Citing a “significant increase in the price of aviation turbine fuel, driven by evolving geopolitical developments”, another Indian airline, Akasa Air, announced a hike in fare on Saturday. With effect from March 15, on all new bookings, it will introduce a fuel surcharge ranging from ₹199 to 1,300 on domestic and international routes, a spokesperson said.. An Akasa Air passenger aircraft taxis on the tarmac at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. (Reuters Photo). “This will not be applicable for any bookings made prior to 00:01 hrs on March 15, 2026. The fuel surcharge will be applied per sector and will vary based on the duration of the flight,” they clarified, adding, “We will continue to closely monitor the operating environment and review the fuel surcharge periodically.”. This comes as almost all leading Indian airlines have levied or hiked fuel surcharges as the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US-Israel bloc sends aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices spiraling.. Akasa Air holds approximately 5% of the Indian aviation market share and operates about two dozen domestic destinations and some international routes focused on the Middle East/West Asia region, including flights to Kuwait, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi.. IndiGo, India’s biggest carrier by market share, made the fare-hike move on Friday.. The global prices of ATF, which typically accounts for 40% of an airline’s operating expenses, has seen a “sharp surge” since early March 2026 due to regional supply interruptions.. Airfares going up | List and details. Akasa Air has said its tickets will now have additional charge of ₹199 to 1,300. That comes into effect for tickets booked starting March 15.. IndiGo said on Friday it will begin levying a sector-based fuel charge on all domestic and international tickets starting March 14. The sector-wise charges for domestic and Indian subcontinent tickets are ₹425, going up to ₹2,300 for Europe, with other regions in brackets in between.. Air India and AI Express announced a phased rollout of surcharges that began on March 12, 2026. A surcharge of ₹399 now applies to domestic and SAARC routes on its flights. West Asia/Middle East routes attract a $10 surcharge, while Southeast Asia charges rose from $40 to $60. Starting March 18, surcharges on long-haul routes will increase — for Europe it will rise to $125, while North America and Australia will jump to $200. There are future adjustments are planned for Far East markets, including Japan and South Korea, Air India has said.. Budget carrier SpiceJet has warned that airlines have little choice but to impose surcharges if oil remains high. Founder Ajay Singh has urged the government to reduce excise duties and VAT on jet fuel, noting that prices even at $90 per barrel are becoming unsustainable. AirAsia had already confirmed it would raise fares.. Reasons for airfares spiking globally. Jet fuel prices have roughly doubled since the conflict began on Feb 

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress governments of keeping the Northeast far from both ‘Dilli’ (Delhi) and ‘Dil’ (Heart) for many decades following Independence while unveiling projects worth ₹23,550 crore in Assam’s Silchar town.. Modi launches Shillong-Silchar corridor, projects worth ₹23,550 crore, slams Congress for decades of neglect in Barak Valley and Northeast. (@NarendraModi). “In a way, they had forgotten about the region. But the double engine government of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has connected the region in such a way that it has created a buzz everywhere,” Modi added while addressing a public meeting in Silchar on the second day of his two-day visit to the poll-bound state.. Highlighting how the Barak Valley was an important trade route and industrial hub prior to Independence, he said, “North east is the centre of India’s Act East Policy and is the bridge between the country and the South East Asia region. But like the rest of NE, Congress had a big role in alienating Assam’s Barak Valley. They allowed boundaries to be drawn in such a way during Independence that led to the region getting disconnected from the sea.”