Passengers to be fined up to Rs 15 lakh for delaying Air India flights

April 17, 2017

New Delhi, Apr 17: Unruly passengers delaying Air India flights will soon have to pay hefty fees apart from facing criminal action. The airline is planning to fine Rs 5 lakh for delaying a flight up to an hour; Rs 10 lakh for delay between one and two hours and Rs 15 lakh for delaying beyond two hours.

"Recent incidents of unruly behaviour and assault on AI employees by passengers (whether VVIP or otherwise) have caused severe damage to the morale of employees. Even a hotel has right of admission reserved. AI must have a procedure for handling unruly passengers," said an official.

The airline took this step after three cases of high-handedness by MPs in past one year. In November 2015, a YSR Congress MP assaulted an AI officer at Tirupati when the law-maker came late to the airport and had to be denied boarding as check-in for his flight was closed. Last month Shiv Sena's Ravindra Gaikwad bet up a 60-year-old staffer with sandals and then a Trinamool Congress MP delayed a flight as her wheelchair-bound mother was requested to shift from emergency row as per rules.

These VVIP episodes saw AI employees morale taking a hit as unlike common unruly flyers, the maw-makers got away scot free. But the airline management led by chairman Ashwani Lohani is keen to protect the interests of employees and is working n a number of steps to tackle unruly passengers.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

• Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

• STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

• Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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