Rat bites passenger at Indore airport, doctor replaced for negligence

Rat bites passenger at Indore airport, doctor replaced for negligence 

‘MEDICAL ROOM WAS ILL-EQUIPPED’ Sagar Choukse TNN  26.09.2025

Indore : A 33-year-old software engineer, waiting at Indore airport for a flight to Bengaluru, was bitten by a rat inside the terminal on Wednesday. The passenger, Arun Modi, a resident of Bhopal, was resting on a recliner when the rodent crawled inside his trousers and bit him near the knee. He was accompanied by his wife. Their cries for help drew the attention of fellow passengers and airport staff. 

As passengers raised their voice, tempers soared when Modi alleged the airport’s medical room was ill-equipped to handle a medical emergency. He said the staff was reluctant and unprepared to provide timely treatment. He received treatment in Bengaluru. On Thursday, airport director V K Seth said that Amaltas Group, which provides emergency medical services at the airport, was asked to replace the on-duty doctor. 

“The step was taken due to the doctor’s lack of sensitivity in attending to the passenger and providing him with timely treatment. The agency has been asked to post a competent doctor who is properly trained and empathetic to render services at the airport,” Seth told TOI. “Fines of ₹500 and ₹2,000 have been imposed on the pest control and sanitation agencies respectively,” Seth said, adding that the pest control agency has been issued a showcause notice, along with an increase in the frequency of the assigned works. The incident also drew criticism from the political circles with Congress demanding immediate action. Party spokesperson Amit Chaurasia said the incident has tarnished the city’s ‘clean Indore’ image.

Operational issues delay two Air India flights for five hours in Tamil Nadu

Operational issues delay two Air India flights for five hours in Tamil Nadu

Several passengers claimed they were asked to disembark from the flight, originally scheduled to take off at 11:20 am, after being kept on board for over 90 minutes.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Chennai International Airport on Tuesday after two Air India flights to Delhi and Mumbai were significantly delayed due to “operational issues”.(Photo | EPS)

Express News Service

Updated on:

16 Apr 2025, 8:37 am

CHENNAI: Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Chennai International Airport on Tuesday after two Air India flights to Delhi and Mumbai were significantly delayed due to “operational issues”.

Flight AI 2836 to Delhi was delayed by more than five hours. Several passengers claimed they were asked to disembark from the flight, originally scheduled to take off at 11:20 am, after being kept on board for over 90 minutes.

One traveller, S Kothandaraman, posted on X that the flight had been grounded due to “technical difficulties” and that the crew informed the passengers that they were waiting for a spare part from Delhi. “The announcement came at 11:53 am, after we had already been seated for more than an hour,” he wrote, estimating around 180 passengers were on board.

Air India later attributed the delay to “operational reasons”. The flight eventually departed around 5.06pm, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Another Air India flight, AI0574 scheduled for 11.40 am from Chennai to Mumbai, also experienced delay of over five hours. A source said the disruption stemmed from the incoming aircraft being grounded at its origin. Passengers were provided with meals and refreshments, he added.

Responding to the incident, an Air India spokesperson said, “We have accommodated passengers on alternate Air India flights.”

Flight ticket prices surge ahead of festivities in TN

Flight ticket prices surge ahead of festivities in TN

TNN | Jan 12, 2025, 03.53 AM IST

Chennai: Flight fares from Chennai to intra-state destinations such as Madurai, Trichy, Salem, Coimbatore and Tuticorin soared ahead of Pongal holidays.

On Saturday, ticket prices to Madurai, which are usually around 4,000, rose to 16,000. While fares to Trichy climbed from 3,000 to 14,000, flight ticket prices to Coimbatore ranged between 12,000 and 16,000, compared to the usual 4,000–5,000. For Tuticorin, ticket prices jumped from 4,300 to 14,000.

Yet, the demand for tickets remained high. People who opted to work from home or take an off on Jan 13 (Monday), preferred to leave the city on Friday night or Saturday. This way, they get an entire week in their hometown. The Tamil Nadu govt has declared Jan 17 (Friday) a holiday.

“For the first time, I get nearly 10 days in a row. I wanted to spend the time with my family. I did not mind spending extra on the flight ticket,” said Rakesh V of Coimbatore.

Airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, have capitalised on the anticipated demand spike by raising fares to unprecedented levels. Fares to Kerala destinations such as Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi saw steep hikes.