. Also Read: PM Modi steps up attack on Congress in poll-bound Assam: ‘Used rifts for selfish politics’. The PM laid the foundation stone of the Shillong-Silchar Corridor, the first access-controlled Greenfield four-lane high-speed corridor in Northeast India.. The 166 km corridor, with an investment of around ₹22,860 crore, will significantly improve connectivity between Meghalaya and Assam. The project will reduce the distance between Guwahati and Silchar and cut travel time from 8.5 hours to approximately 5 hours.. “This Silchar-Shillong access-controlled high-speed corridor, which will be the first such one in the Northeast region (besides Assam and Meghalaya), will connect Silchar to Mizoram, Manipur, and Tripura. Beyond this, it will improve connectivity to Bangladesh, Myanmar, and South East Asia,” he said.. He also performed Bhoomi Poojan for an elevated corridor on NH-306 from Trunk Road near Capital Point to Rangirkhari Point in Silchar (Phase I), a project aimed to decongest one of Silchar’s busiest roads, improve connectivity with neighbouring states such as Mizoram, Tripura, and Manipur, and contribute to the economic development of the Barak Valley.. Modi accused the Congress of keeping Assam’s youths trapped in violence and terrorism. “Congress got defeated in Assam and in several other states. In the near future, the party will make a century of electoral defeats. Now the Congress’s leaders are busy denigrating the nation like they did in the recently concluded AI Summit in Delhi by taking out a protest by ripping their clothes,” he said.. “Such a party which is anti-national can’t do any good for the country or for Assam. Our government is trying our best to ensure minimum discomfort to citizens due to the present war in Midd 

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress governments of keeping the Northeast far from both ‘Dilli’ (Delhi) and ‘Dil’ (Heart) for many decades following Independence while unveiling projects worth ₹23,550 crore in Assam’s Silchar town.. Modi launches Shillong-Silchar corridor, projects worth ₹23,550 crore, slams Congress for decades of neglect in Barak Valley and Northeast. (@NarendraModi). “In a way, they had forgotten about the region. But the double engine government of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has connected the region in such a way that it has created a buzz everywhere,” Modi added while addressing a public meeting in Silchar on the second day of his two-day visit to the poll-bound state.. Highlighting how the Barak Valley was an important trade route and industrial hub prior to Independence, he said, “North east is the centre of India’s Act East Policy and is the bridge between the country and the South East Asia region. But like the rest of NE, Congress had a big role in alienating Assam’s Barak Valley. They allowed boundaries to be drawn in such a way during Independence that led to the region getting disconnected from the sea.”. Also Read: PM Modi steps up attack on Congress in poll-bound Assam: ‘Used rifts for selfish politics’. The PM laid the foundation stone of the Shillong-Silchar Corridor, the first access-controlled Greenfield four-lane high-speed corridor in Northeast India.. The 166 km corridor, with an investment of around ₹22,860 crore, will significantly improve connectivity between Meghalaya and Assam. The project will reduce the distance between Guwahati and Silchar and cut travel time from 8.5 hours to approximately 5 hours.. “This Silchar-Shillong access-controlled high-speed corridor, which will be the first such one in the Northeast region (besides Assam and Meghalaya), will connect Silchar to Mizoram, Manipur, and Tripura. Beyond this, it will improve connectivity to Bangladesh, Myanmar, and South East Asia,” he said.. He also performed Bhoomi Poojan for an elevated corridor on NH-306 from Trunk Road near Capital Point to Rangirkhari Point in Silchar (Phase I), a project aimed to decongest one of Silchar’s busiest roads, improve connectivity with neighbouring states such as Mizoram, Tripura, and Manipur, and contribute to the economic development of the Barak Valley.. Modi accused the Congress of keeping Assam’s youths trapped in violence and terrorism. “Congress got defeated in Assam and in several other states. In the near future, the party will make a century of electoral defeats. Now the Congress’s leaders are busy denigrating the nation like they did in the recently concluded AI Summit in Delhi by taking out a protest by ripping their clothes,” he said.. “Such a party which is anti-national can’t do any good for the country or for Assam. Our government is trying our best to ensure minimum discomfort to citizens due to the present war in Midd 

