Bomb threat in Delhi-Bagdogra IndiGo flight forces emergency landing in Lucknow
Lucknow (PTI): An IndiGo Airlines flight en route from Delhi to Bagdogra, West Bengal made an emergency landing at the Lucknow airport on Sunday morning following a bomb threat, police said.
Bomb disposal squads, security agencies and airport authorities are carrying out thorough security check of the flight carrying 222 passengers, including eight infants, besides two pilots and five crew members.
All passengers and crew were safely evacuated, officials said.
According to officials, Air Traffic Control (ATC) received information at around 8.46 am about a bomb threat on IndiGo flight 6E-6650. Acting on the alert and following prescribed security protocols, the aircraft was diverted and made a safe emergency landing at Lucknow airport at 9.17 am.
As per a press statement issued by the Lucknow police commissionerate, after landing, the aircraft was immediately parked in an isolation bay.
During preliminary checks, a handwritten note on a tissue paper bearing the words "Plane mein bomb" (bomb in the plane) was found, police said.
Further investigation and necessary legal action are underway. The law and order situation remains normal and under control, police said.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
