Air India gives Gulf-bound passengers a harrowing time

September 23, 2012
AIR-INDIA_

Thiruvananthapuram, September 23: Passengers from Kerala to Middle-East destinations are going through a harrowing time with Air India announcing cancellation of many of its flights since last week.

Passengers created unruly scenes at the airport here yesterday when a Sharjah-bound flight was cancelled at the last minute. Though the reason for cancellation was cited as "technical," the flight was learnt to have been diverted for Haj operations to other states.

Airport sources said though many flights would have to be diverted for Haj pilgrimage, only the Air India management was to be blamed for last-minute cancellations as the Haj operations are all pre-planned.

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala protested the frequent cancellations and charged AI with levying "exorbitant fares" from Gulf-bound passengers. They wanted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene in the matter and prevail upon the authorities concerned to make alternative arrangements.

Chandy, in a statement here, said he had brought the matter to the Prime Minister's notice at the recent 'Emerging Kerala' event in Kochi. Chennithala sent a letter to Singh, seeking his immediate intervention to find a solution to the problem.

Shashi Tharoor, MP, representing the capital in the Lok Sabha, also criticised AirIndia, saying, "The goodwill of the national carrier is at stake" by ignoring the plight of passengers, some of whom faced the prospect of losing jobs.

Travel agents say it is incomprehensible why AirIndia cancels flights in busy and profit-making sectors like the Kerala-Gulf region, leaving out lean sectors in other parts of the country where even fuel cost was not being recovered from flight operations.

Most flights cancelled are AirIndia Express flights, 90 per cent of which were being operated from Kerala.

AirIndia had cancelled 168 flights from three international airports in Kerala -- Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode -- to Gulf destinations from September 17, Kerala State Travel Agents Association president K V Muraleedharan said.

Scores of passengers, including those who had to report for duty and join new postings in time, are now running from pillar to post to find other flights. Seizing on the chance, private airlines have begun increasing fares to the Gulf steeply, he said.


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News Network
March 22,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 22: People here stayed at their homes due to Janata Curfew on Sunday amid the coronavirus scare.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Thursday urged people to stay at their homes as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.

"In such difficult times, all Indians are supporting the cause. We accept and obey the Prime Minister's orders wholeheartedly as it is about how we protect ourselves and keep our children safe from this disease," said Shashikant Varma, a resident of Bengaluru.

"We hope the situation gets better at earliest and everyone gets rid of the virus," Varma added.
"All the shops have been closed.Everyone is at their homes to avoid getting infected from this deadly virus," said Harish Niwasi, another resident.

"Today is PMs Janata Curfew and so we all are at home. I appeal to all that by staying at home we can save each other from the deadly virus. We thank the PM for guiding us at such difficult times," said Tulsi Ram Varma.

The Janata curfew which began at 7 am today will come to an end at 9 pm.

Till now, the total number of positive coronavirus cases in Karnataka is 15 out of which one person has been cured and one death has taken place in the state, according to the Health Ministry.

The Karanataka Health Department on Saturday confirmed five new coronavirus cases in the state, taking the total count to 20.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), till now there are 341 positive cases of coronavirus in the country.

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 2,2020

Mangaluru, JuJ 2: Dr Shivaram Karanth Biological Park at Pilikula, which was recently reopened after covid-19 lockdown, will again be shut from July 4 to 31. 

“The authorities have decided to close the park for visitors from July 4 to July 31 due to the rapid increase of the spread of coronavirus in Dakshina Kannada,” said, Jayaprakash Bhandary, director of the Park.

Mr Bhandary said that after the reopening of the Park, the number of visitors has drastically decreased due to corona scare. 

“There are around 100 staff and over 30 caretakers at the zoo. After closing the zoo, only essential staff will come to the zoo take care of the animals. We are planning to reopen it for visitors on August 1,” he said.

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News Network
July 22,2020

New Delhi, Jul 22: Sir Philip Barton visited Bengaluru on Tuesday in the first of the series of virtual regional visits as the UK's new High Commissioner and called Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, business leaders, and startup community to pitch for new momentum in the already strong UK-Karnataka relationship.

During his virtual call, High Commissioner Barton got a 'real' taste of Bengaluru through a traditional Masala Dosa delivered to his residence in Delhi along with authentic south Indian filter coffee, which he relished over a chat with historian and commentator Ramachandra Guha. They discussed the unique UK-India "living bridge" across culture and cuisine, history and heritage, and sports and science.

Both Yeddyurappa and the British envoy restated their commitment to working together on the immediate challenges of Covid-19 and beyond.

Barton subsequently 'traveled' to Electronics City, where he met with a range of key business leaders to discuss deepening the UK-India tech partnership and opportunities for global investors in the UK.

Barton also met with a group of entrepreneurs, business founders and innovators, who were part of the first GoGlobal UK cohort to explore the dynamic UK market considered one of the best ecosystems for startups in the world. 

They had earlier attended a week-long boot-camp in London and Manchester in December 2019 that helped them bolster their business skills, build links with UK's thriving digital sector, and paved the way for future partnerships.

"I am delighted to make my first regional virtual visit to Bengaluru, the technology hub of India. My visit comes at a difficult time for everyone. So it is also a time when the excellent collaboration between the UK and Karnataka across technology and healthcare could not be important," Barton said.

"Making the most of those close links, and drawing on the great energy, innovation and entrepreneurship that Karnataka is famous for, will be central to ensuring we all recover from Covid-19 stronger than ever," he added.

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