Middle East-bound flights resume from Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi (PTI): Flights to the Middle East resumed early Tuesday morning from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, following the reopening of airspace in the region after a brief closure, according to airport sources.
Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Air Arabia were among the first to resume operations.
Flights bound for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah operated by the three carriers landed and departed in the early hours without disruption, airport sources said.
However, several scheduled services were cancelled earlier in the morning as the situation stabilised, they said.
Affected services included Air India Express flights to Muscat, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dammam, and Dubai.
Qatar Airways' Doha-bound flight, Kuwait Airways' service to Kuwait, and IndiGo's flight to Sharjah were also cancelled, they said.
To manage the passenger backlog and assist those affected, airport authorities have set up additional seating arrangements and service counters at Terminal 2.
Extra staff have been deployed to support passenger handling and provide on-ground assistance, they added.
Several flights were delayed, cancelled or diverted at Cochin International Airport also late Monday night, after the closure of Qatar's airspace amid the rising tensions in the West Asia, authorities added.
As per the CIAL advisory issued at 3.00 am, the operation of at least 17 flights was affected due to the situation.
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.
EC orders repoll in all 285 polling stations of Falta seat in West Bengal on May 21
New Delhi (PTI): In a rare move, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday ordered a "fresh" election or a repoll in all the 285 polling stations of the Falta Assembly seat in West Bengal on May 21 due to "subversion of democratic process".
A spokesperson for the poll panel said the counting of votes for the constituency will take place on May 24.
It is rare for the poll authority to order a re-election in an entire Assembly seat.
A fresh poll is a repoll, an official explained.
"On consideration of severe electoral offences and subversion of democratic process during the polling in a large number of polling stations on April 29 in Falta Assembly Constituency, EC directs that fresh poll shall be conducted in all the 285 polling stations, including auxiliary polling stations," the spokesperson said.
On Friday, the EC ordered a re-election in 15 polling stations of two Assembly seats in West Bengal -- Diamond Harbour and Magrahat Paschim.
The West Bengal Assembly polls were held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes for the remaining seats is scheduled to be taken up on May 4.
