The civil aviation ministry will seek certification for body scanners — to be installed at Indian airports — from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc) to ensure that there are no harmful effects due to any radiation, well-placed aviation sources have confirmed.

Two fibre-glass motor boats acquired by the state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) five years ago for rescue of passengers in any emergency at Lakshadweep’s Agatti airport — in case of any aircraft plunge into the sea — are lying unused at the Agatti seashore.

Passengers will soon find it easier to make flight bookings.
The civil aviation ministry is working towards establishment of a single number to make flight bookings on domestic scheduled airlines, well-placed sources have told this newspaper.

A colonel commanding his unit does not have to obey the “illegal and unlawful” commands of his superior officers to stage fake encounters even if there is “organisational pressure” on him, an order of the ministry of defence (MoD) issued in 2009, on the infamous “Ketchup” fake kills episode, has stated. This was the

Ahead of a proposed visit within the next fortnight by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to install the foundation stone of an international terminal at Tirupati airport in Andhra Pradesh, there is uncertainty over who will fund the construction of the new terminal there.

The Army Chief, General V.K. Singh, has said that “all those who ask for a dilution of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act do so for narrow political gains”.
The move to dilute the AFSPA, incidentally, is to be taken up by the Union Cabinet shortly.

Refuting the arguments of the Centre and the J&K government, the Army Chief, Gen. V.K. Singh, rallying behind the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, said the “AFSPA is a misunderstood act and all who ask for its dilution/withdrawal probably do so for narrow political gains”. He then added: “We (read Army) are clear in the subject that soldiers operating in hostile environments need legal protection to ensure that they perform their task efficiently.”

The government has mooted the idea of installation of satellite phones in aircraft cockpits as an emergency communication device between the air traffic control (ATC) and pilots in case of any breakdown of surface radars, electricity failure or breakdown in VHF battery-operated equipment operated by the Air-Traffic Control (ATC).

The oldest submarine in service with the Indian Navy — INS Vela — will be decommissioned after a whopping 37 years of service on June 25 at Vizag, defence sources have confirmed.

The Indian Navy is working on plans to acquire 17 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs) of British company BAE systems which will be manufactured under licence by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd