Latest news with #Randhawa
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Business Recorder
M-Tags made mandatory for vehicles entering capital
ISLAMABAD: In a major move towards transforming Islamabad into a smart city, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to make M-Tags mandatory for all vehicles entering the city, alongside introducing digital parking and a cashless transaction system. These initiatives aim to reduce traffic congestion, eliminate illegal parking, and enhance urban mobility and security in the federal capital. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting at CDA Headquarters chaired by Chairman CDA and Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Muhammad Ali Randhawa. The meeting was attended by CDA Board members, senior officers from ICT, the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Excise and Taxation officials, and other key stakeholders. Randhawa announced that parking meters would be installed across the city, with higher charges in congested areas. Citizens will soon be able to reserve parking spots using a mobile app or online portal, and make payments through QR codes, mobile wallets, or bank cards. He also directed that traffic surveys be conducted to monitor the daily inflow and outflow of vehicles. The CDA One-Window Facilitation Center is being upgraded to support cashless payments for services such as parking, property taxes, and utility bills. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
CDA chief vows to uproot illegal housing societies
ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman and Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, has reaffirmed the authority's firm resolve to curb illegal housing societies, land encroachments, and unauthorised developments in the federal capital. The announcement came during a high-level meeting at CDA Headquarters, where the progress of ongoing enforcement actions—undertaken on the directives of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi—was reviewed in detail. The CDA chairman was briefed that actions were actively underway against illegal housing societies operating without approved layout plans or No Objection Certificates (NOCs). Several unauthorised offices have been sealed, and the NOCs of numerous societies have been cancelled as per law. Citizens have been urged to consult CDA's online portal for an updated list of approved and unapproved societies before making any investments. Randhawa warned that no society is allowed to sell plots beyond the approved layout plan, and any violation will invite strict legal action. He also cautioned advertisers and construction material suppliers to avoid dealing with unauthorized societies. In a separate meeting held earlier in the day, Randhawa chaired a performance review session focused on CDA's development initiatives. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Azad Group joins SAD, Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa to contest Tarn Taran bypoll
Jhabal (Tarn Taran): Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday announced Azad Group president Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa as the party's candidate for the Tarn Taran bypoll, marking the merger of the grassroots group into the SAD. The merger is a shot in the arm for the SAD in the rural, border constituency. Addressing a rally where he made the announcement, Sukhbir said Randhawa, along with 43 serving sarpanches, eight municipal councillors, and several former sarpanches and chairmen, had joined the SAD. He also declared Randhawa as the party's halqa in-charge for Tarn Taran. The bypoll was necessitated by June 27 passing away of AAP MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal. The Election Commission is yet to announce a date for the bypoll, but the AAP, the BJP and the SAD have already started work for the electoral contest. Three-time MLA Harmeet Singh Sandhu joined the AAP last week, while BJP announced former minister Surjit Kumar Jyani as its in-charge for the constituency just a day later. Sandhu had quit SAD in 2024. At the rally in Tarn Taran's Jhabal village, Sukhbir said senior SAD functionary Gulzar Singh Ranike would be the in-charge for the bypoll campaign. He appealed to Punjabis to unite under the Akali flag to counter "outside forces" who wanted to loot the state. "These forces were behind the 2015 acts of sacrilege which were committed with the sole aim of weakening SAD. We have already called for an independent probe into these sacrilege cases as it feels that only a free-and-fair probe can unmask AAP's role in these heinous incidents," Sukhbir said. He said the AAP's role in the incidents of sacrilege was evident from the conviction of its legislator for sacrilege of the Quran. Randhawa said parties often neglected Punjab after coming to power and accused AAP govt of handing over the state's control to Delhi.
