THURSDAY RBI KEEPS REPO RATE UNCHANGED AT 5.5% WITH A ‘NEUTRAL’ STANCE 07 AUGUST, 2025 The six-member Monetary Policy Committee, headed by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, decided to maintain the repurchase rate at current level epaper.morningstandard.in GDP GROWTH FORECAST RETAINED AT 6.5% facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard RBI maintained India’s GDP growth forecast at 6.5% for FY26. “Despite a challenging external environment, economy is navigating a steady growth path with price stability. Monetary policy has appropriately used the policy space created by the benign inflation outlook to support growth without compromising on the primary objective of price stability,” Malhotra said | P10 SECURITY COUNCIL ISRAEL, UN CLASH OVER HOSTAGES Israel called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to demand release of its emaciated hostages, including one seen digging his own grave. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 SCO SUMMIT Modi set to visit China this month J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a major diplomatic move aimed at recalibrating ties with China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Tianjin, China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This marks his first trip to the country since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that strained IndiaChina relations. The PM is likely to travel to Japan first for a bilateral meeting. From there, he will fly to China, sources said. This will be Modi’s first visit to China since 2019. His last direct interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping took place on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024, where both leaders acknowledged the need to stabilise Narendra Modi ties and prioritise peace along the Line of Actual Control. “Maintaining peace and tranquillity over the border should remain our priority Modi had ,” told Xi during that meeting. Xi, in turn, had emphasised the need for “more communication and cooperation”. The upcoming SCO summit will be held against a complex geopolitical backdrop. India faces intense pressure from the US and other Western partners over its oil trade with Russia. The summit is expected to focus on terrorism, regional security, and economic cooperation among its 10 member states, including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and newly joined Belarus.  NEW DELHI   J8.00 PAGES 12 DOUBLE TRUMP-LE It is extremely unfortunate that the US should impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest Trump slaps additional 25% tariff on Indian products, taking the total to 50%; new levy to kick in from Aug 27; Ministry of External Affairs terms it unfair, unjustified D I PA K M O N D A L & J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to double the tariff on Indian goods, taking it to 50%, in response to New Delhi’s ‘continued purchase of Russian oil’. The additional 25% tariff will kick in from August 27, while the 25% tariff on Indian products announced earlier is scheduled to take effect from August 7. “India is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil. Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25%,” the executive order read. The order says any other country importing Russian crude directly or indirectly might face similar fate. However, India seems to have been singled as it has been handed the highest tariff. No other country apart from Brazil, has , got a 50% levy The tariff on . China, which imported $62.6 billion worth of Russian oil in 2024 compared with India’s $52.7 billion, is only 34%. The Trump administration, however, justified the tariffs as part of its broader response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. India reacted sharply to the tariff action, calling it “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India’s energy imports were driven by market realities and national interest. “The United States has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position… our imports are based on market factors and aimed at ensuring energy security for 1.4 billion Indians,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, adding: “India will take all necessary steps to protect its national interests.” The additional tariff would not be applicable on goods categorised under Annexure II of April 2, 2025. These goods include metals like steel, copper and other base metals, semiconductor, pharma, etc. However, this puts India in a disadvantageous position as many ASEAN and Asian economies have much lower tariffs of 15-20%. Analysts expect the higher tariff would result in Indian exports to the US, which is the biggest buyer of Indian goods accounting for 20% goods exports, falling by a massive 40-50% in FY26. