Pilots' strike: Air India stops international bookings till May 15

May 11, 2012

May_15_stop

New Delhi, May 11: Crisis-ridden Air India has stopped booking for all flights to North America and Europe till next Tuesday (May 15) as the striking pilots of the erstwhile AI did not resume work despite a clear Delhi high court order. While the airline had asked the 293 pilots who had reported sick till Wednesday night to report to work by 10 am on Thursday, 12 more members of the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) joined the sick bay during the day taking the figure up to 305.

AI has now cancelled the Amritsar-Delhi-Toronto flight till the strike gets over. About 20 flights were cancelled on Thursday from Delhi and Mumbai to New York, Chicago, Frankfurt, Riyadh, Shanghai and Seoul, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded for the third straight day.

While IPG, that's headed by Nationalist Congress Party MLA Jitendra Ahwad, made it clear they would not join work till their demands are met, the management further hardened its stand on Thursday - third day of the ongoing strike. It sacked 10 more pilots, after terminating services of 36 others earlier. But the strictest action it is planning to take is recommend cancellation of flying licence of 10 IPG office bearers under section 39 of the Indian Aircraft Act "in public interest".

"We have filed criminal contempt in Supreme Court against the striking pilots on the grounds that they are trying to prevent us from implementing an apex court order which said pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines should also be trained for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. We will file civil contempt in the high court as pilots have not joined work despite a clear HC order," said an official.

Aviation minister Ajit Singh, who will be briefing PM Manmohan Singh on the AI crisis on Friday, maintained that pilots must first resume work. "We may face short term problems for some time (referring to a possible shutdown of international flights if pilots keep away from work). But we will do whatever is needed to have an international presence for AI in the long term. If pilots are not listening to court, will they listen to anyone else?" Singh said indicating the government's firm backing to the stern steps that he has authorized the airline to take.

There is increasing disquiet in the airline over an NCP MLA, who is not even an AI pilot, spearheading the attack from IPG side and leading to a crisis where the Rs 30,000-crore bailout package could come under a cloud.

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Agencies
July 23,2020

Gwalior, Jul 23: As India's daily infections of coronavirus keep rising, the country is fighting a pandemic which is getting bigger by the day.

A vaccine, according to the World Health Organization, may not be coming until early 2021 despite good progress on the font. There is also, so far, no definitive cure for the virus, yet.

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Protem Speaker and Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) leader Rameshwar Sharma, however, feels that the end of the coronavirus pandemic will begin with the start of the construction work for Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

"He (Lord Ram) had reincarnated for the welfare of mankind and to kill demons at that time. As soon as the construction of Ram Temple begins the destruction of the COVID pandemic will begin too," said Sharma, reports ANI.

"Not only India, but the entire world is suffering due to coronavirus. We are not only maintaining social distancing but also remembering our holy figures. The Supreme Court has ordered that Ram Temple will be built," he further added.

The treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust, Swami Govind Dev Giri had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Ram Temple on August 5.

He said that social-distancing norms would be ensured at the program, and not more than 200 people will be attending the ceremony.

"The Prime Minister will visit Hanuman Garhi, Ram Lalla Temple, plant a tree and later do the 'bhoomi pujan'," he told ANI.

Ram Mandir trust spokesperson Nritya Gopal Das said five silver bricks will be placed inside the sanctum sanctorum during the ceremony.

The bricks are believed to symbolise five planets as per the Hindu mythology, he said, adding that the design and the architecture of the temple is the same as the one proposed.

According to the trust sources, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat , Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar are also on the list of invitees.

India so far has recorded 1.19 million coronavirus positive cases, and 28,732 deaths.

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Ahmed Ali Kulai
 - 
Thursday, 23 Jul 2020

Dear Sir,

 

Who stopped the construction... Start quickly and stop the virus

 

SC has already given the judgment in favor of you - then why delay???

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News Network
June 17,2020

Jaipur, Jun 17: Police have registered an FIR against a television news anchor for allegedly making an objectionable comment on Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

The FIR was lodged after a complaint against News 18 India anchor Amish Devgan by a "khadim" at the saint's dargah in Ajmer on Tuesday night.

"He is running a communal agenda against the Muslim community. The dargah of Sufi saint is visited not only by Muslims but by people of all religions and his comments have hurt the sentiments of all," Syed Sarwar Chishti said.

The anchor later apologised on Twitter. "In 1 of my debates, I inadvertently referred to 'Khilji' as Chishti. I sincerely apologise for this grave error and the anguish it may hv caused to followers of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, whom I revere. I have in the past sought blessings at his dargah. I regret this error," Devgan tweeted.

Dargah SHO Hem Raj said a case was registered under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act for outraging religious feelings.

Another complaint was lodged by activist Muzaffar Bharti at the office of Ajmer's Superintendent of Police.

He accused Devgan and his team of trying to incite riots through "misleading and objectionable debates on communal issues".

He said Devgan made highly objectionable remarks on the revered saint, which shall not be tolerated.

"The dargah of Moinuddin Chishti is the symbol of brotherhood and harmony and crores of people of different religions all over the world have deep love and faith in the saint," he said.

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News Network
March 13,2020

Bhopal, Mar 13: The Madhya Pradesh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Thursday decided to verify facts afresh in a complaint against former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his family, in which they are accused of falsifying a property document while selling land.

The development came after Mr Scindia quit the Congress and joined the BJP on Wednesday. 22 MLAs who belong to his camp also resigned, threatening the survival of the Kamal Nath government in the state.

"Yes, an order has been given for re-verification of facts in the complaint filed by Surendra Shrivastava," an Economic Offences Wing official told PTI.

An EOW release said Mr Shrivastava on Thursday filed a new complaint against Mr Scindia and his family, alleging that by falsifying a registry document, they sold him a piece of land at Mahalgaon which was smaller by 6,000 sq feet than the original agreement in 2009.

He had lodged the complaint first on March 26, 2014. But it was investigated and closed in 2018, the EOW official said. "As he again petitioned us today, we will re-verify the facts," the officer said.

Jyotiraditya Scindia's close aide Pankaj Chaturvedi alleged that it was political vendetta.

"The case had been closed for want of evidence. Now for vengeance, it is being reopened. We have full faith in the Constitution and law. We will get justice and Kamal Nath government a befitting reply," Mr Chaturvedi said.

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