People being mislead by the government on Land Acquisition Act, says Anna Hazare

February 25, 2015

New Delhi, Feb 25: Social activist Anna Hazare, who is spearheading agitation against amendments in the Land Acquisition Act, today rubbished Government's claim that these were more "effective" and "farmer-friendly", saying it was trying to mislead the people. Hazare said the BJP government has misled people on several fronts including the black money issue and decentralisation of power, while asking for votes in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

The Gandhian activist threatened to go ahead with a nation-wide 'jail bharo andolan' if the government does not pay heed to the demands. He added that the earlier UPA government was brought down by the anti-corruption agitation led by him and also claimed to have taken "6 wickets", an apparent reference to six Cabinet ministers in Maharashtra, who had to resign because of his agitation against them.

"The government is more worried about the industrialists and not about farmers. The country has woken up now. These people will also take irrigated land and give it to the industrialists," Hazare said. He was addressing a large number of farmer activists, who reached Jantar Mantar, a day late for the protest.

Hazare said that there are many clauses in the Ordinance which are not in the farmers favour, one of which is not seeking consent of 70% of the farmers. "Under the new law, if farmer's land is acquired, he cannot approach the court unless the government permits him. Going to court is the fundamental right of every individual," the social activist said, adding that he will form a committee of 8-10 people to decide the future course of action at the national level. We will give you (people) a call of jail bharo andolan after deciding on future course of action. It is only then that people government will wake up to our demands. The government is currently under the influence of power and needs to be shown its place ...the kick power gives is more dangerous than the kick one gets from consuming alcohol," Hazare said.

At the meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the bill will benefit farmers and that the amendments brought by his government were based on suggestions and demands made by Congress-ruled states and their chief ministers. He had asked party MPs to "bust the myths" propagated by Opposition parties on it.

Attacking the Modi dispensation, Hazare said it had promised to decentarlise power but has done the opposite. "You (Centre) should have asked the gram sabha, which is bigger than the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha about the changes. Government is trying to strangulate the gram sabha, and thereby democracy, by bringing in this ordinance. People's parliament is bigger than country's Parliament. He (Modi) claimed that black money will be brought back to the country and every bank account will receive Rs 15 lakh, but people haven't even received Rs 15 since last nine months," he said," Hazare said.

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IndiGo offers full waiver on cancellations, reschedule requests for bookings between Dec 5 and 15

News Network

December 6,2025

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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India’s Tougher Pilot Fatigue Rules: Why IndiGo’s Operations Crashed Into Turbulence

News Network

December 6,2025

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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