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal New Delhi’s diplomacy in action NSA Ajit Doval is currently in Russia to discuss defence cooperation and energy ties. Doval’s visit will be followed by a broader diplomatic engagement with foreign minister S Jaishankar’s visit in August third week | P7 Tariff on India is the peak US levy on any country in the world. The tariff on China, a bigger importer of Russian oil, is just 34% Goods in transit exempt No idea about US imports from Russia, says Trump The executive order says all Indian imports US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday will face a 25% that he was not aware of the fact that the US ad valorem was importing a number of products including tariff on top of uranium and fertilisers from Russia. “I don’t know existing duties. anything about it. I have to check, but we’ll get The new tariff back to you then,” he said in response to a media will take effect question about the US imports of fertilisers, after 21 days, on uranium, and chemicals from Russia. A few days August 27. ago, the MEA had said, “Where the US is Goods already in concerned, it continues to import from Russia transit before uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, that date will be Substantially palladium for its EV industry, fertilizers as well as ED OUT if they WIP exempt, high tariff in Trump chemicals... In this background, the targeting of reach US 24 hrs: before India is unjustified and unreasonable.” September 17 INDIA, PHILIPPINES ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP relationship to a strategic India and Philippines upgraded their bilateral the two on Tuesday partnership following high-level talks between WEDNESDAY 06 AUGUST, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard IN REGION EYE ON COUNTERING CHINA’S HEFT YUNUS talks between PM The announcement follows high-level President Ferdinand Narendra Modi and visiting Philippine lies a shared R Marcos Jr. At the heart of the deal and digital commitment to deepen defence, economic, rising tensions in the cooperation set against a backdrop of growing assertiveness Indo-Pacific, particularly with China’s in the South China Sea | P7 SETS BALL ROLLING FOR FEB POLLS Bangladesh interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday announced that the next general election will be held in February. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 19.47 BN UPI TRANSACTIONS WORTH `25.08 LAKH RECORDED IN JULY, ACCORDING TO NPCI DATA SC seeks detailed ECI response on 65 lakh deletions EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on allegations that it failed to disclose details of 65 lakh voters removed from Bihar’s electoral rolls during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR). A bench of justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N K Singh issued a notice on an application filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for ADR, claimed the ECI had not made public the names or reasons behind the deletions in the draft roll published on August 1. “The draft roll says 65 lakh voters’ names have been omitted. They have not given a list of those names. They say people are dead, have migrated... They should disclose who the 65 lakh,” Bhushan submitted. He also questioned whether the deletions were made with proper oversight from Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Responding, ECI’s counsel Reply by Saturday Bhushan contested the ECI’s claim, stating: “They have not conveyed [the data]. Even if some parties have received it, the reasons for deletions were not shared.” The court directed the ECI to file its detailed reply by Saturday claimed the draft rolls had indeed been shared with political party representatives as per the laid down procedure. Justice Kant reminded the ECI of its obligation under its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and asked for transparency “If you have supplied [the . list], please give a list of parties to whom you have, so that Bhushan’s client can collect information from those authorised representatives,” he said. PUTIN, WITKOFF HOLD ‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ TALKS Kalp Kedar Temple Gartang Gali Bhaironghati THE DHARALI VILLAGE THAT GOT WASHED AWAY NEAR AN ARMY CAMP AT HARSHIL Gangotri UTTARAKHAND Kedar Kund CUMULATIVE RAINFALL (IN CM) AS OF 8.30 AM IN UTTARKASHI DISTRICTS Aug 5 Station Aug 4 Barot Bhatwari Dunda Mori 0.5 3 Purola 1.3 0.2 1.5 Uttarkashi 0.8 1.8 1 0 at Kheer Gad area of Uttarkashi after the flash floods triggered by cloudbursts A view of the Dharali market in Uttarkashi right left is a topographical image of the same location to show the disaster site On district, Uttarakhand on Tuesday afternoon. 