Air India has dues of over Rs 822 crore towards VVIP charter flights: RTI
New Delhi: Cash-strapped Air India, which is being disinvested by the government, has outstanding dues of over Rs 822 crore towards VVIP charter flights, according to latest data provided by the national carrier to an RTI response.
In its RTI response provided on Wednesday to Commodore Lokesh Batra (retd), who sought to know the latest data on outstanding bills of Air India, the carrier said as on November 30, 2019, Rs 822 crore were pending towards VVIP charter flights.
It also said an additional Rs 9.67 crore towards evacuation operations and Rs 12.65 crore towards ferrying foreign dignitaries were also pending.
Under VVIP charter flights, Air India provides its aircraft to ferry-- the President, the Vice-President and the Prime Minister-- for which the bills are paid by the ministries.
If outstanding bills of VVIP charter flights were not enough, the carrier had also accrued bills of Rs 526.14 crore towards tickets taken on credit by government officials as on March 31, 2019, according to the reply.
Out of Rs 526.14 crore, Rs 236.16 crore were pending for over three years, Air India said in its response. The airlines also said provisioned Rs 281.82 crore as an accounting charge in its account books for "probable non-recovery".
Batra had sought "updated (till the date of response), completed and detailed information (including dates and invoices)" on total pending dues towards VVIP charter flights and amounts owed by different public authorities towards Air India among other details.
The information under the RTI Act is defined as any record in any form held by or under the control of public authority which has to be furnished to an applicant within 30 days subject to exemptions under the law.
According to a response provided by the Civil Aviation ministry on December 5, 2019, a net loss of Rs 8,556.35 crore (provisional) was reported by Air India.
On Wednesday, the ministry said reasons for losses reported by Air India were --high interest burden, increase in competition especially from low cost carriers, adverse impact of exchange rate variation due to weakening of the Indian Rupee, and high operating costs.
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“Bleeding on the road, I begged for help but no one came”: Bengaluru woman recounts husband’s death
Bengaluru: A woman in Bengaluru has shared a painful account of how her husband died after they were repeatedly denied medical help and ignored by passersby during a medical emergency, NDTV reported.
The victim, 34-year-old Venkataramanan, a garage mechanic from Balaji Nagar, developed severe chest pain around 3.30 am. His wife immediately took him on a motorcycle in search of medical help.
"He complained about chest pain, and we went to the first hospital. However, the doctor was not on duty. At the second hospital, we were told he had a stroke and to go to another hospital. When we called for ambulance services, they did not respond properly. Humanity failed, but we did our bit by donating his eye." NDTV quoted his wife as saying.
According to the report, after being turned away twice, the couple met with an accident on the road. CCTV footage later showed the woman, covered in blood, pleading with folded hands as vehicles passed by, but no one stopped to help.
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The wait ended after several minutes when a cab driver stopped and rushed Venkataramanan to a nearby hospital. Doctors there declared him dead on arrival.
As per the report, the family decided to donate Venkataramanan’s eyes, giving sight to others even in death.
Venkataraman's mother, who had lost her last surviving child, had no words to express herself: "I have no words. I do not know what to say. My son is gone."
"The government should understand a health emergency. My daughter is left with two children. Who will look after them?" asked his mother-in-law. His wife, mother, and two children, a five-year-old son and an 18-month-old daughter now survive Venkataramanan.
The incident has once again raised serious questions about emergency healthcare access, ambulance response, and public apathy in the city.
