The government on Monday refused to budge from its stated position that those of Air India’s striking pilots — who have not yet been sacked — must return to work. This was made clear in response to the hungerstrike by the pilots which entered its second day on Monday. The strike from work by pilots has completed seven weeks and entered its 50th day on Monday. The pilots say they will return to work if the government reinstates 101 sacked pilots. But the government says the pilots must return to work following which the government would consider the reinstatement on a “case by case basis”. Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, who held a review meeting on Monday in the wake of the hungerstrike, called for the pilots to return to work unconditionally. The civil aviation minister has already called for pilots to end their hungerstrike and return to the aircraft cockpit.
Government sources also dismissed allegations that the stalemate was only benefiting private airlines and pointed out that it was the IPG union pilots who had gone on strike in the first place in the midst of the holiday season.
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Court notice to Centre, air India
Kochi, June 25: The Kerala high court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and Air India on petitions by relatives of two cabin crew who perished in the May 2010 Mangalore air crash that claimed 158 lives seeking compensation of `75 lakh as stipulated by the Montreal Convention.
When the petitions by Syed Iqteder Ali, father of Mohammed Ali and Panchami Rana, mother of Yugantar Rana (25) came up for hearing, Justice T R Ramachandran Nair ordered issuance of notice.
— PTI