Ivan D'Souza leads hunger strike against merging of Vijaya Bank
Mangaluru, Jan 08: A hunger strike led by MLC Ivan D'Souza has been launched on Tuesday against the merging of City's prestigious bank Vijaya Bank with the Gujarat-based Bank of Baroda, which is running under loss.
The hunger strike began with garlanding of Gandhi's statue in front of the town hall.
Speaking after showering flowers at the statue of Vijaya Bank founder AB Shetty, Ivan D'Souza said that the merging of a bank which is under loss of more than Rs 4,000 crore with an in-profit bank was condemnable.
Vijaya Bank is the proud bank of the coastal region. Merging of a bank, which was pro-people and farmers, and changing its name is an injustice to the coastal region.
Wearing black ribbons, All India Bank Officers' Association's Mangaluru division President Surendra, MLC Harish Kumar, Deputy Mayor Mohammed K, Shashidhar Hegde, Sadashiv Ullal, Ashok DK, and others participated in the strike.
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.
Navi Mumbai International Airport starts commercial flight operations
Mumbai (PTI): The Navi Mumbai International Airport commenced commercial flight operations on Thursday, marking a key milestone for India's civil aviation sector, while expanding air travel capacity for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) began operations, with the first flight from Bengaluru, operated by IndiGo, touching down the runway at 8 am.
The aircraft was accorded a ceremonial water cannon salute on arrival, a time-honoured aviation tradition marking NMIA's first commercial touchdown and departure, the airport operator said in a statement.
ALSO READ: Chitradurga: Private sleeper bus catches fire after truck crosses divider; at least 17 burnt alive
The inaugural arrival was followed by the airport's first departure IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad at 08:40 am, completing NMIA's inaugural arrival and departure cycle, it said.
On the first day, IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air will operate domestic services, connecting the new facility to nine destinations across India.
The airport will handle 15 scheduled departures on the first day, it said, adding that during the initial phase, the facility will operate for 12 hours -- between 8 am and 8 pm, with up to 24 scheduled daily departures to 13 destinations and the capability to manage up to 10 aircraft movements (arrivals and departures) per hour, it added.
The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8 this year.
The first phase of the five-phased airport was built at Rs 19,650 crore.
By the time all five phases of the airport are completed, it will be catering to 90 million passengers annually, along with dedicated cargo terminals and multimodal connectivity.
The entire project is being developed in multiple phases under a special purpose vehicle, Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), in which the Adani Group has a 74 per cent stake, and the remaining 26 per cent is owned by CIDCO.
From February next year, operations are planned to progressively scale up to round-the-clock services.
