Surathkal toll gate stir to be intensified after Nov 7: Protest panel
Surathkal, Nov 5: Even as the indefinite agitation against the Surathkal toll gate entered the ninth day on Saturday, the action committee has warned of intensifying their stir after November 7, by which Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has promised to stop the toll collection.
Kateel, who is also BJP state president had on October 16 asked the action committee to wait for 20 days to remove the toll gate which ends on November 7.
The protest will be intensified if Kateel fails to fulfil the promise, committee convenor Muneer Katipalla said.
He said the agitation will continue till the toll collection at the plaza is completely stopped. If the local MP fails to keep his assurance, he should quit his post, he said.
Denying Kateel's charge that the protest is being politicised, he said all sections are welcome to join the stir as it is an issue involving the people.
Katipalla said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) authorities have made it clear that they are waiting for the Centre's nod to close the toll gate.
However, BJP leaders who are hand in glove with the contractors are putting pressure on the government to continue with the 'illegal' toll collection, he alleged.
People have been on the warpath for the last several months against the toll gate at Surathkal near here, which they term as 'illegal' as the nearest toll gate at Hejamady is just 10 km away. National Highway rules stipulate that no two toll plazas should exist between a 60-km stretch.
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Air India flight from Mumbai makes 'priority' landing in Bhopal after snag; return leg cancelled
Bhopal (PTI): A Bhopal-bound Air India flight from Mumbai carrying 175 persons on board made a “priority” landing here on Sunday due to a snag, an airport official said.
The aircraft landed safely at Bhopal airport at 3.20 pm, he said.
Consequently, the return leg of the flight from Bhopal to Mumbai, with 178 passengers booked, was cancelled, the official said.
AAI-run Bhopal airport said in a statement that Air India flight AI 633 “reported a technical issue to Air Traffic Control (ATC) during the flight from Mumbai to Bhopal”.
Immediately, all prescribed safety protocols were activated, and seamless coordination was ensured between ATC, airline ground operations, CISF and airpiort fire and rescue team of Bhopal airport, it said in a statement.
The flight, carrying 175 persons, including 166 passengers and nine crew members, landed safely at Bhopal airport at 3.20 pm, the airport operator said.
All necessary assistance and support were extended by the airport and airline teams as per the requirements of the flight crew, it said.
“Due to the technical issue, the aircraft was declared unserviceable, and as a precautionary measure, the return flight AI-634 (Bhopal to Mumbai) was cancelled by the airline to facilitate detailed inspection and rectification,” the statement said.
