Opp to continue protest in Par, presses for PM's reply, JPC

November 28, 2016

New Delhi, Nov 28: On a day they were observing 'Jan Aakrosh Diwas' to protest demonestisation, opposition parties today held a strategy meet where they decided to continue their stir in Parliament till Prime Minister Narendra Modi replies to their concerns and a JPC probe is announced in alleged leak of the decision.

A meeting of all the opposition parties, barring JD(U), was held in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament House here and it was decided that the protests will continue till their demands are met, sources said.

However, some fissures also appeared in the opposition as the JD(U) skipped the meeting with sources saying party leader Sharad Yadav had left Delhi early this morning.

The opposition parties have been divided over the ways to protest against demonetisation ever since Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee decided to march to the President against it.

While she was joined by AAP, National Conference and Shiv Sena, an NDA ally, other opposition parties stayed away.

Shiv Sena has backed demonetisation but said it is unhappy over the way it was causing problems to people.

LS adjourns amid Opposition protests over demonetisation issue

A vociferous Opposition in the Lok Sabha today continued their protests against the government over the demonetisation issue, forcing adjournment of the proceedings till noon.

Soon after the House expressed its condolences over the death of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, Oppositon members, including those from the TMC and Congress, demanded that they wanted to speak on the demonetisation issue.

With Speaker Sumitra Mahajan declining their request and saying that the matter could be taken up after Question Hour, Opposition members trooped into the Well holding placards and shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the government.

"No placards please... No papers," Mahajan told the protesting members and also reminded them that it was against the rules.

Over 30 members, including from Congress, TMC and the Left parties, were in the Well while members of AIADMK were seen standing near their seats.

Amid the din, the Question Hour went on for around 20 minutes and saw four questions as well as supplementaries being taken up. With the protests continuing unabated, Mahajan adjourned the House till noon.

Opposition parties have been stepping up their protests against the government's decision to withdraw old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and are also observing 'Jan Aakrosh Diwas' across the country today.

Lok Sabha has witnessed a virtual washout of proceedings since the Winter Session started on November 16 due to the protests over the demonetisation issue.

Oppn protests over demonetisation continue in RS

A united Opposition today continued to disrupt proceedings in Rajya Sabha over hardships caused to the people due to demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupee notes, forcing two adjournments in the pre-noon session.

Congress, TMC and BSP members trooped into the Well shouting slogans against the government, forcing proceedings to be adjourned first for 30 minutes and then till noon.

Soon after the House mourned the death of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and the listed papers were laid, Naresh Agrawal (SP) said nationwide protest is being observed today against demonetisation that has caused hardships to common man.

'All India Protest', called Aakrosh Diwas, has been called to highlight the hardships, he said as other opposition leaders including Mayawati (BSP), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Anand Sharma (Cong) joined in.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the nation was seething in anger over the hardship and harrassment caused because of the announcement made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.

Soon Congress and TMC members trooped into the well of the House shouting slogans against the Prime Minister. Ruling benches also joined him by shouting slogans favouring start of a discussion on the issue.

I&B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu rose to state that the discussion which had started on the opening day of the Winter Session of Parliament on November 16 and has not yet concluded, should be resumed, instead of such disruption of proceedings.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien agreed with the suggestion of Naidu but the din continued, forcing him to adjourn the proceedings for half an hour.

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We are expecting a massive protest from Opposition parties. As Mr. MMS said in his speech that recent demonetization scheme implementation was a monumental mismanagement failure and organized loot, legalized plunder of the common people.

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Rajdhani Express Derails, 7 elephants killed after collision in Assam

News Network

December 20,2025

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•   0361-2731621
•   0361-2731622
•   0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30.

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks.

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested.

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India’s Tougher Pilot Fatigue Rules: Why IndiGo’s Operations Crashed Into Turbulence

News Network

December 6,2025

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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