Mint
4 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Air India plane crash: Aviation minister defends AAIB amid Western media criticism – ‘No point in jumping to…'
Calling the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash reports published by the western media as their 'vested interests', the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Sunday said that there was no point jumping to conclusions before the AAIB report comes out. 'AAIB has made an appeal to all, especially Western media houses, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish,' Naidu said. 'I believe in AAIB. They have done a wonderful job in decoding the black box in India itself. Making any comments until the final report comes out is not a good exercise. There is no point in jumping to conclusions at this point,' he added. The civil aviation minister was referring to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report, released on July 12, on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that killed 260 people, including 241 people onboard. The aircraft, which was operating the flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a building soon after takeoff. Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, according to the preliminary investigation report, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the disaster revealed that fuel-control switches of the two engines moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position, within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude. In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel. The other denied having done so. The report by the AIIB neither concluded any reason for the switches moving nor apportioned explicit blame for the crash. It also did not identify the pilots in the voice recording. But it also said no fault was found in the aircraft. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President Captain CS Randhawa on Saturday called out The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, accusing them of not basing their reports on factual content while highlights the AIIB's preliminary report on the AI-171 plane crash. Captain CS Randhawa's strong remark followed the FIP's initiation of legal action through a formal notice to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. They have also sought an official apology. Strongly criticising the WSJ and Reuters, Randhawa blamed them for "misleading" the public, alleging that their reports are "not based on factual content." "I would totally blame the Wall Street Journal for misleading the public, they come out with their own conclusions. Are they the investigative body? They're talking all this crap around the world. They are not the investigative body, and the reports are not based on any factual content, which is mentioned in the preliminary report. So, how can they jump to conclusions and give press statements around the world?" he told ANI. Captain Randhawa said that FIP has issued a legal notice asking them to issue a statement in the press, giving an explanation of their reportage of the AAIB preliminary reports. "We strongly condemn it, and we've also issued legal notices to the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. We have clearly said that how can you jump to these conclusions which are not part of the preliminary report of the AAIB? How can you blame the pilots? So we have asked for an explanation and have asked that you give a statement to the press." he said.
Mint
4 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Air India plane crash: Aviation minister slams ‘vested interests' of Western media: ‘No point in jumping to conclusions'
Calling the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash reports published by the western media as their 'vested interests', the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Sunday said that there was no point jumping to conclusions before the AAIB report comes out. 'AAIB has made an appeal to all, especially Western media houses, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish,' Naidu said. 'I believe in AAIB. They have done a wonderful job in decoding the black box in India itself. Making any comments until the final report comes out is not a good exercise. There is no point in jumping to conclusions at this point,' he added. The civil aviation minister was referring to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report, released on July 12, on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that killed 260 people, including 241 people onboard. The aircraft, which was operating the flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a building soon after takeoff. Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, according to the preliminary investigation report, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the disaster revealed that fuel-control switches of the two engines moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position, within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude. In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel. The other denied having done so. The report by the AIIB neither concluded any reason for the switches moving nor apportioned explicit blame for the crash. It also did not identify the pilots in the voice recording. But it also said no fault was found in the aircraft. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President Captain CS Randhawa on Saturday called out The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, accusing them of not basing their reports on factual content while highlights the AIIB's preliminary report on the AI-171 plane crash. Captain CS Randhawa's strong remark followed the FIP's initiation of legal action through a formal notice to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. They have also sought an official apology. Strongly criticising the WSJ and Reuters, Randhawa blamed them for "misleading" the public, alleging that their reports are "not based on factual content." "I would totally blame the Wall Street Journal for misleading the public, they come out with their own conclusions. Are they the investigative body? They're talking all this crap around the world. They are not the investigative body, and the reports are not based on any factual content, which is mentioned in the preliminary report. So, how can they jump to conclusions and give press statements around the world?" he told ANI. Captain Randhawa said that FIP has issued a legal notice asking them to issue a statement in the press, giving an explanation of their reportage of the AAIB preliminary reports. "We strongly condemn it, and we've also issued legal notices to the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. We have clearly said that how can you jump to these conclusions which are not part of the preliminary report of the AAIB? How can you blame the pilots? So we have asked for an explanation and have asked that you give a statement to the press." he said. "And if they don't do it, then we'll see further action," he added.
