'What if she was collector's daughter', rues mother of girl stuck in Rajasthan borewell for 6 days
Rajasthan: For more than 110 hours, Dholi Devi is anxiously praying to god and the rescue team to pull out her three-year-old daughter Chetna from of a 150-foot deep borewell in which she is stuck since December 23.
With hours ticking by inexorably and hopes for her survival fading, rescuers are racing against time to pull out Chetna, who fell into the borewell while playing in her father's farm in Rajasthan's Kotputli-Behror district.
On Saturday, a video of a wailing Dholi Devi surfaced in which she could be seen pleading with folded hands to rescue her daughter.
"It's been six days... My daughter is hungry and thirsty. What if the girl were collector madam's child? Would she let her be there for so long? Please get my daughter out as soon as possible," Dholi Devi pleaded.
Initially, the rescuers tried to pull out the girl using an iron ring attached to a rope, but all attempts failed.
After two days of repeated attempts that fetched no results, a piling machine was brought to the spot on Wednesday and a parallel pit was dug.
After rain interrupted the rescue operation on Friday, a two-member team entered the pit on Saturday to dig a tunnel.
"An attempt is being made to reach Chetna through an L-shaped tunnel by digging a parallel pit near the borewell. Two NDRF jawans who have descended into the pit are doing manual drilling. We are watching them on camera. The equipment they are demanding from below are being sent to them," District Collector Kalpana Agarwal told reporters.
Local SHO Sarund Mohammad Imran said, "All possible efforts are being made (to rescue the girl). NDRF and SDRF teams are working continuously. Unfortunately, rain interrupted the rescue operation on Friday." However, with each passing moment, the hopes to save the toddler is diminishing as the rescue team has been unable to supply food or water to Chetna.
A team of doctors with an ambulance is stationed at the spot.
Two weeks ago, a five-year-old boy fell into a borewell in Dausa district where the rescue operation lasted for more than 55 hours. However, the boy lost the battle for life by the time he was taken out.
VIDEO | Rajasthan: Here's what Kotputli DC Kalpana Agarwal said on rescue operation for three-year-old girl who fell in a borewell on December 23.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 28, 2024
"A well has been dug using piling machine. We were planning to use the well and dug a horizontal tunnel to reach to the girl. Two… pic.twitter.com/XjeqFRNrAk
VIDEO | Rajasthan: "I appeal to the government to rescue my girl... I only want this," says Dholi Devi, mother of the three-year-old girl who fell into a borewell while playing in his father's farm in the Sarund area of Kotputli-Behror district.#RajasthanNews
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 24, 2024
(Full video… pic.twitter.com/XJhEbwsCr5
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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.
