India extends ban on int'l commercial flights till Nov 30
Darpan News Desk IANS, 29 Oct, 2021 11:07 AM
New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) To deal with the ongoing Covid pandemic, India's civil aviation regulator on Friday extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till November 30.
In the notification, the Directorate General of Central Aviation (DGCA), however, said: "This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA."
It also said that scheduled international flights might be allowed on selected routes on a case to case basis.
The Central government had banned the operation of international flights on March 23 last year to contain and control the spread of Covid-19.
Flight restrictions, however, were later eased under air bubble arrangement with certain countries. At present, India has formed air bubble pacts with about 28 countries.
The country had been operating Vande Bharat flights to many countries over the last one year to evacuate stranded Indians.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) to cancel or revisit all the "one-sided" pacts with private companies that are not contractually obligated to supply sufficient power to meet the state's peak demand during the paddy sowing and summer season.
The new leadership team, led by state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, had called on the Chief Minister and submitted a letter listing out some issues as needing urgent settlement.
The bodies of Khare Besra, 75 and his wife Curki Devi, 70, were recovered from Baragarda jungle of Giridih. The old couple, residents of Kumharlalo panchayat, had gone into the jungle on Saturday but had not returned and other villagers had filed a missing report with police.
Chairing a high-level meeting to review the demands of the striking employees, he expressed concern over their continued agitation, which has severely impacted the functioning of various state government departments.
The opposition has been continuously attacking the government after it told the Parliament on July 20 that states have not reported any death due to oxygen during the second wave.