As covid-19 cases surge, IMA urges Kerala CM to declare health emergency

News Network

September 29, 2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 29: With the test positivity rate reaching 12.59 per cent and Kerala witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tuesday requested the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to declare a health emergency in the state.

As per the official release, IMA said that the COVID-19 protocol should be strictly followed and people should follow social distancing along with the use of masks and sanitisers.

IMA said that in the last 28 days COVID-19 was confirmed in more than one lakh people in Kerala, and in this backdrop, there needs to be systematic coordination between various departments to tackle the emerging COVID situation in the state in an efficient manner.

"There is a lack of effective coordination between various departments. A coordination committee should be formed including professional organisations like IMA," it said.

IMA also demanded that COVID-19 testing should be increased in the state.

"Only by testing and isolating those infected with the virus a community spread can be avoided. The testing should be increased up to one lakh a day," it stated.

It further suggested that the government should publish real-time data of beds, ICUs, ventilators available in hospitals.

According to the release, till now, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kerala is 1,79,922 including 57,879 active cases. As many as 697 lives have been claimed by the virus so far.

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Chaos continues as IndiGo cancels more flights including 73 from Bengaluru airport

News Network

December 4,2025

Domestic carrier IndiGo has cancelled over 180 flights from three major airports — Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru — on Thursday, December 4, as the airline struggles to secure the required crew to operate its flights in the wake of new flight-duty and rest-period norms for pilots.

While the number of cancellations at Mumbai airport stands at 86 (41 arrivals and 45 departures) for the day, at Bengaluru, 73 flights have been cancelled, including 41 arrivals, according to a PTI report that quoted sources.

"IndiGo cancelled over 180 flights on Thursday at three airports-Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru," the source told the news agency.

Besides, it had cancelled as many as 33 flights at Delhi airport for Thursday, the source said, adding, "The number of cancellations is expected to be higher by the end of the day."

The Gurugram-based airline's On-Time Performance (OTP) nosedived to 19.7 per cent at six key airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — on December 3, as it struggled to get the required crew to operate its services, down from almost half of December 2, when it was 35 per cent.

"IndiGo has been facing acute crew shortage since the implementation of the second phase of the FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) norms, leading to cancellations and huge delays in its operations across the airports," a source had told PTI on Wednesday.

Chaos continued at several major airports for the third day on Thursday because of the cancellations.

A spokesperson for the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru said that 73 IndiGo flights had been cancelled on Thursday.

At least 150 flights were cancelled and dozens of others delayed on Wednesday, airport sources said, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, according to news agency Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said it is investigating IndiGo flight disruptions and has asked the airline to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as its plans to reduce flight cancellations and delays.

It may be mentioned here that the pilots' body, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze".

The FIP said it has urged the safety regulator, the DGCA, not to approve airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate their services "safely and reliably" in accordance with the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

In a letter to the DGCA late on Wednesday, the FIP urged the DGCA to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines, which have the capacity to operate them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages."

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