Bhojshala dispute: ASI's plea in MP HC for more time for survey; Muslim side alleges digging
Indore, Apr 28: The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court is expected to hear on Monday the plea of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) seeking 8 more weeks to complete the scientific survey of Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex in the state's Dhar district.
Hindus consider Bhojshala, an ASI -protected 11th century monument, to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim community calls it Kamal Maula mosque. Under an arrangement made by ASI on April 7, 2003, Hindus perform puja on the premises on Tuesdays and Muslims offer namaz on Fridays.
An organization named 'Hindu Front for Justice' challenged this arrangement in the Indore bench of MP HC, which, on March 11 this year, directed the ASI to carry out a "scientific survey" of the disputed complex within six weeks. The Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society had challenged this March 11 order. The scientific survey began on March 22.
Meanwhile, a representative of the Muslim side claimed digging was carried out in the complex and asserted that guidelines of the Supreme Court should be adhered to during the scientific study. It should be ensured that the original structure of this monument is not affected or changed, he said.
On April 1, the Supreme Court had said "no physical excavation should be taken which will change the character of the premises in question," while refusing to stay the "scientific survey" of Bhojshala.
On the other hand, a representative of the Hindu side in the case backed the ASI plea for more time by claiming the veracity of the disputed monument will be established and "incriminating evidence" may come to light.
Gopal Sharma, a leader of the Hindu side in the Bhojshala case, told PTI, "During the last six weeks, the foundation has been built for the ASI survey in the Bhojshala complex. If ASI gets additional time for survey, the use of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and other advanced equipment can throw up important evidence."
Sharma is the secretary of Dhar-based 'Shri Maharaja Bhoj Seva Sansthan Samiti' and is among the respondents of the PIL filed by 'Hindu Front for Justice' in HC in the Bhojshala case.
Within a radius of 200 metres of Bhojshala, some broken statues and other remains are still visible, which tell the story of the "attack" on this complex in the past, Sharma asserted.
Meanwhile, Dhar City Qazi (head cleric) Waqar Sadiq said, "The Supreme Court has already given directions that physical excavation which would change the basic character of the Bhojshala complex should not be done in the ASI survey."
"But, recently we saw two to three feet pits dug on the floor located in the southern part of the complex. The ASI should survey this complex with complete impartiality and ensure guidelines of the Supreme Court are followed," Sadiq emphasised.
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AI, IndiGo, SpiceJet seek ATF price relief; say airline industry on verge of 'stopping operations'
Mumbai (PTI): Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
The West Asia turmoil has pushed up oil prices, and airspace restrictions have increased airlines' operating costs, especially on long-haul routes. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for around 40 per cent of a carrier's operational expenses.
Against this backdrop, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has written to the civil aviation ministry, seeking steps to extend the same fuel pricing mechanism uniformly across both domestic and international operations as was done in the past with the establishment of the crack band.
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With an unprecedented rise in jet fuel prices and exorbitant crack/differential between crude and ATF, the federation said the operation of airlines is being challenged in totality.
"... any ad hoc pricing (domestic vs international) and/or irrational increase in the price of ATF will result in unsurmountable losses for airlines and will lead to grounding of aircraft, resulting in cancellation of flights," the federation, which represents Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, said.
"In order to survive, sustain and continue operation, we request your urgent intervention for immediate and meaningful financial support to tide over the current situation," it said in a letter on April 26.
Also, the airlines have sought temporary deferment of excise duty on ATF, which is at 11 per cent.
"With the abnormal increase in ATF prices from the pre-crisis period, adding rupee depreciation to the increased prices, the 11 per cent excise duty also increases manifold for the airlines and adds to the ATF price as a big impact on airlines," they said.
Last month, the government limited the hike in ATF price to Rs 15 per litre for domestic operations, but for international operations, the price rose by Rs 73 per litre.
The airlines said the situation has practically made international operations, along with domestic operations, completely unviable and resulted in significant losses for the aviation sector in April.
Seeking urgent intervention on the current ATF ad hoc pricing, FIA said the current situation is creating a severe imbalance in domestic and international operations and rendering airline networks unviable and unsustainable.
"The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and is on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations."
The federation has pitched for a transparent pricing framework under the crack band mechanism (USD 12–22/BBL) that was implemented in October 2022, saying there was a fair and reasonable margin for Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
According to FIA, the country's largest aviation hub Delhi has the second-highest value-added tax (VAT) of 25 per cent on jet fuel, while the highest rate is 29 per cent levied in Tamil Nadu.
"The other major aviation cities, viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata range between 16 per cent and 20 per cent. These 6 cities cover more than 50 per cent of airlines' operations within India," the federation said.
