AAI restarts technical flights from flood-hit Chennai airport
6 Dec 2015 4:17 AM IST
Technical flights have started from rain-hit Chennai airport, where operations were suspended on Wednesday following flooding, but it may take two-three days to resume commercial flights, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said on Saturday. Airports Authority of India (AAI), which runs the Chennai airport, said that restoration of airport systems, communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) equipment, IT systems, Met equipment is in progress to resume IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) operations for all flights. IFR is one of the two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations.
“We started technical flights from Chennai airport. But we are unable to resume commercial flights as the basement of the airport is still waterlogged and power supply of the terminal building has not been restored completely,” Sharma, who is the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said. “It might take at least two-three days to clear the airport for operations,” he added. He said that four commercial flights operated from the Rajali Naval air station. Two flights of Indigo and one each of Spicejet and Trujet evacuated 319 people.
On Saturday, four ferry flights that were parked at Chennai airport departed for Delhi, Mumbai and Port Blair. One cargo flight Singcargo B747 also departed for Singapore via Bengaluru. A total 34 aircraft of various airlines were stranded at the airport due to flooding.
No fuel shortage in Chennai & suburbs, assures IndianOil
There is no shortage of fuel in Chennai or its suburbs, where petrol pumps were closed for safety following floods, nation’s largest oil marketing firm Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has said. As the devastating floods led to several infrastructure bottlenecks across Chennai as well as its suburbs over the last week, retail fuel outlets reportedly “ran dry” following lack of supply.
“Customers are requested not to panic. There is no fuel shortage in the city. Due to heavy water-logging many petrol pumps are not being operated due to safety and security reasons, as fueling is an electrical operation”, the company said in a statement.
Besides, availability of service staff like tank truck drivers and pump attendants has become a “big challenge” in the current situation.
Due to water-logging, supplies are now coming from Tiruchirapalli, Sankari, Chittoor and Bengaluru, it said. All efforts were being made to effectively dispense fuel wherever feasible, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd said.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Finance Secretary K Shanmugam chaired a meeting to take stock of the situation on the supply of fuel and LPG in the State. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd Executive Director and State Coordinator Mannur, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Secretary Shiv Das Meena and officials from oil marketing companies participated, an official release said.
At the meeting, it was decided to take steps on supply of fuel from various units of Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and also from Ennore Tank Terminal Pvt Ltd units in Korukkupet.
Noting that the steps were taken on “war-footing measure”, the release said, 67 tanker lorries from places like Bengaluru and Tiruchirapalli were used for meeting 75 per cent of the city’s demand.
Govt extends TN date for excise and service taxes’ payment
The Revenue Department has extended the last date for payment of excise and service taxes in Tamil Nadu to December 20 in view of unprecedented rains which have disrupted normal life in Chennai and other areas. It has also extended the date for payment of tax deducted at source (TDS) to up to December 20, 2015 for the state. “Because of calamity we are extending the last date of payment of central excise and service tax to December 20, 2015, in the state of Tamil Nadu,” Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted.
At present, companies and service providers are required to pay excise and service tax by sixth of the following month. The revenue department has also extended the date for filing central excise monthly return to December 31, 2015, for companies registered in Tamil Nadu. The returns are required to be filed by 10th of the following month. “Similar extension of date is being done for TDS payment of Income Tax up to December 20, 2015 in Tamil Nadu,” Adhia tweeted.
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