DGCA slaps Rs 22.2-cr penalty on IndiGo for flight disruptions in December
Mumbai (PTI): Aviation watchdog DGCA on Saturday imposed a Rs 22.20-crore penalty on IndiGo for last month's massive flight disruptions and issued stern warnings to airline chief Pieter Elbers as well as two other senior executives.
Besides, the regulator directed the airline to furnish Rs 50 crore bank guarantee to ensure compliance with its directives and long-term systemic correction.
IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights early in December, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the country, as the airline was not adequately prepared to implement the new flight duty norms for pilots.
Following the large-scale disruptions in IndiGo operations, aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) set up a four-member committee headed by Joint Director General Sanjay K Brahmane to carry out a comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances that led to such disruptions.
The panel submitted its report to the DGCA on December 27 last year.
"We are not taking this situation easily. We are doing an inquiry. We will take very, very strict action not only for this situation but also as an example," Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu had said, on IndiGo's massive operational disruptions, in the Rajya Sabha on December 8.
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DMK seeks separate seating in Lok Sabha after split with Congress alliance
New Delhi: Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking a separate seating arrangement for Members of Parliament belonging to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) following the end of the party’s alliance with the Indian National Congress.
In a letter dated May 7 addressed to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Kanimozhi said the changed political situation made it inappropriate for DMK MPs to continue sitting alongside Congress members in the House.
She requested the Speaker to make “suitable changes” in the seating arrangement of the DMK Parliamentary Party and allot separate seating for its MPs.
“In view of the changed political circumstances and as our alliance with the Indian National Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for our Members to continue occupying the present seating arrangement alongside them in the House,” the letter stated.
Kanimozhi further said separate seating would help DMK members effectively discharge their responsibilities in the Lok Sabha.
