Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj stages protest on highway over IndiGo disruptions
Bengaluru (PTI): Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj on Sunday staged a sit-in demonstration on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad highway in protest against disruptions to IndiGo flight operations.
Nagaraj and his supporters gathered near the Devanahalli toll gate and held the demonstration, raising slogans against the Centre and the airline.
Traffic was disrupted due to the protest, prompting police to reach the spot and place Nagaraj and his supporters under preventive custody.
Speaking to reporters, Nagaraj said continuous disruptions in IndiGo’s flight operations were causing hardship to passengers, but neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had commented on the issue.
He said the Chief Minister should have visited the airport and spoken to people affected by the disruptions.
“Because of repeated flight cancellations and delays by IndiGo, passengers are being forced to move around the airport for days. Children, senior citizens and women are the worst affected,” he alleged.
He also claimed the Central government’s negligence was responsible for the situation.
Nagaraj demanded that IndiGo and the Civil Aviation Department take responsibility and provide a permanent solution.
IndiGo has cancelled thousands of flights over the last few days as it grappled with significant operational disruptions, mainly due to crew shortage.
Against the backdrop of a large number of flights cancelled and delayed at various airports, causing hardships to thousands of passengers, the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Friday, set up a four-member inquiry panel to ascertain the reasons for the situation and recommend mitigation measures.
VIDEO | Bengaluru: Police detain pro-Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj during protest against Indigo flight cancellations.#IndigoDelay
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 5, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/YGcxyY90Xq
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India submits nomination of Meghalaya's living root bridges for UNESCO World Heritage site
Shillong (PTI): India has submitted to UNESCO in Paris the nomination dossier of Meghalaya's living root bridges for consideration to include in the World Heritage list 2026-27, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Thursday.
The dossier was handed over by India's Ambassador Vishal V Sharma to UNESCO's World Heritage Centre Director Lazare Assomo Eloundou, a statement said.
"We are hopeful that the living root bridges will be inscribed this year, ensuring that the indigenous communities, the true guardians of this living heritage, receive the global recognition they so richly deserve," Sangma said on X.
While submitting the dossier, Sharma, the Permanent Representative to UNESCO, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Meghalaya CM for their support to the nomination, the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO said in a statement.
Sharma also acknowledged the role of Meghalaya Principal Secretary Frederick Kharkongor, officers of the Archaeological Survey of India, the Ministry of External Affairs, experts and the local communities in safeguarding the property and preparing the nomination.
Located across the southern slopes of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills of the northeastern state, the nominated property represents a living cultural landscape shaped over centuries by indigenous Khasi and Jaintia communities.
"The landscape reflects a deep-rooted and harmonious relationship between people, nature and spirituality, embodied in traditional systems of land use, governance and ecological stewardship," the statement said.
The indigenous worldview underpinning the cultural landscape is anchored in principles of respect, reciprocity and responsibility towards Mei Ramew (Mother Earth), it said.
"The submission of this nomination underscores India's commitment to recognising and preserving living cultural traditions and indigenous knowledge systems, and to advancing global heritage conservation efforts through UNESCO," the statement added.