1.8 1.2 2.7 DON DOUBLES DOWN Uttarkashi vulnerable to flash floods: IIT paper Jammu: The Indian Himalayas are vulnerable to extreme weather events, including cloudbursts, extreme precipitation, flash floods, and avalanches. Occurrence of extreme weather events is frequent for locations at elevation of 1,000-2,000 metres, according to a 2023 paper at IIT Jammu. Uttarkashi lies at an altitude of 1,160 metres as Part of Dharali village in Uttarkashi buried cloudbursts result in flash floods; four killed, in more than 50 missing; Army, NDRF roped ment area of the Kheer Ganga the formation of a temporary scribed horrific scenes as a delriver, an official said. Officials said flash floods in lake near the Army camp. This District Magistrate Prashant uge of water and mud surged tothe Kheerganga river led to the new water body poses a signifiwards the village around 1.45 pm. Arya acknowledged a possibility village being literally washed cant threat to towns situated THREE devastating cloudbursts Contiguous buildings, including of a rise in the toll. . away Local villagers fear the acalong the Bhagirathi river. The Chief Minister Pushkar Singh within a span of three hours on three and four-storey houses, fell tual number of fatalities could Sukhi Top incident resulted in Tuesday unleashed unprecedentlike a pack of cards as the surgDhami, who was in Andhra be significantly higher. closure of the road to Harsil. ed havoc in Uttarakhand’s Dharing waters washed over them. Pradesh and rushed to DehraDharali is the main stopover Jai Prakash Singh Pawar, disofficials ali village in Uttarkashi district, “Everything is finished,” a voice offic- dun, said he has directed on way to Gangotri, the origin of of the cloud- trict disaster managementpaper, to conduct rescue operations on claiming at least four lives and home to many is heard in a video er for Uttarkashi, told this 50 others re- the Ganges, and leaving more than burst that went viral. a war footing. hotels, restaurants and home “We received information about The devastation was not conPrime Minister Narendra Modi portedly missing. from a person at stays. At least half the village Home alone. A second extreme rainfall Rapidly flowing water and dethe Army, extended his condolences. slush, rubble fined to Dharali the Himalay- was buried under in the evening 1.45 pm. Immediately, deployed minister Amit Shah said three bris swept through cloudburst struck and water, officials said even as police, and SDRF were NDRF teams an village on way to Gangotri right in front of the Harshil The flash ITBP teams and four rescue personnel battled the elecausing extensive for relief operations.” of cloud- have been dispatched to help the after the cloudbursts resulted in the wake ecologically fragile Army camp, cloudburst oc- floods came in barrelled through ments in the flashfloods that damage. A third Army in rescue operations. heights to contain the damage of bursts somewhere in the catchhomes, trees and cars, trapping curred at Sukhi Top, leading to the afternoon. Eyewitnesses descores of people. N A R E N D R A S E T H I @ Dehradun Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine | P9 D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi counterattack A day after India launched a blistering for its trade on the repeated targeting by Washington on Tuesday Trump ties with Moscow, US President tariffs on Indian doubled down on his threat to raise next 24 hours. goods “very substantially” in the a 25% tariff on Last week, Trump had announced penalty tied to India’s Indian goods plus an unspecified would go up because trade with Russia. This, he said, to stop buying oil India was not listening to his advice clarified that it from Russia. India has categorically will, like any major economy, take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests . and economic security “India has not been a good trading partner... so we settled on 25%, but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil, they’re fuelling the war machine,” Trump They (India) will give . said in an interview on Tuesday us zero tariffs... But Trump also said that he will that’s not good introduce a small tariff on pharenough, because of ma products and gradually raise what they’re doing , with oil, not good it to 250%. Currently pharma has been kept out of the purview of Donald Trump Trump’s reciprocal tariff. The US is the largest buyer of Indian , to the country pharma goods with $13 billion exports pharma exports. accounting for 54% of India’s total officially reacted to The Indian government has not Monday, soon after Trump’s latest remarks. On of External AfTrump’s announcement, the Ministry statement calling out