Lost from memory, omitted from documents, Air India finally sells an old Boeing 737-200 plane
Mumbai (PTI): Lost from memory, omitted from many documents and over three years after the privatisation of Air India, a more than four-decade-old Boeing 737-200 aircraft of the airline was finally sold last week.
The cargo aircraft, grounded since 2012, later decommissioned and meant for the use of India Post, was all these years at a remote parking bay at the Kolkata airport till the Tata Group-owned Air India was asked to remove the plane.
On Friday, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson told employees that the airline did not even know it owned such an aircraft until recently.
Last week, the airline completed the sale and transfer of a B737-200 aircraft (VT-EHH), which had been grounded since 2012. "Though disposal of an old aircraft is not unusual, this one is - for it's an aircraft that we didn't even know we owned until recently!" he said in a message to the staff.
Many years before privatisation, Wilson said this aircraft had been decommissioned in order to operate for India Post and was omitted from many documents.
"Over time, it was lost from memory and only came to light when our friends at Kolkata Airport informed us of its presence in a (very) remote parking bay and asked us to remove it! After verifying that it was indeed ours, we've now done so - and in so doing removed another old cobweb from our closet!" he added.
Information available on the aircraft tracking website planespotters.net showed that VT-EHH is more than 43.2 years old and was delivered to Indian Airlines in September 1982. The plane was leased by Alliance Air in February 1998 and returned to Indian Airlines as a freighter in July 2007.
Then, in August 2007, the aircraft came to Air India.
Under government ownership, Indian Airlines was merged with Air India in 2007, and Air India was acquired by the Tata Group in January 2022.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Fresh case registered against activist Snehamayi Krishna
Bengaluru PTI): A fresh FIR has been registered against social activist Snehamayi Krishna for making defamatory statements against a woman.
Basaveshwara Nagar Police Station registered a First Information Report against Krishna on Saturday.
According to the FIR, complainant Pavithra B N (37) alleged that a letter dated December 5 was delivered to her residence, in which Snehamayi Krishna made defamatory allegations regarding the death of her husband and against her advocate, Raghu.
The letter also indicated that a complaint had been submitted to the Mahalakshmipuram Police Station seeking reinvestigation into her husband’s death.
The complainant further alleged that a threatening note was enclosed with the letter, pressuring her to withdraw cases filed against a man named Mylaraappa.
She stated that the mobile number of the person exerting pressure was mentioned in the letter.
Pavithra claimed that the alleged actions had caused severe distress to her family, disrupted her children’s education, created unrest at home and deprived them of peace.
She also accused the persons named in the complaint of using abusive language and issuing life threats.
Police initially registered a non-cognisable report.
After Pavithra obtained permission from the 24th ACMM Court to initiate criminal proceedings, an FIR was formally registered against Snehamayi Krishna and Mylaraappa as per the court’s direction.
Krishna has previously been in the news for lodging complaints and making allegations against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M, and others for obtaining Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) alternative sites (plots) against the rules.
The Lokayukta police which investigated the matter filed a closure report, which the special court of public representatives admitted.
On Thursday, he also levelled accusations against Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh along with a Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) officer D B Natesh, the former MUDA Commissioner.
Shalini Rajneesh's office rejected the charges categorically and termed his accusations "defamatory".
On Saturday he apologised for making allegations against the Chief Secretary.
