Air India flight delayed as Congress MP goes "shopping"

New Delhi, Feb 24: An Air India flight to Hyderabad from Delhi, with a Union Minister and Supreme Court judge onboard, was held up for 45 minutes here after a senior Congress leader from Telangana did not turn up for boarding at the scheduled time as she was allegedly busy shopping.

"Last Friday, former Union Minister, and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chowdhury was travelling to Hyderabad on Air India's Chicago-Delhi-Hyderabad flight AI-126 which was scheduled to take off at 1900 hours. Chowdhury did not turn up on time despite repeated announcements of the final call by the airline staff. She finally turned up after scheduled departure time but not before the pilot had missed his turn in the departure sequence," sources said.

Since her baggage had already gone on the flight, it was not possible to retrieve it at the last minute, sources said adding "Air India did not have an option but to wait for her."

Chowdhury finally turned up at 7.04 pm, they said alleging she was in the shopping area doing shopping and because of her the flight got delayed by some 45 minutes.

"This resulted in a 45 minutes delay in take-off as the pilot had missed his timings for departure given to him by the air traffic controller," the sources said.

Chowdhury, however, denied she was shopping and shot back saying "they have to establish where I went and shopped. What nonsense they are talking?"

She said she had requested for a cart to take her to the departure gate, which took time in arriving.

The delay to the flight caused by Chowdhury created a lot of resentment among the passengers who took up the issue with Air India authorities, the sources said.

Air India has instituted an inquiry into the incident, the sources said.

Following this incident, the Civil Aviation Ministry has also instructed Air India to implement an electronic baggage identification system, they said.

"Such a system would help the carrier in identifying the baggage of passengers who do not turn up for boarding at its scheduled time and put them in the no-show passengers list," sources said.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

• Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

• STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

• Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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