fairs put out a strongly worded which imports goods the double standards of the US, worth billions of dollars from Russia. strategic relaits , Clearly India is in no mood to spoil Adviser Ajit tions with Russia. National Security to press for this week Doval is set to travel to Russia S-400 air defence sysfaster delivery of the remaining tems and review new defence procurements. Vexed CM says get rid of phansi-ghar signage RESTORATION SC set to hear J&K statehood plea on Friday @ New Delhi 34 ALL OVER IN 34 SECONDS secs was all the swollen Khirganga river took to swallow Dharali (pic) in Uttarkashi 140+ people evacuated so far, 15 of them residents of Dharali 230 families resided in Dharali. Most of them were away at a mela in Mukhwa. It saved their lives 9 Army personnel still missing in Harsil | P8 First draft treaty text by Friday, ‘scope’ remains contentious in closed-door talks TMS in Switzerland S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA @ GENEVA A first consolidated draft text of the global plastics treaty is expected to emerge by Friday as the contact groups work around the clock to bridge entrenched differences. But behind closed doors, the definition of the treaty’s “scope” —particularly the interpretation of the “full life cycle of plastics” — remains a flashpoint in negotiations, according to sources privy to Contact Group 1 (CG1) discussions. Speaking to this newspaper, on the sidelines of an informal meeting with Indian industry representatives on Wednesday , Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), maintained a diplomatic stand when asked whether the definition of the full life cycle was being revisited amid mounting tensions. He replied: “Negotiations are going. You have seen what’s happening in the contact group... My job as Chair is to keep the negotiations on track... What the text will say on August 14 is up to the members.” The Chair said he had requested a compiled text by Friday to serve as a working draft, while maintaining momentum in the contact groups. “We are still negotiating. The idea is to assemble a text with provisions that have a high level of convergence, while continuing informal work on the more difficult issues,” he said, emphasising that the treaty must be forward-looking, credible, and flexible. The stocktake, expected after the release of the draft, will help negotiators assess how far they have come and identify the remaining areas of divergence. The ambiguity over the scope of the treaty stems from a fundamental disagreement: what constitutes the full life cycle of plastics? PA R V E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi Notices under Rule 267 Harivansh said notices under Rule 267 have rarely been accepted. Not a single one was admitted between 2000 and 2004, only four between 2004 and 2009, one of 491 during 2009–’14, and six of 3,152 from 2014 to Budget Session of 2025. THE ‘phansi-ghar’ that is not in the Delhi Assembly caused acrimonious exchanges and the marshalling out of former CM Atishi from the House on Wednesday, even as Chief M i n i s t e r Re k h a G u p t a requested the Speaker to remove the false signage at the heart of the ruckus and blamed AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal for creating the misleading narrative. LoP Atishi and other AAP MLAs were marshalled out of the Assembly following a heated exchange with BJP members over the authenticity of a so-called British-era “phansi-ghar” (execution EXPRESS READ ED raids 11 places as part of cyber fraud probe The ED on Wednesday conducted searches at 11 locations across Delhi-NCR and Uttarakhand’s Dehradun as part of its probe under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) into alleged global cyber fraud scam being run through call centres, officials said. | P4 Woman, her paramour beaten, paraded in Bihar A 32-year-old woman and her paramour were tied to an electric pole, beaten up mercilessly, faces blackened, garlanded with shoes and their heads tonsured before being paraded through the village in full public view on the order of the local panchayat in Bihar’s Katihar district. EXPRESS READ Aadhaar must for issuing income certificate: L-G Lt-Governor VK Saxena has okayed a proposal of the Delhi government to make Aadhaar mandatory for a issuing income certificates, as per have been accepted. He said not Raj Niwas note issued on Tuesday. a single notice was admitted be- The move aims at eliminating any tween 2000 and 2004, only four irregularity in issuing income between 2004 and 2009, one out of certificates, it said. The L-G has also 491 during 2009-14, and just six advised the revenue department to out of 3,152 notices from 2014 to widely publicise the decision | P4 the Budget Session of 2025. The