Chhattisgarh CM announces Rs 10 lakh aid to murdered journalist's family
Raipur, Jan 14: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday announced an aid of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who was murdered in Bijapur district earlier this month.
Talking to reporters at the helipad in Police Lines, Sai said a building will be constructed for scribes and named after the slain journalist.
Freelance journalist Mukesh Chandrakar (33) went missing on January 1. His body was found on January 3 in a septic tank on a property owned by road contractor Suresh Chandrakar at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town.
Suresh Chandrakar, the prime accused, was arrested from Hyderabad on January 5, while his brothers Ritesh and Dinesh and supervisor Mahendra Ramteke were arrested earlier.
Sai said, "The family of the deceased journalist will be given Rs 10 lakh assistance. A building will be constructed for journalists, and it will be named after him."
The special investigation team probing the case has said the accused, Suresh Chandrakar, the slain journalist's relative, was enraged after the latter published a news report highlighting alleged corruption in his road construction work in Bijapur.
Mukesh Chandrakar worked as a freelance journalist for the NDTV news channel and ran a YouTube channel, 'Bastar Junction', which has around 1.59 lakh subscribers.
He played a crucial role in the release of CoBRA commando Rakeshwar Singh Manhas from Maoist captivity in April 2021 following the Takalguda Naxal ambush in Bijapur, in which 22 security personnel died.
The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is a specialised jungle warfare unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma earlier claimed that Suresh Chandrakar was a Congress leader. The opposition party, however, claimed he had recently joined the ruling BJP.
The state Public Works Department (PWD) has suspended the accused road contractor's registration and cancelled contracts allotted to him.
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Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
