Communal amity at ceremony to install new idols in Hauz Qazi temple
New Delhi, Jul 8: Scores of people from different communities participated in a ceremony to install new idols at a temple in Hauz Qazi area here, which was vandalised last week after a fight over parking took a communal turn.
In signs of rapprochement, Muslims participated in distributing water, cold drinks and food during a procession that was taken in the area.
Abdul Baqir, the president of the Lal Kuan resident welfare association, said people from the Muslim community also helped Hindu "brothers and sisters" to successfully mark their procession.
"We have been helping out them since morning," Baqir said.
"The new idols have been placed after the purification of the temple," said Anil Kumar Pandey, the priest of the Durga Mandir in Lal Kuan.
Tara Chand Saxena, a resident of the Durga Mandir Street, said the temple committee had borne the expenses. The priest performed rituals, following which the procession was taken out.
Clashes had broken out between two groups from different communities on June 30 over the parking of a scooter, following which the temple was vandalised. The police have so far arrested seven men and apprehended eight juveniles in connection with the vandalism.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Vijay Goel, Manoj Tiwari and Hans Raj Hans also participated in the function. People were wearing saffron T-shirts and chanting slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' during the procession.
"We appreciate the Aman (peace) Committee's move where they are welcoming the Hindu community people," said Tiwari, the Delhi BJP chief and Northeast Delhi MP.
Goel hit out at local MLA and Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain.
"Last week, some people, including Aam Aadmi Party MLA Imran Hussain, tried to escalate communal tension in the area after a temple was vandalised," the Rajya Sabha MP said. "We condemned this act and asked police to take action against him, but they did not take any action against Hussain till now."
Hussain had rejected the charges and also filed police complaint against Goel.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Pravin Shankar Kapoor also questioned Hussain's absence in the procession.
According to a senior police officer, the presence of police and paramilitary personnel will be taken off gradually. Some police presence would be there in the area for a couple of days.
Shamin Ahmad (65), a member of the Aman Committee, said: "We condemned the incident that had happened. People from outside Lal Kuan came here and tried create communal tension in the area."
"I have not seen situation like this from past 27 years. When the Babri Masjid demolished, only then the curfew was placed here. But after that nothing like this happened," said Mohammad Shahi (47), a local who has a business of marriage cards.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