Opposition, however, continued to press for a discussion, Uproar over NCERT social accusing the government of us- science book’s Raj map ing the SIR to target specific comA controversy has erupted after a munities and influence electoral map featured in NCERT Class 8 rolls ahead of upcoming polls. social science textbook depicted Last week, Parliamentary Afpresent-day Rajasthan as part of fairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had the erstwhile Maratha Empire. The also mentioned the ruling by Jamap depicts vast portions of khar that Parliament cannot dispresent-day Rajasthan, including cuss the EC functioning. Earlier, Jaisalmer, Mewar (present day Speaker Om Birla too referred to Udaipur), Bundi and Jaipur under it. However, it is being mentioned the Maratha Empire in 1759. | P7 in RS for the first time. P7 IN an apparent indication that the government is unwilling to meet the Opposition’s demand for a debate on the Special IntenTHE Supreme Court on Tuesday sive Revision (SIR) of electoral agreed to hear on August 8 a plea rolls in Bihar, Rajya Sabha Depseeking directions to the Centre uty Chairman Harivansh on for restoration of statehood to Tuesday cited former Lok Sabha Jammu and Kashmir in a timethe Lok Sabha. The Deputy Speaker Balram Jakhar’s Debound manner. Chairman’s comments came as cember 1988 ruling which ophe rejected 34 notices submitThe petition was filed last year posed discussions on the deted by Opposition MPs and by college teacher Zahoor Ahmed cisions made by Election most of them seeking susBhat and activist Khurshaid AhCommission (EC). pension of business under mad Malik, arguing that the fail“Until and unless you Rule 267 to immediately ure to restore the statehood of change the Constitution take up the issue. Jammu and Kashmir violates and bring the EC under Referring to statistics, the idea of federalism. The plea your purview, we cannot sought restoration of statehood Harivansh also underlined how comment on EC actions,” he within two months. rarely notices under Rule 267 quoted Jakhar as having said in Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, mentioned the matter before a bench of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran saying the matter is shown as listed on August 8 and requested the bench that it not be deleted from the Speaker Vijender Gupta decided day’s cause list. A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi The CJI accepted the request. to do a little fact-checking. He On December 11, 2023, the Suwas armed with a 2011 architecWHAT was once unveiled with tural map. Gupta stood in the preme Court had unanimously great solemnity as a British-era House and declared, “No gallows upheld the revocation of Article phansi-ghar (gallows chamber) ever stood there, nor does one ex370, even as it ordered that asinside the Delhi Assembly has ist now.” That rope contraption? sembly elections be held in Jamnow been revealed to be what it A dumbwaiter. That ominousmu and Kashmir by September always was... a tiffin room. looking trapdoor? Just a wooden 2024 and its statehood be restored Back in 2022, then Chief Minlift for transporting food. “at the earliest”. ister Arvind Kejriwal had inauIn short: Not a place of execuThe petitioners submitted that gurated the room with solemn food despite the court’s directions, no struggle. tion. Just a glorified nods to India’s freedom elevator. steps were taken by the Centre to A plaque dated August 9, 1942, It is a matter of record that a provide a timeline for restoring was installed. Visitors were told installed there, statehood. Remaining a Union blood and sac- plaque has been this was a place of bearing the date August 9, 1942, Territory is causing grave losses rifice, where the British hung and it was inaugurated as a tourto the development of J&K and revolutionaries. the claim that affecting the democratic rights to this week, ist attraction, with Fast forward of people, it added. P8 S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi Harivansh cites Jakhar, rules out discussion on SIR, EC functioning HANGMAN’S HOAX From martyrs to meals: Delhi’s ‘phansi ghar’ `67,000 CRORE DEFENCE PROPOSALS APPROVED contract The proposals include a maintenance systems for Russian-origin S-400 missile Sindoor. that played a key role during Op is actually a ‘tiffin ghar’ bureaucracy trapdoors and tiffin lifts when Just accusing the former AAP govbun-maska Delhi was battling real problems. and ernment of misleading the pubHer point was drowned in a sea The Speaker used logic lic and turning a food service of shouting across the benches. to drive the final nail: nook into a freedom struggle muAs the two sides squabbled, a Where there is an seum. They demanded an apolovisiting