Air India flight from Delhi to Bengaluru diverted to Chennai due to 'operational reasons'
Bengaluru, Mar 24 (PTI): An Air India flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru was diverted to Chennai on Monday due to certain "operational reasons on the runway," sources said.
Air India confirmed that its flight AI2415 was diverted to Chennai.
The flight departed from Delhi at 9.55 am and was scheduled to reach Bengaluru at 12.50 pm.
It is learned that the plane was refuelled in Chennai before leaving for Bengaluru at 1.38 pm.
"Yes, there was a diversion for our Delhi-Bengaluru flight. It was only for a short while, and the flight returned immediately after the restriction was lifted," an Air India official told PTI.
The flight was diverted to Chennai due to operational reasons and returned to Bengaluru shortly thereafter, he added.
However, a source at Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which manages Kempegowda International Airport, said there was no such restriction.
He explained that a notice is issued every Monday stating that flights cannot land or take off from the south runway for an hour due to maintenance.
"All flights and airline companies are aware of the restriction on the south runway," the source said.
"To land on the northern runway, which is older, pilots require specific expertise. If a pilot does not have the necessary certification, they cannot land on the northern runway—only for that one-hour window," the source explained.
He emphasised that there is no restriction, but this practice has been followed for a long time.
"We haven’t stopped any aircraft from landing, but it needs to be checked with the airline if they faced any issues," he added.
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Dallewal has not ended indefinite fast, says farmer leader
Chandigarh, Mar 29 (PTI): Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has not ended his indefinite fast even though he drank a glass of water after farmers detained last week by the state police were released from different jails, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said on Saturday.
The Punjab government on Friday told the Supreme Court that Dallewal accepted water and broke his fast.
Countering the Punjab government's claims, Kohar said on Saturday Dallewal had made it clear he would take water only after all the farmers are released.
"And Dallewal drank a glass of water after farmer leaders were released," said Kohar, a close aide of Dallewal. "We want to make it clear that a false impression was being given that Dallewal has ended his indefinite fast. His hunger strike continues."
Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh told the apex court on Friday they dispersed on March 19 the farmers protesting at Khanauri and Shambhu border points with Haryana, and opened the roads and highways that were blocked due to the sit-ins. Protesting farmers and some of their leaders were also detained by the Punjab Police on that day.
Another farmer leader, Kaka Singh Kotra, also said on Saturday when Dallewal came to know about the detention of farmers, he refused to take water till they were all released.
He took water after the farmers were released, said Kotra.
Dallewal (70) is a senior leader of the joint forum of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. He began his indefinite hunger strike on November 26 last year to press the Centre to accept their demands including a legal guarantee to provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
After the Centre invited the farmer leaders for talks in January, Dallewal had started taking medical aid at the Khanauri protest site but did not end his fast.
Several farmer leaders including Sarwan Singh Pandher, Abhimanyu Kohar, Kaka Singh Kotra and other leaders, detained during he March 19 police action, were released on Friday.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Pandher was released from Muktsar jail while Kohar, Kotra and some other farmer leaders were released from Patiala central jail.
After their release, they met Dallewal in the hospital on Friday.
The farmer leaders were detained on March 19 when they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh.
The meeting was organised to discuss the farmers' demands, especially the MSP guarantee. As the departing farmers entered Mohali after the meeting, they were met with heavy barricading and some of their leaders were detained.
Police had evicted farmers and had dismantled temporary structures from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points. Vehicular traffic had resumed on the Shambhu-Ambala and Sangrur-Jind highways.
Several farmers, who were part of the Shambhu and Khanauri protests, have claimed that their belongings including trolleys were missing, adding that they might have been stolen.
