Fliers unleash anger at indifferent AIE as snag delays Dammam-Mangalore flight by 50 hours

[email protected] (CD Network)
October 21, 2014

Mangalore, Oct 21: Around 180 Air India Express passengers from Mangalore and Kerala who had stranded at Saudi Arabia's Dammam International Airport, following abrupt cancellation of an aircraft on Saturday, finally reached their destinations on Tuesday morning.

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Dozens of Mangalorean passengers on board the plane, who were supposed to land at Mangalore International Airport at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, reached their destination at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Angry passengers have complained of having a harrowing time at the Dammam Airport without proper facilities as the India's national carrier had failed to inform the passengers as of when the flight would take off.

œWe can understand that the cancellation of flight was unavoidable as the safety of passengers is very important. But it is the duty of airlines to inform the passengers in advance and treat them with dignity,  said Abdul Razzak, one of the Mangalorean passengers.

Another passenger said that after the abrupt cancellation of the flight due to a major technical glitch, the passengers were left in lurch as there was no one to listen to their woes for hours.

œWe had to starve without food and water at the Airport. Finally officials took us to Golden Tulip hotel at 1.30 a.m. on Sunday and we spent next 24 hours in the same hotel. On Monday at 1.30 a.m. they took us to Airport and again made us to wait until 6 a.m., when an official came to us and told the flight was again rescheduled to night. Once again we had to return to the hotel,  he said.

œMy daughter-in-law and her two small kids were among the stranded passengers in Dammam. They had to face severe difficulties thanks to carelessness of airline authorities,  said B A Mohammad Ali, a Mangalorean. œThey were twice taken to the Airport from the hotel and left unattended for a long time,  he added.

Sameera (name changed), another Mangaloren passenger, said that she and her two small kids a two-and-a-half-year-old boy and an eleven-month-old baby had to undergo inexplicable difficulties for two days. œMy kids were starving and there was no food and water for them in my small vanity bag. I never imagined such a situation,  she lamented.

Airlines Warned

Iqbal Kana, our correspondent in Dammam, said that annoyed by the indifference of Air India Express officials, the authorities at Dammam International Airport issued a warning on Monday and asked them to solve the problems of passengers immediately.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister said that Air India Express was warned for troubling its Dammam-Mangalore passengers. œThere are several complaints against the Air India Express from its regular passengers these years. But the airlines failed to learn the lesson,  he lamented.

Also Read: Mangalore-bound passengers stranded at Dammam as AIE flight delayed by 2 days

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News Network
April 13,2024

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Mangaluru: After as the state health ministry issued guidelines to the public in view of a heatwave, the health department in Dakshina Kannada has advised people to be cautious about the impact of heatstroke, including heat rash, heat edema, heat cramps, heat tetany, heat syncope, and heat exhaustion.

Dakshina Kannada district nodal officer for climate change, Dr Naveenchandra Kulal, said that the impact of heat-related illness can also be found in the district, when there is a variation of about 4.5⁰C from the normal temperature.

Dr Kulal told media persons here on Friday, that the impact of heat-related illness is not confined to Raichur, Kalaburagi, and other North Karnataka districts.

“Those who reside inside tin sheet houses and closed environments are likely to suffer from heatstroke. People should hydrate themselves by drinking more water and avoid working under the direct Sun. Heat exhaust fans can be used. Though no heatstroke cases have been reported in the district, any negligence may cause heatstroke,” he said. 

DHO Dr Thimmaiah HR said that hotels and restaurants should supply boiled water, and they should clean the overhead tanks once every three months. The filter of drinking water units should be cleaned frequently, he said.

He also directed paying guest accommodations to supply fresh food to inmates.

“We have received complaints of many paying guest accommodations serving sambar cooked the previous day to inmates. Stale food should be avoided, as there are chances of food contamination. Plastics should be avoided while packing food in hotels. As per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines, the use of plastic to pack hot food is restricted,” the DHO said.

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News Network
April 23,2024

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Hubballi, Apr 23: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday spoke to father of slain student Neha Hiremath over phone and said "sorry" over his daughter's killing, and assured that "we will be on your side".

The Chief Minister also informed Niranjan Hiremath, who is also a Congress councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, about the government's decision to hand over the murder case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and setting up a special court to fast-track trial.

"Niranjan... very sorry. We will be on your side," Siddaramaiah told Hiremath over the phone call during state's Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil's visit to Hiremath's house here.

In the conversation on Patil's phone with speakers on, Siddaramaiah can be heard informing Hiremath about the CID probe and setting up a special court.

"It is a serious offence... setting up a special court will ensure punishment for the accused person."

Hiremath thanked Siddaramaiah on behalf of his family well-wishers and the community for handing over the case to CID and setting up a special court "...ensure there is an order at the earliest and provide us justice," he said, as he also thanked Patil, Home Minister G Parameshwara, local Congress MLA Prasad Abbayya and others for their support.

Replying to this, Siddaramaiah said, "We will ensure it, at the earliest."

In a shocking incident, Neha Hiremath (23), was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College last Thursday. The accused Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled from the scene, was arrested by the police subsequently.

Neha was a first year Master of Computer Application (MCA) student and Fayaz was earlier her classmate.

Siddaramaih on Monday had announced his government has decided to hand over the investigation into the incident to the Crime Investigation Department, and to set up a special court for speedy disposal of the case.

The case of brutal murder, which sparked widespread outrage, has snowballed into a political slugfest between ruling Congress and opposition BJP.

While the ruling party has tried to project it as an incident with personal angle, the saffron party has called it a "love jihad" case and has said it's a testimony of deterioration of law and order in the state.

Earlier, Siddarmaiah's statement that the murder was due to "personal reasons" and Home Minister G Parameshwara's comments that the duo was in love, has elicited sharp reactions from Hiremath and family members and opposition parties.

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April 12,2024

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Udupi, Apr 12: A family’s visit to a resort to enjoy Eid-ul-Fitr holidays turned tragic as a 10-year-old boy drowned in the swimming pool at Hengavalli in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district on Thursday. 

The deceased has been identified as Mohammed Azeez, a Class 4 student at Darussalam English Medium School in Hoode.

Azeez was, who had gone to the resort along with his parents, was playing in the pool when he lost balance and drowned. Even though he was rescued, he was in a critical condition and later breathed his last. 

The family members have accused the negligence of the resort management as the reason for Azeez's death. They said that the incident occurred due to the absence of safety equipment like life jackets and the lack of lifeguards near the swimming pool.

A case has been registered at Shankaranarayana police station and investigations are underway. 

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