delegation from the Brit- Assembly, how can gy from Kejriwal. ish Parliament sat watching. there possibly be In response, AAP’s Jarnail One can only imagine what they “gallows”? The Singh whipped out a ChatGPT were thinking. “Viceroy’s Room” is response to back the gallows theGupta went on to debunk an- now the Deputy ory, prompting more confusion the myste, other popular legend: Speaker’s room. . than clarity ChatGPT, naturally a gallows once existed there. rious tunnel from the Assembly There’s a smoking had quoted a former Speaker Gupta explained, “The room was to the Red Fort. No such thing, he room. Members’ rooms. who also once called it an execua tiffin room. That’s not a galsaid. Just good old-fashioned No sign of a noose tion chamber. To which BJP’s lows—that’s where your snacks ventilation. “It’s called ducting,” anywhere — just Parvesh Verma said: “Even Chatcame up.” he explained. “They used to leave bureaucracy and GPT is confused.” And like that, the phansi-ghar space underground to let air LoP Atishi wondered aloud bun-maska. became a parantha-ghar. pass. Even Parliament has it.” why the Assembly was debating The BJP was quick to pounce, TMS reported on Aug 06, 2025 Atishi marshalled out LoP Atishi and other AAP MLAs were marshalled out of the Assembly following a heated exchange with BJP members over the authenticity of a so-called British-era “phansi-ghar” room) on the House premises. Speaker Vijender Gupta said the structure, renovated and inaugurated in 2022 by then CM Arvind Kejriwal, was a “tiffin room” and not a site of colonial executions. Minister Kapil Mishra accused the AAP government of “tampering with history” by projecting a false narrative. “They spent crores turning a tiffin room into a fake execution site,” he said. AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha, however, defended the room’s historical significance, arguing that many such execution sites were never officially recorded. “Historians have differing views on such places. In the 1912 map of this building, that is the only double-storey structure consistent with a hanging chamber,” he said. As the altercation between the treasury and opposition benches escalated, the Speaker ordered Atishi and other AAP MLAs to be removed from the House. The Speaker said ‘phansi-ghar’ was a tiffin room and there was a misconception that it was used to hang freedom fighters during British rule. The CM urged the Speaker to immediately remove the misleading signage referencing the ‘phansi-ghar’ from the Assembly premises emphasising that this rectification is especially critical ahead of the All India Speakers’ Conference scheduled for August 24–25. She alleged that Kejriwal had arbitrarily declared a portion of the Assembly premises as a gallows site without any documentary evidence or historical authenticity in an attempt to gain public sympathy P4 . Lack of infra, Hindon Airport urges MoD to allocate more parking bays A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi PERSISTENT shortage of parking bays has thrown flight operations at Hindon Airport into disarray, prompting the authorities to seek urgent intervention from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Officials said that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has requested the MoD for additional air slots and parking space to ease growing pressure on Hindon Airport’s civil terminal. Commercial airlines using the airport have been advised to coordinate flight timings better. The authorities may also take a call to reduce flight operations at select routes temporarily Of. ficials said that Ghaziabad MP Atul Garg, who also chairs the Airport Coordination Committee, has written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation suggesting a reduction in the number of scheduled flights to allow remaining services to operate smoothly . The airport currently connects 25 cities and handles 50 flights in a day, with a slot of three flights each hour. Umesh Yadav, Director of Operations at Hindon, confirmed the development and expressed the urgency for further allocation of resources. “We are in talks with the Centre to allocate more bays and slots. It will help in the rationalisation and management of flights as we are continuously expanding to more cities. There have already been meetings between concerned authorities to resolve the constraints,” he told this newspaper. Last week, flight operations at Hindon were temporarily disr u p t e d o n s eve r a l routes after both designated parking bays were occupied, one by an aircraft grounded due to technical issues, and the other by a flight unable to depart due to adverse weather. The situation led to the diversion and suspension of several incoming flights.