DGCA keeps ‘rigorous oversight’ on airfares for festivals

Aviation watchdog DGCA is keeping a “rigorous oversight” on airfares and flight capacities for the festive season to ensure that there are no steep hikes in air ticket prices.

During festive seasons and increased demand, there have been instances of surge in domestic airfares, especially in high traffic routes.

While airfares are deregulated, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has the mandate to keep a watch on air ticket prices and also to take appropriate measures in case of a surge in prices.

The civil aviation ministry on Sunday said DGCA has reviewed airfare trends ahead of the festive season rush and has proactively asked airlines to augment flight capacities to meet the high demand.

“DGCA will maintain rigorous oversight of airline fares and flight capacities to protect passengers’ interests during the festive season,” the ministry said in a release.

According to the release, IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and SpiceJet will be operating additional flights.

While IndiGo will operate around 730 additional services across 42 sectors, Air India and Air India Express will have about 486 additional flights on 20 sectors.

SpiceJet will operate around 546 additional flights across 38 sectors.

However, details about how long these additional flights will be operated and from when they will commence were not disclosed in the release.

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10 years in hiding: Rohini ashram’s self-styled godman, accused of rape, found dead

Cutting through a narrow alleyway in Rohini Sector 5, the eyes fall upon a decrepit and almost hideous building towering over the locality. Moss creeps across the façade, obscuring lettering that once read Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. The structure juts out like a sore thumb within the residential area.

Once central to a harrowing case that cut a devastating gash across the country, the building now serves mostly as a sad reminder of its past. While one self-proclaimed godman, Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, has gone into hiding following allegations of sexual abuse at a private institute, another remains at large — and has been for more than a decade.

Saraswati faces five cases, including charges of sexual harassment, fraud and forgery. Virendra Dev Dixit, lived on till the age of 82, according to the CBI, while the agency failing to apprehend him during his lifetime. His death was confirmed on September 30, with the investigative agency informing a special court about the development.