A national listed logistics company which not too long ago announced intentions to start a commercial airline, hastily withdrew its plans to do so last week.

When the first announcement was made, its shares tanked as the company said it would fund the venture through stake sale from its listed entity. Now it says the National Civil Aviation Policy announced recently does not inspire such a project. This is actually worrying for the aviation ministry as the new policy is supposed to encourage companies to get into the sector. Are we missing something here?

So many empty airports

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju was at a loss for words when agitated Lok Sabha MPs wanted to know when the Centre would make already constructed airports, such as the one in Mysuru, operational. While he empathised with the MPs, he was also quick to put the ball in the airlines’ court. Admitting that 31-32 airports were not operational despite the infrastructure being up and ready, he said: “We consistently put it to the airlines. The airlines are like a horse. We can take it to the water. We cannot make it drink.” Anybody listening?

Good admittance

Often, when pushed to a corner, people say things they would otherwise not talk about in public. At an event recently, when repeated references were made to project appraisal skills, particularly of PSBs, a speaker representing the financing and advisory arm of PSBs stepped in to set the record straight by saying: “Yes, you are right. Private sector banks have a better understanding of the risks. They are under less control of government and they can decide where to participate and where not to participate.”

Sour joke

“Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” So quipped the great American humorist and novelist Mark Twain in 1895 when a London newspaper carried his obituary. The Malayalam comedy actor, Innocent, who is a CPI(M) Lok Sabha MP and a cancer survivor, responded in a Mark Twain vein when news of his “death” went viral on social media two months ago. But, when social media “killed” him a second time last week, Innocent, known for his onscreen wit and public jokes, was not amused.  He appealed to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to get the matter investigated by the cyber police. Innocent, who has written a book on his successful battle with cancer, had a relapse recently, but managed to fight it.

Spot on

For the last two weeks, a private FM channel in Bengaluru has been running a unique promotional campaign, giving away ₹1.04 lakh to any listener who can spot the station’s frequency number on currency notes, driving licences and even marksheets. It’s not clear what the channel will achieve by distributing such huge amounts of money, but it has certainly made Bangaloreans go through all their documents and the currency notes they carry with a fine toothcomb to spot the elusive three-digit number.

Distress call

Illegal sand-mining has bulldozed its way to headlines in Kerala after Leela Gulati, octogenarian widow of economist IS Gulati, made an SOS call to the State government. Apparently, land sharks have eaten right into her home, leading a major portion of it to collapse. The walls of the outhouse too have developed cracks. Her late husband had left Punjab and made Kerala his home at the request of economist KN Raj. He served as vice-chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board and was a member of the Seventh Union Finance Commission. The government has right away ordered an inquiry into the matter.   

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