DGCA urges airlines to add flights, not hike fares to help stranded tourists from Srinagar
An official release from the Director General of DGCA, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, said, 'The airlines are advised to take swift action to increase the number of flights in response to heightened demand and also to ensure uninterrupted connectivity from Srinagar to various destinations across India, facilitating evacuation of stranded tourists.'
The release also urged airlines to consider waiving cancellation and rescheduling fees, and to provide necessary assistance to tourists facing difficulties.
Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu cautioned airlines against fare hikes in response to the rush to leave Srinagar. Naidu posted on X: 'Strict instructions were given to airline companies to avoid any fare surges. Fares are being monitored and kept at reasonable levels.'
Three more flights from Srinagar to Delhi – two IndiGo flights and a SpiceJet flight – were operated on Wednesday, in addition to the four extra flights already announced, he stated. He added that airlines have waived fees typically levied for cancellations and rescheduling.
Food and water were being provided at Srinagar airport, with an extra tent set up for passengers waiting to depart. 'Between 6 am and 12 pm today, Srinagar handled 20 departures with 3,337 passengers,' Naidu said.
However, a few posts on X challenged this, highlighting the exorbitant fares being charged by airlines. Arjun Chauhan posted a screenshot showing fares from Srinagar to Kolkata ranging between Rs 32,000 and Rs 37,000. 'Just look at how private airlines are charging 3x more fare from the panic stricken tourists of J&K," he said.
Several other posts on X also pointed to surging prices for flights to Kolkata.
A post by '@_BringToLight' noted that an airline was charging Rs 23,000 for a flight from Srinagar to Delhi departing at 10:30 pm on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Ministry of Tourism urged all stakeholders in the tourism industry to waive cancellation fees for accommodations and tours in light of the Pahalgam incident.
A statement from Tourism Secretary V Vidyavathi said, "It is requested that all the tourist service providers, travel agents, tour operators, Online Travel Aggregators (OTAs), tourist transport providers, hoteliers and all other accommodation units may provide all possible assistance to the tourists including waiving off cancellation fees."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Govt to opt for drill & blast method to resume work on SLBC tunnel
Hyderabad: The Telangana govt has decided to resume work on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC), which was halted in Feb following the collapse of the tunnel roof, using the drill and controlled blast (D&B) method on both ends of the project. The roof collapse incident claimed the lives of eight people, with the bodies of six yet to be retrieved. Of the total 44 km SLBC tunnel, approximately 14 km of work had been completed from the Domalapenta end, where the roof collapse occurred, and 21 km of work had been completed from the Dindi side. The remaining stretch to be completed is about 9 km. The govt used a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) on both ends to excavate the tunnel, which is meant to supply water for fluoride and drought-prone areas of Nalgonda and other surrounding regions. "After exploring multiple options, the technical committee on SLBC recommended that the drill and blast (D&B) method be used for the remaining work. With this, the work can be completed without any major hurdles. It is also more flexible and cost-effective. In a controlled blast, the rock and other conditions can be assessed beforehand," Col Parikshit Mehra, a tunnel expert from Border Road Organisation, who is overseeing the SLBC tunnelling works, told TOI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cardiologists: Teaspoon On an Empty Stomach Slims Waist from 36 To 22 Health Wellness Journal Learn more Undo The state govt roped him on deputation from the ministry of defence exclusively for the SLBC works. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad Stating that the groundwork has already begun, he said that D&B operations would begin in another two months, and the tunnel work is expected to be completed in two and a half years. Apart from the D&B method, the new Austrian Tunnelling Method will be used to assess the ground situation while carrying out the works in the tunnel. Officials estimate that the drill and blast method would cost Rs 100 crore per km, i.e, around Rs 900 crore for the remaining stretch. However, for TBM, the total cost would be around Rs 2,000 crore, which is almost double. As the govt has decided to use the D&B method to dig the tunnel, the govt has decided to dismantle the TBM machine located towards the Dindi end. The TBM machine on the Domalapenta end was completely damaged during the roof collapse and was removed as part of the rescue operations. Meanwhile, the tunnel work will now be rerouted in a U-shape from the left side of the existing tunnel, starting 100 metres behind the collapsed section.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Repair car in 45 days, consumer panel tells comapny after 5-year delay in servicing
Ghaziabad: Tired of repeated faults appearing in his brand new XUV500, Vipin Talwar approached District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) in May 2022. Now, Talwar's five-year struggle — the vehicle had been purchased in 2020 — came to an end. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On July 25, over three years later, DCDRC directed passenger vehicle giant Mahindra and Mahindra to get the XUV500, which had been sold to the Ghaziabad resident Talwar, repaired within 45 days. Talwar had purchased the Mahindra and Mahindra vehicle from authorised dealer, Concept Automobiles Private Limited, Greater Noida, in Oct 2020. He had sought a direction to the vehicle manufacturer and the seller to return the entire cost of the vehicle, Rs 13.57 lakh, along with the insurance amount of Rs 49,191 and take back the vehicle. Mahindra and Mahindra, having its registered office in Mumbai, has now also been ordered, by DCDRC chairman, to pay a compensation of Rs 75,000 for the loss suffered by the customer when his vehicle remained out of order. In addition, the vehicle manufacturer was directed to pay Rs 5,000 as the cost of litigation and compensation for the mental agony. If all the directives are not met within the stipulated time, DCDRC — comprising chairperson Praveen Kumar Jain and members Shailja Sachan and RP Singh — ordered the company to pay at the rate of Rs 1,000 for each day of delay. Based on the inspection report furnished by engineers of the company, the commission directed the owner, Talwar to deposit his vehicle at the showroom so that necessary rectifications and repairs could be done within 45 days. "The vehicle company is directed to get the vehicle repaired within 45 days of the order at the premises of the vehicle showroom and extend the warranty by an equal period as long as the vehicle was reported to indicate a fault," the consumer commission ruled. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Appearing before the commission, Talwar said he got the first servicing in Nov 2020 and within three months noticed the 'engine failure' indication bulb glowing in the instrument cluster on Feb 20, 2021. "I immediately approached the authorised service centre, Shiva Auto Cars (India) Pvt Ltd in Ghaziabad, where they returned the vehicle after necessary corrections the next day. However, within hours, the same indicator started glowing and I had to take my vehicle multiple times for rectification but to no avail," he said while putting on record all papers related to servicing and bills. The SUV owner, Talwar said that he left his vehicle from Feb 27 to March 17 (2021) for sensor replacement, as claimed by the service centre, but again the issue remained unresolved. Appearing before the commission, a representative of Mahindra and Mahindra denied charges of deficiency in service and said no problem was found in the vehicle when inspected on Feb 20, 2021. "The customer refused a detailed inspection. Once again, on March 14, April 10 and May 20, the customer was informed about the need for a wiring change, but he took away the vehicle and started insisting on the replacement of the vehicle," the defendant's counsel informed the commission. Hearing the case ex-parte against the service centre in question, the commission said that during the hearing on Feb 14, 2023, defendant number 2, Concept Automobiles, Greater Noida, was directed to conduct an inspection of the vehicle and place its report before the commission. "The report was never produced, so defendant number 1, Mahindra and Mahindra, was directed to deploy two service engineers for inspection of the vehicle on Jan 29 and submit a report," the consumer commission noted.
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
Only 15% of 2.95 lakh tenders awarded in Karnataka: Data
Since 2023, when the Congress came to power, the government has floated 2.95 lakh tenders worth Rs 1.26 lakh crore. Of them, only 46,033 have been awarded to contractors or service providers, according to the latest data from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Karnataka Progress Portal.
