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The Hindu
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
26 RTI activists blacklisted, says H.K. Patil
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil informed the Legislative Assembly that 26 Right to Information (RTI) activists have been blacklisted for 'misusing the Act'. BJP MLAs V. Sunil Kumar, and S. Suresh Kumar, and, expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal claimed that many RTI activists had been misusing the Act and targeting government officials, contractors and engineers for personal gain. Mr. Sunil Kumar maintained that activists had not been allowing the public works to be completed, seeking one or the other information related to development work. Mr. Yatnal said activists have been 'blackmailing' officials and elected representatives and delaying public works. Claiming that RTI activists had been the root cause of corruption, he demanded a probe into disproportionate sources of income and assets owned by them. In a reply to K. Manantesh Shivanand (Congress) during the question hour on Tuesday, Mr. Patil said the government sacked State Information Commissioner Ravindra Gurunath Dhakappa, posted in the Kalaburagi Bench, after he was arrested by the Lokayukta Police as he allegedly received ₹1 lakh bribe through an online transfer for delivering a favourable order to an applicant. Mr. Suresh Kumar said the Act was a powerful weapon for ensuring transparency in administration, but the activists have been 'misusing it and harassing officials' seeking building plans and other documents.
The Hindu
10-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Six years on, no date yet for the operationalisation of SCoR
A date for the operationalisation of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone, which was declared by the Centre six-and-a-half years ago, has not been decided yet, said Railway Board, replying to an Right to Information (RTI) query. Responding to the question, raised by Gembali Praveen Kumar of New Karasa in the city, the Board said on Sunday (August 10): 'the exact date for issue of gazette notification of new SCoR Zone, which will inter-alia include date of operationalisation and jurisdictional boundaries of its divisions, has not been finalised yet.' According to Railway trade union leaders, politicians from North Andhra, who are supposed to protect the interests of the State, generally don't understand the intricacies involved in the functioning of the Railways and are being 'misled' by Ministers and officials in the Railway Ministry with replies such as: 'The Prime Minister has already laid the foundation stone for the SCoR Zonal Headquarters,' 'General Manager (GM) has already been appointed,' and 'A fresh DPR has been approved for the zone.' The foundation stone for the zonal headquarters was laid by the Prime Minister in January, but it will take at least two years for the construction of the building. A GM was appointed for SCoR a couple of months ago, but the divisions to be brought under SCoR – Visakhapatnam (Waltair), Vijayawada Guntur and Guntakal – continue to be under the control of East Coast Railway (ECoR) and South Central Railway (SCR) till the gazette notification is issued. 'Though a decision has been taken on the boundaries of the new zone, the endpoint of one zone and the starting of the other has to be demarcated. After this, a gazette notification has to be issued. The new GM will not have any power till a gazette notification on the zone is issued by the Government of India,' said Ch. Sankar Rao, general secretary of SCoR Mazdoor Union. 'The GMs of ECoR and SCR will not have any interest on the early operationalisation of SCoR as they would have to forego a part of their area under their control apart from losing revenue. It is here that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, whose party is in alliance with the BJP-led alliance at the Centre, should exert his influence on the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister,' he added.
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First Post
15-07-2025
- General
- First Post
India sees one airline engine failure a month: Report
Right to Information (RTI) data shows Indian flights underwent 65 in-flight engine shutdowns since 2020, while pilots made 11 'mayday' distress calls in the last 17 months read more The Ahmedabad plane crash that killed 260 people in June occurred on the premises of many aviation mishaps that made close calls to large-scale accidents in the past five years. Right to Information (RTI) data accessed by TOI shows Indian flights underwent 65 in-flight engine shutdowns since 2020, while pilots made 11 'mayday' distress calls in the last 17 months. Aviation accidents are not uncommon in the world, including in India, with flights reporting technical glitches at least every month, forcing them to divert or ground. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) last week released its preliminary report on the crash of AI 787-8 Dreamliner, suggesting that a fuel cut-off to the engines, leading to dual engine failures, caused the accident. What has the RTI revealed? The RTA query answered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) says, 'A total of 65 incidents related to in-flight shutdown of engines from 2020 to 2025 (till date) were reported across India.' In all 65 cases, pilots successfully guided their aircraft to the nearest airport using a single functioning engine. Experts link the engine shutdowns to various technical issues, including low fuel, turbine malfunctions, and faulty electronic components. The RTI data also shows that between January 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025, the Air Traffic Services across the country received 11 mayday calls, reporting various technical glitches and seeking emergency landing. According to the Airline Pilots' Association of India, Mayday signals are only relayed during life-threatening situations and are different from 'Pan Pan' urgency alerts. DGCA asks airlines to check fuel switches DGCA on Monday directed airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 planes, two days after AAIB's preliminary report said fuel switches were cut off before the Air India plane crashed last month. There are more than 150 Boeing 737s and 787s being operated by Indian airlines. Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and IndiGo are the domestic carriers operating these aircraft. Of these, IndiGo has seven B 737 Max 8 and one B787-9. All these are leased planes, either on wet or damp lease, and so are not registered in India. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), back in 2018, had flagged the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on certain models of Boeing aircraft, including 787s and 737s. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It was mentioned in a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB), but there was no airworthiness directive, indicating that the issue was not a safety concern. On Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it has come to its notice that several operators, internationally as well as domestically, have initiated inspections on their aircraft fleet as per the FAA's SAIB. With inputs from agencies
