NEWS TODAY 17.09.2026

 

Air fares stay high due to volatility

Air fares stay high due to volatility 

17.09.2026

Hyderabad: A one-way ticket from Hyderabad to Kuwait is currently costing nearly 40,000 on several travel dates, compared with the usual 12,000 – 15,000 range. Fares to Qatar are also substantially higher, with one-way tickets ranging between 45,000 and 70,000, against the normal 20,000 – 25,000 range as airfares remain above usual levels due to volatility caused by the West Asia conflict. The steep increase is also visible on the Hyderabad-Dubai sector, one of the busiest international routes from the city. 

Online portals show at least 10 direct flights operating between Hyderabad and Dubai on several days, with one-way fares ranging from around 27,000 to 50,000. The impact is not limited to Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Airfares to other West Asian destinations have also remained higher than their pre-conflict levels.

Issuing of driving licence and registration certificate online begins across State

 Issuing of driving licence and registration certificate online begins across State

The move comes after Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s announcement in the Assembly on digitally issuing DLs and RCs. Online portals such as Sarathi and Vahan have started issuing DLs and RCs

Easy process: Help desks have been set up in RTOs across the State to assist people in adopting the digital system.S.R. RAGHUNATHAN

R. Srikanth

Chennai

The Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety has launched the issuing of driving licences and registration certificates for new vehicles through online mode. The migration of the issuing of DLs and RCs through online mode was launched throughout the State from Wednesday.

A senior official of the Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety said that in the wake of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announcing the introduction of issuing of DLs and RCs through digital mode in the Assembly, digital issuing of DLs and RCs through the online portals of Sarathi and Vahan has begun.

He also said help desks have been set up in all the Regional Transport Offices (RTO) across the State to assist the public in adopting the digital system. The officials at the help desks would be helping customers to download digital DLs from the Sarathi portal, updating mobile numbers to the DLs, accessing the DLs and RCs through the mParivahan app and downloading RCs from the Vahan portal.

In addition to posters explaining the simple step-by-step procedures, instructional videos have been released. The Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety released the instructional videos on YouTube.

However, there are complaints from persons who have old DLs issued 20 years ago, which are yet to be digitised. They are facing issues in getting the renewal done online. T. Karthick, a resident of Tambaram, said that there is a delay in getting his old driving licence renewed in the previous RTO which had issued it.

Regarding this the official said that previously the RTOs had the power to renew it in digital mode after verifying the old records. But to prevent malpractice, the Central government has directed for appointing a nodal officer designated mainly for renewing the old driving licences. The renewal of old DLs would be functioning smoothly in the coming weeks, he added.

NEWS TODAY 16.09.2026