88 airports to be functional under UDAN, says minister

DHNS
December 13, 2017

Hubballi, Dec 12: Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on Tuesday that a total of 88 airports in the country would be made functional in the next one-and-a-half-years, through two rounds of bidding under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme.

Speaking after inaugurating the upgraded Hubballi Airport here on Tuesday, he said only 71 airports had flight operations till the UDAN scheme was launched.

"During the second bidding under the UDAN scheme, we are looking at getting air connectivity from Hubballi to Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Kannur, Hyderabad, Kochi, Goa, Tirupati, Delhi and other places," he said.

Civil aviation would get a boost if the state governments keep their taxes on fuel and other materials within reasonable limits. Unfortunately, the trend is that the state governments hand over only loss-making airports to the Centre, he said.

"Amphibious aircraft (seaplane) service is also being launched in the country. This has great potential as the country has 7,500 km of coastline and a number of reservoirs," the minister said. India, at present, stands in the third position in terms of growth in the civil aviation sector, mainly due to the increasing number of domestic passengers.

Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar stressed the need to develop the region as an international cargo hub, through the upgraded airport. He suggested that the airport be named after Jagajyoti Basaveshwara.

Gajapathi Raju also inaugurated the new terminal and flagged off Air India's A319 aircraft service (tri-weekly) on the Bengaluru-Hubballi-Mumbai route. Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, district incharge Minister Vinay Kulkarni, MP Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar and others were present.

Comments

Khader
 - 
Wednesday, 13 Dec 2017

True Mr. Ganesh. Mangalore airport people treating Muslims are aliens. I used to get down in Calicut. And I wish soon the Kannur airport should come. Then these people's headweight will decrease.

Ganesh
 - 
Wednesday, 13 Dec 2017

As a Mangalorean, I prefer Calicut airport than Mangalore. In Mangalore airport worst service and worst treatment. 

Mohan
 - 
Wednesday, 13 Dec 2017

Have to wait and see it will take how many decades...!

Kumar
 - 
Wednesday, 13 Dec 2017

No need taht much airports. Atleast should improve services of existing airports

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News Network
May 6,2020

May 6: Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday termed as "inhumane" the government's decision to "impose excessive costs" on NRIs and expatriates for bringing them into the country from COVID-19-affected nations.

He demanded that the central government fly in the poor and vulnerable free of cost while charge the others with normal fares instead of high costs.

"The central government's decision to impose excessive costs on NRIs flying in special flights from the Covid-affected countries is an inhumane act," he said in a statement.

Venugopal said it was due to protests by a large number of expatriates and their relatives as well as the general public over the past few days that the central government took the decision to bring back Indian citizens from abroad.

"However, it is cruel that the Central government has taken advantage of this plight of expatriates by increasing the price of air fares up to three times. This is inhumane," Venugopal said in his statement.

He urged the Centre to take urgent steps to provide free travel to the most vulnerable, unemployed, sick and pregnant women and to others on normal fare.

Air India will operate 64 repatriation flights for a week from May 7 while the Navy deployed two ships as India rolled out a massive evacuation plan on Tuesday to bring back thousands of its nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.

Those availing the repatriation flights will be charged, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told a virtual press conference in New Delhi. A passenger on a London-Delhi flight will be charged Rs 50,000 and on a Dhaka-Delhi flight Rs 12,000, he added.

From the Gulf countries to Malaysia and the UK to the US, the multi-agency operation christened 'Vande Bharat Mission' will see the state-owned airline operate the non-scheduled commercial flights till May 13 to ferry around 15,000 Indian nationals from 12 countries.

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coastaldigest.com news network
August 7,2020

Mangaluru, Aug 7: A woman suffered critical injuries after a speeding car knocked down her scooter and then ran over her at Kadri Kambla Junction in the city today.

The woman identified as Vanishri Bhat (22) a resident of Kedila from Puttur. 

A CCTV footage of the accident, which went viral on social media, shows the car hitting the scooter, pushing the woman on road for a couple of meters before climbing over her.

The car stopped when she was under it. A few people including a policeman lifted the car from the front and rescued the woman. 

She was immediately taken to a private hospital in Mangaluru City MLA U T Khader’s car which was passing through that way. 

She has suffered critical injuries on her head, ribs, hands and legs, sources said. She is reportedly responding to treatment. 

It may be recalled that in December last year a lorry-auto accident at the same spot claimed life of a 56-year-old teacher while the auto driver miraculously survived. Following the accident, speed breakers were installed at the junction.

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News Network
April 15,2020

New Delhi, Apr 15: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged the government to organise flights to bring back Indian workers stuck in the Middle East and desperate to return.

He said the workers are in deep distress there due to shutting of businesses in the Middle East due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Covid19 crisis and shutting of businesses in the Middle East have left thousands of Indian workers in deep distress and desperate to return home.

"The Government must organise flights to bring home our brothers and sisters most in need of assistance, with quarantine plans in place," he said on Twitter.

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