 Sri Vijaya Puram, The Andaman and Nicobar Police has destroyed more than 6,000 kg of methamphetamine worth around ₹36,000 crore in a phased operation spread over nine months, officials said on Saturday.. Over 6,000 kg of meth worth ₹36,000 crore destroyed in Andamans. The disposal process, which started from June 26, 2025 and was completed on March 12, 2026, is believed to be one of the largest drug destruction operations carried out in the country, they said.. The contraband had been seized earlier in a major anti-narcotics operation by the Indian Coast Guard on November 23, 2024, when a vessel with six Myanmarese crew members was intercepted in Indian waters near the islands.. Officials said over 6,000 kg of crystalline methamphetamine, packed in around 1,500 packets and estimated to be worth about ₹36,000 crore in the international market, was recovered from the vessel. Methamphetamine , also called ‘crazy drug’, is a powerful addictive substance that has been banned in India. The case was later handed over to the Andaman and Nicobar Police for investigation under the supervision of Director General of Police Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal.. An FIR was registered on November 26, 2024 under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.. “Despite the enormous quantity involved, the entire disposal process was completed efficiently through meticulous planning, coordination and strict adherence to legal procedures under the DGP,” a senior police official said.. He said the destruction of the contraband was carried out between June 25, 2025 and March 12, 2026 at the incineration facility of INHS Dhanvantri at Minnie Bay under the supervision of a high-level drug disposal committee.. The committee was chaired by DIGP Dr A Koan and included DIGP Jitendra Kumar Meena and SP Ravikant Kumar as members, the official said.. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. 

 The heat of the West Asia conflict is being felt in India as disruption of energy supplies has created panic over cooking gas stocks in the country.. Heavy rush for LPG Gas in Sector 78 in Mohali. (HT) (HT_PRINT). While the government has assured that there is no shortage, people across the countries are panic buying and queuing up outside depots and filling stations to ensure they do not fall short of cooking gas. Track updates on Iran US war. City. Domestic LPG price (14.2kg). Commercial LPG price (19 kg). Delhi ₹913 ₹1,884.50. Mumbai ₹912.50 ₹1,836. Chennai ₹928.50 ₹2,043. Kolkata ₹939 ₹1,988. Gurugram ₹921.50 ₹1,910. Noida ₹910 ₹1,884. Bengaluru ₹915.50 ₹1,958. Hyderabad ₹965 ₹2,105. Patna ₹1,002.50 ₹2,133.50. (Abovementioned data from goodreturns.in). Meanwhile, the ongoing LPG crisis, which has led to the mass closure of restaurants and hotels across Kerala and migrant workers are returning to their native places, as Ramzan approaches and elections are to be held in West Bengal and Assam, PTI reported.. Also read: Menus shrink, queues grow: How LPG shortage worry is taking over Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, other Indian cities. Restaurant and hotel operators are trying to retain their staff from other states, fearing that if migrant workers leave now, they may not return until after the election.. People stand in a queue for LPG cylinders amid reported ongoing LPG supply shortage, in Mumbai on Friday. (ANI). Amid the crisis, authorities across the country have seized hundreds of LPG cylinders from black market sellers. In Mumbai, the Food Distribution Department cracked down on a gang involved in the black marketing of domestic and commercial gas cylinders in the Worli area.. Large stock was seized as the a large stock as officials targeted illegal stockpiling and selling of gas cylinders at inflated prices in the ‘Suraj Vallabhdas Chawl’ area on Ganpatrao Kadam Road at Worli Naka, ANI reported quoting officials.. Also read: Delhi gurdwara body writes to Centre seeking steady LPG supply for langars. During the operation, authorities seized 64 filled 4-kg and 19 filled 12-kg cylinders of Super Gas Company, along with six filled and 58 empty 5-kg cylinders of HP Gas Company. Twenty five empty cylinders of various sizes – 12 kg, 4 kg, and 2 kg – were seized.. In Chhattisgarh, authorities seized 741 LPG cylinders from 102 locations across the state.. With inputs from agencies