute for its cause. The Government of Assam has continuously shown its patronage towards OpenOffice.org since the year 2006 and with this initiative, the IT Department through its nodal agency – AMTRON has been capable of taking up major projects in open source and promoting OpenOffice.org in offices, schools, colleges and universities within and outside Assam. We are regularly holding seminars and workshops on ODF/ OpenOffice.org and LINUX. We are also keenly focused on developing and providing local language support on LINUX to the local communities. In India we are one of the most committed lot on the OpenOffice.org and LINUX.

The Government of India has launched the National eGovernance Plan (NeGP), which is one of the biggest government driven IT & ICT initiative in the world covering State Wide Area Networks, citizen-centric service delivery windows, Data centers and other requisite infrastructure. In Assam, AMTRON is the nodal agency for implemnattion of these programmes; and most of it is happening on Open source, Open standards, ODF and 100% OpenOffice.org.

Holding of the OooCon2009 at Guwahati would usher a new era in not only in Assam, but also in India and and the rest of the South East Asia. Almost 25-30% of the population working in the IT Industry in India belongs to Assam and the North East India. OooCon2009 at Guwahati would rightly put the focus on developing countries where the Governments are fast adopting OpenOffice.org as the best possible solution to roll out major IT initiatives for the citizens, school children and the employees.

Guwahati is the gateway to several exciting tourist spots such as Shillong, Darjeeling and Gangtok. In Assam itself there are two great World Heritage Sites, namely Kaziranga National Park and the Manas Wild Life Sanctuary. Guwahati can be considered as a feast for the OpenOffice.org conference attendees and has the required infrastructure to be one of the best locations worldwide. By organizing the International Conference on OpenOffice.org this year, the people of Assam would feel very proud in extending the boundaries to the world of OpenOffice.org and its contributors and provide many business opportunities for this region and India as a whole.

Attachments

A copy of the proposal in ODF

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