Crisis in Sri Lanka: Air India scales down flights to island nation due to poor demand
New Delhi(PTI): Air India on Sunday said it will reduce its India-Sri Lanka services from 16 flights per week currently to 13 flights per week from April 9 due to poor demand.
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in history. With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts, the public has been suffering for weeks.
"Currently AI is operating 16 flights a week -- daily flights from Delhi and nine flights a week from Chennai," an Air India spokesperson told PTI.
In the new schedule, AI will be operating a total of 13 flights per week, the spokesperson noted.
In the new schedule, while the frequency from Chennai will remain untouched, flights from Delhi will reduce from seven to four per week, the spokesperson said.
"Four flights from Delhi instead of seven effective April 9 due to poor loads," the spokesperson noted.
AI 283 on the Delhi-Colombo sector will now operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from April 8 to May 30.
AI 284 on the Colombo-Delhi sector will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from April 9 to May 31.
The Sri Lankan government on Sunday blocked social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram after declaring a nationwide public emergency and imposing a 36-hour curfew ahead of a planned anti-government rally over the worst economic crisis in the island nation.
The move is aimed at preventing masses from gathering in Colombo to protest the government's failure to provide relief to the public suffering from shortages of food, essentials, fuel and medicine amidst hours-long power cuts, the Colombo Page newspaper reported.
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Guwahati inferno remains uncontrolled for over 38 hrs; multiple agencies called in
Guwahati (PTI): Water tenders from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Guwahati Refinery joined efforts to contain a massive fire that has been raging for over 38 hours at a commercial complex in Guwahati housing a shopping mall and SBI's premium banking and commercial branches, officials said on Thursday.
More than 25 fire tenders have been pressed into service since the incident, with additional units arriving from Morigaon, Kamrup and Nalbari districts.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was also called in with high-tech smoke-reduction equipment to assist in the operation.
The fire broke out at Swagata Square Complex in ABC Point around 12.30 am on Wednesday.
"There is fire on the sixth floor. We are trying to douse it," a senior official of the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) told PTI.
Smoke is also billowing from the second floor, where the fire originated at the godown of the shopping mall, he added.
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"There is fire at the backside of the building. However, due to non-adherence to safety norms while construction, fire tenders are unable to reach the rear," another official said.
He said the authorities concerned did not enforce required safety norms while permitting a commercial structure of this size.
Visiting the site, Kamrup Metropolitan District Commissioner Sumit Sattawan said preliminary enquiries found that the building had all safety clearances.
"The building owner said the audit was done two months ago. So, prima facie, it seems the building does not have any issue," he told reporters.
The authorities will wait for a final report from the F&ES Department after dousing the blaze, Sattawan said.
"If there is any lapse, we will definitely take action against those responsible. We will come to know about the details of the origin of the fire from the report," he added.
So far, only one firefighter has sustained a minor injury and was treated at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
"Our boys immediately responded to the fire call post-midnight on Wednesday and reached the spot within 15 minutes. We could stop the fire from spreading," the F&ES official said.
"The fire originated at the godown of the mall on the second floor, where a lot of inflammable materials and clothes were stored," he added.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), in a statement, said fire personnel are attempting to control the spread of fire and prevent it from reaching the lower floors.
"Due to zero visibility and heavy smoke, the fire could not be controlled effectively in the initial stage. The building premises and surrounding areas have been secured. Evacuation protocols were initiated for safety," it added.
ASDMA said that preliminary observation suggests significant damage to the affected floors, but a detailed assessment will be done once the fire is fully controlled.
The cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage, it added.
An ASDMA official told PTI that fire has been controlled, but it is not yet fully doused due to many inflammable materials in the building.
"There are no flames now but smoke is billowing. We are working on dousing the blaze completely," he said.
"We have been told that the fire has just been controlled, but fire department officials are still assessing the building. They are likely to observe it for few more hours. We will be able to check the lockers and other items in detail only after getting an entry into the different floors," a senior SBI official told reporters outside the building.
