Ullal: ‘Karavali Praja Dhwani Yatra’ launched in Kallapu
BJP has not achieved as much as Congress government in development works: MLC Manjunath Bhandari
Ullal: MLC Manjunath Bhandari flagged off the ‘Karavali Praja Dhwani Yatra’ held by the Ullal Block Committee of the Congress at the Unity Hall, Kallapu, on Sunday.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, he said that the party has made four different plans for four parts of the state. “The Congress is taking a progressive step in coastal Karnataka,” he added.
“We give a guarantee card to the voters putting forth the election manifesto. We also ask for their votes after explaining to them the various projects to be undertaken,” said the MLC.
The Congress will give the people schemes including Anna Bhagya and a monthly honorarium of Rs 2,000 to every home maker – in addition to 200 units of free electricity, he explained.
“The GST was not implemented during the Congress government. In contrast, the BJP is implementing taxes of every kind. The hike in price is being seen in relation to every commodity. We wish to introduce the ‘Griha Lakshmi’ scheme to control such difficult situations for the common man,” said Bhandari.
“The BJP, which has alleged that the Congress has played a role in the murders of Paresh Mesta and Sharat Madiwala, is unable to reach the levels of progress and development achieved by the Congress government. Also, since they (BJP members) take such pride that a tea supplier is today the Prime Minister of India, they need to be reminded that it is the Constitution of India that lets a person grow from working on a railway platform to be the Prime Minister,” said the legislator.
Former member of the Zilla Panchayat Bharat Mundodi said that Mangaluru is a stronghold of the Congress. “Many members of the SDPI are planning to join the Congress, which will help the party grow,” he said.
He further said, “We need to get an idea of the thinking and working styles of the Central government. We also need to beware of the efforts of the Central government to build a Hindu Rashtra.”
Deputy leader of the Opposition in the Assembly U T Khader said, “We should always improve our awareness and discretion during election time. Booth-level activities should also increase. No development work has been undertaken in the last five years, since the BJP came to power. We, however, are ready to give a guarantee card on progress, well before the voting. There is a need to dethrone a government whose works have affected communal harmony.”
Khader added, “Students in the state have no scholarships and youth have no jobs. Autocracy will no doubt worsen things for us.”
He advised the party activists to ignore the comments of the BJP and focus on winning the elections.
SDPI leaders in Mangalore constituency Ashraf KC Road and Ziyadh KC Nagar as well as JD(S) member Hyder were among those who joined the Congress on the occasion.
DCC president Harish Kumar, Congress Ullal Block president Sadashiva Ullal, former ZP member Mamatha Gatti, Congress leaders Yousuf Ullal, Devaki Ullal, Youth Congress state general secretary Nasir Samanige, Taluk Panchayat former members Surekha and Musthafa Harekala, Taluk Panchayat former president Mohammed Monu, Ullal City Municipality president Chitrakala, Suresh Bhatnagar, N S Karim, Shaukath Konaje as well as members of the Congress in the Ullal Municipality, members of the women’s unit and leaders of district, taluk and constituency levels attended the launch of the Congress rally.
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
