Karnataka to revamp ambulance service for Covid care

News Network
November 7, 2020

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Bengaluru, Nov 7: In view of its critical role in emergencies, the '108' ambulance service in Karnataka would be revamped for better Covid care, state Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Friday.

"The ambulance service will be revamped to ensure better healthcare during the golden hour in Covid times," Sudhakar told reporters here after a review meeting with health officials and representatives of iDeCK (Infrastructure Development Corporation (Karnataka) Ltd.

iDeCK is a joint venture of the Karnataka government, the Infrastructure Development Finance Company Ltd (IDFC), and Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC).

"As ambulance service plays a critical role in saving lives during emergencies, I have directed the Health Department to ensure its availability even in rural areas across the state with the help of local partners," said Sudhakar.

Admitting that the present system of the emergency service had loopholes, the minister said digital technology and global operating system would be used to regulate and streamline its operations for efficient delivery.

"Though huge amount of public money is spent on operating the ambulance fleet across the state, its service quality is not in proportionate to the cost incurred. We will use a world class system to make it a role model for other states to emulate across the country," he said.

Sudhakar directed the department to give the ambulance service contract to companies or organisations which comply with global standards in operating their fleet.

"The service contract should be given through a global tender to firms which are technically qualified and financially strong to operate them," he added.

The minister told the officials that the service contract should be based on geographical location rather than on 1 lakh population.

"Ambulance should reach a patient within minutes of receiving a call or message. The fleet staff has to be trained even to provide first aid. They should have an app on the lines of ride-sharing firms like Uber and Ola," added Sudhakar.

The service should use the global positioning system (GPS) and a 24x7 call centre.

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News Network
December 6,2025

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With IndiGo flight disruptions impacting thousands of passengers, the airline on Saturday said that it will offer full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests for travel bookings between December 5, 2025 and December 15, 2025.

Earlier in the day, the civil aviation ministry had directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, as well as ensure baggage separated from the travellers are delivered in the next two days.

In a post on X, titled 'No questions asked', IndiGo wrote, "In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment."

"We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused," it further added.

Several passengers, however, complained of not getting full refund as promised by the airline.

Netizens have shared screenchots of getting charged for airline cancellation fee and convenience fee.

"Please tell me why u have did this airline cancellation charges when u say full amount will be refunded (sic)," a user wrote sharing a screenshot of the refund page.

"Well, but you have still debited the convenience charges," wrote another.

Passengers have also raised concerns about the "cancel" option being disabled on the IndiGo app. "First enable the 'Cancel' button on your App & offer full refund on tickets cancelled by customers between the said dates," wrote a user.

A day after the country's largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled more than 1,000 flights and caused disruptions for the fifth day on Saturday, the ministry said that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite immediate regulatory action.

The refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be completed by 8 pm on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

"Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations," it said.

On Saturday, more than 400 flights were cancelled at various airports.

IndiGo has also been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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