Take prompt action to prevent disasters during monsoons: Kerala HC to state govt
Kochi(PTI): The Kerala High Court has said the state government has to "take proper and prompt action" to prevent disasters during monsoons and otherwise, and has initiated a public interest litigation (PIL) on its own to monitor flood relief activities in the southern state.
It directed its registry to register the suo motu (on its own) petition by arraying the state and its departments of Local Self Government, Power and Water Resources, the Disaster Management Authority and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).
The high court said, "Torrential rains in the state of Kerala cause disaster in many places due to landslides, denudation of water etc. There are damages to the property of people residing in poramboke lands, colonies, hillslopes, isolated locations, plantation areas, etc."
"The state of Kerala has to take proper and prompt action for prevention of disasters. There are instances of flooding in some areas as well," it said.
The court said in these circumstances, to effectively monitor and direct the government to take proper steps for providing appropriate mechanisms for managing the emergency situations during the monsoon season and otherwise under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 "a suo motu writ petition should be registered".
The court further said it will hear the government and any other interested or aggrieved parties and will issue appropriate directions.
Meanwhile, the state government told the court that there is a committee for monitoring the operations as per the rule curve of all major dams in the state and the same is chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) and convened by the Member Secretary, KSDMA with additional Chief Secretary (Water Resources), Principal Secretary (Power), Chief Engineers and District Collectors concerned of those districts with dams.
The high-level committee was constituted in June last year and meets once in 10 days from June to December.
Further, in case of Orange and Red alerts in districts with dams and/or when the water level of the major reservoirs cross all alert levels, the frequency of the meetings shall be increased, the state government told the high court.
It also contended that an efficient mechanism was in place for the management of the reservoir outflow in the state during extremely heavy rainfall and otherwise.
The submissions by the state came after the lawyer for the Dam Safety Authority told the court that the body no longer exists and the constitution of the authority at the national level was an issue pending before the Supreme Court.
Kerala has witnessed heavy rains since July 31 with the IMD on several days issuing Red alerts in various districts of the state.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has said that 21 people lost their lives from July 31 to August 6 in various rain-related incidents in Kerala while five people are missing.
A total of 41 houses have been fully damaged and 353 were partially damaged during the same period. There are 372 active relief camps which house 14,482 inmates, it had said.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
