Kashmir's Dal Lake gets floating healthcare units

May 19, 2012

Srinagar, May 19: After starting a floating post office, Jammu and Kashmir government has started a floating healthcare unit for the people living in and around the Dal Lake.

"Initially two Shikaras (boats) equipped with medicines and other diagnostic equipments will be pressed into service with three doctors and para-medics, which will cover the entire Dal area and provide medical services to the needy," state Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma said during the launch of the floating medical unit at Nehru Park on Thursday.

General OPD, lab tests, immunisation, dental care, ante-natal, post-natal, neo-natal checkups besides awareness about various communicable diseases and their preventive measures would be some of the services provided on the unit, Mr Sharma said.

He said Dal Lake dwellers will get free medical services and all those requiring specialised treatment will be referred to the tertiary health institutions, including Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial hospital, Gousia Hospital and Kashmir Nursing Homes.

The Mobile Unit will initially operate twice in a week -- on Wednesdays and Saturdays -- and later the duration will be extended according to the requirements, the minister said.

"Basic healthcare is the fundamental right of every citizen and Dal dwellers will also be provided this facility at their doorsteps," he said.

The medical mobile service, which would be known as Rashtriya Medical Mobile Unit (RMMU), will provide healthcare to 28 hamlets with an estimated population of 30,000 to 40,000, besides thousands of tourists staying in and around Dal lake, an official spokesman said.

The Department of Post launched a floating post office in the Dal Lake recently for the convenience of tourists and Dal dwellers.

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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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