Delhi-bound Air India Express flight cancelled due to technical snag, chaos at Ranchi airport
Ranchi, Jul 20 (PTI): A Delhi-bound Air India flight was cancelled on Sunday due to a technical snag, causing a chaotic situation at the airport here, officials said.
Passengers were seen arguing with the airline's staff about rescheduling.
"The AIX (Air India Express) 1200 from Ranchi to Delhi has been cancelled due to a technical issue. While checking the aircraft before takeoff, the technical snag was detected," Airport director RR Maurya told PTI.
The flight was scheduled to take off at 6 pm.
Maurya said some passengers were accommodated on other flights, while several others had their tickets cancelled. A few passengers were rescheduled for Monday, he said.
A 39-year-old passenger, Faiz Anwar, told PTI, "We boarded the flight around 5.20 pm and waited till 7 pm when all of a sudden we were asked to deboard without providing any reason. I have to attend an important meeting in Delhi tomorrow, but they are not ready to reschedule my flight."
He claimed there were many passengers, who had to catch connecting international flights from Delhi for the UK, the US and South Africa, but no one was there to pay heed to their requests.
"There is complete mismanagement and chaos," he alleged.
Meanwhile, around 30 metres of the boundary wall on the southern side of the Birsa Munda Airport here collapsed on Sunday amid rain for over a month, according to an airport release.
The situation was promptly assessed, and immediate measures have been taken to ensure complete safety and security of the airport premises, it added.
Additional CISF personnel have been deployed to strengthen perimeter security, and the affected section of the wall has been barricaded as a precautionary step, the release said.
"We have already initiated necessary actions to restore the boundary. Importantly, there has been no impact on airport operations, and all services continue to function smoothly. The safety and security of our passengers and facilities remain our highest priority," it added.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
