CMs flag opposition to NCTC

April 17, 2012

New Delhi, April 17: The Opposition-ruled States used the annual Chief Ministers' meeting on internal security on Monday to focus attention again on their objections to the Centre's proposal to set up a National Counter-Terrorism Centre, saying it violated the principle of federalism.

This was even though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his opening remarks, told them that a separate meeting, scheduled for May 5, would be devoted to the subject: “We will discuss the National Counter-Terrorism Centre on May 5 at a separate meeting as some Chief Ministers have suggested.”

The government's internal security agenda included a host of issues, ranging from Left-wing extremism to Kashmir to the Northeast to terrorism, but Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa ensured that the spotlight remained on the Centre-State divide.

The gathering of Chief Ministers provided her with the opportunity to hold parleys of her own at the Tamil Nadu House with her counterparts from Odisha and Gujarat, Naveen Patnaik and Narendra Modi. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, too, was meant to join them, but was unable to make it as his speech got delayed and Ms. Jayalalithaa left for Chennai by a special flight at 4.15 p.m.

However, the three Chief Ministers did not have a joint meeting; Ms. Jayalalithaa had a one-on-one meeting, first with Mr. Patnaik and then with Mr. Modi.

‘No political forum'

Later, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, making a pointed reference to the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers, said a nationally significant conference should not be converted into a “political forum.”

West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee who, like the Opposition Chief Ministers, has been waving the anti-NCTC flag, absented herself from the conference.

More assistance

But in her speech, read out by her Finance Minister Amit Mitra, she said her State could not be an “island of peace” unless the neighbouring States tackled the Maoist problem and the Centre pitched in with more assistance.

Earlier, opening the conference, the Prime Minister struck a conciliatory note: “Internal security,” he said, “is a matter in which the States and the Centre must work together, hand in hand, and in harmony.”

Effective mechanisms

Admitting that the “burden of the fight against terrorism falls largely on the States' machinery,” he stressed that the Centre was “ready to work with the States to put in place strong and effective institutional mechanisms…”

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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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