'Why allow crisis to escalate?: Delhi HC slams Centre over IndiGo chaos
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday slammed the Union government for failing to prevent the chaos caused by cancellation and delays in flights of Indigo airline. A Division Bench of Chief JusticeDevendra Kumar Upadhyayaand JusticeTushar Rao Gedelaasked if the government was ' helpless' in acting againt IndiGo. The Bench noted that the government stepped in only after the situation in air travel turned worse. You allowed the situation to precipitate and only then did you take action. Why did you allow all this to happen?, the Court asked. The Court also asked how other airlines could take advantage of the crisis situation and charge hefty sums for tickets from the passengers. The ticket which was available for Rs 5,000, the prices went up to Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000. If there was a crisis, how could other airlines be permitted to take advantage? How can it (ticket price) go up to Rs 35,000 and Rs 39,000? How could other airlines start charging, asked the bench. The Bench, besides trouble and harassment caused to the stranded passengers, said, the the question is of the losses caused to the country's economy. We appreciate the steps taken by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA. but such a situation is not confined to causing inconvenience to the passengers but also affects the economy of the country, as in the present day fast movement of passengers is an important aspect to keep the economy functioning. The bench directed that by January 22, the next date of hearing, if the inquiry initiated by a committee is complete, its report should be submitted to the court in a sealed cover. The court was informed by the counsel for the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that the statutory mechanism was totally in place and a show-cause notice was issued to Indigo, which apologised profusely. The government's counsel also said the crisis precipitated on account of various non-compliances of the guidelines issued by the authorities from time to time, including flight duty hours of the crew members. The court was hearing a public interest litigation seeking directions to the Centre to provide support and refunds to passengers affected by the cancellation of hundreds of flights by IndiGo. The court directed the airline to make arrangements for compensating the stranded passengers, not only for cancellation of flights but also for other troubles caused to them. Since a committee has already been constituted where IndiGo will have an opportunity to put forth its case, we refrain from making any observation as to the reason for disruptions of flight operations of respondent No.3 (airline). While we have taken cognisance of the issue in public interest, we make it clear that the observations are aimed to ensure that best public interest is served both by the government and the airline (IndiGo), the bench said. The court also directed the authorities to ensure that the situation normalises soon and all airlines employ adequate number of pilots. (With inputs from PTI) DGCA asks IndiGo CEO to appear on December 11 with full report on flight disruptions
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