AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday. The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved...

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All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday. The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved up and revived in the past few years, AI official sources said. It marked a symbolic milestone for Air India itself - founded in 1932 by the legendary Bharat Ratna J. R. R. Tata - which once ruled the roost and was India’s pride in the global skies. Once renowned for its royal service with the iconic Maharaja welcoming fliers on board, in 1953 it was taken over by the government of India. After years of piling losses, ageing aircraft, decline in operations and standards – almost like a Maharaja turning a pauper - it returned to the Tata Group four years ago. This time it was not just the aircraft, the brand and the deflated Maharaja coming into the large-hearted Tata Group stables, but a formidable challenge to ensure that the airline could regain its old glory and glitter. Of the total around 190 aircraft in its fleet were 30 – or 15 pc – that had been grounded and neglected for years. At that time, the late Ratan N. Tata had directed that all these valuable aircraft must be revived as far as possible and join the fleet. Accordingly, the VT-ALL, languishing at Nagpur for nearly five years, was ‘hospitalized’ at the Air India Engineering Service Ltd., its MRO facility in May 2025. New Avatar Then started a thorough, painstaking nose-to-tail restoration of an unprecedented scale, in which over 3000 critical components were replaced, over 4,000 maintenance tasks executed, besides key structural upgrades like the longeron modification, engines, auxiliary power units, avionics, hydraulics, landing gears and almost every vital system was rebuilt or replaced. After the repairs, the old aircraft was reborn, under the gaze of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and technical assistance from Boeing, and the new ‘avatar’ jetliner emerged with the highest global safety standards. The aircraft cleared all the rigorous checks, a successful test flight, earned the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate and then made its maiden commercial flight from Monday, March 16 – after a wait of six years. Sturdy Fliers Created in 1946 to become an instant global icon, the Air India’s mascot Maharaja now sports a youthful and chic look, a welcome with folded hands, closed eyes, featuring a bejewelled turban, stylish jootis, and a textured kurta in Air India’s new colours. He is prominently visible at various touch-points in a flyer’s journey, such as First Class, exclusive lounges, and luxury products. Today, he commands a mix fleet of around 190 narrow and wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft like : A319, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo, A350-900 and B787-8, B787-9, B7770200LR, B-777-300ER. With the merger of Vistara and agreements signed for 10 A350 and 90 A320 aircraft, the Maharaja’s fleet is slated to soar to some 570 in the near future.

ED rattled as President directs probe

Quaid Najmi
Jul 6, 2025
3 min read

Mumbai/Pune: In what is said to be unprecedented, President of India has transferred to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) a whistle-blower’s complaint to probe alleged massive scams in a posh Pune cooperative housing society (CHS) involving some Managing Committee Members, in tandem with CHS Department’s officials and outsiders.

The move that has shaken the ED brass, came after five years’ efforts by anti-corruption crusader, Kashyap M. Vyas, 69, who exposed a series of glaring irregularities allegedly perpetrated at the Ganga Platino PQR at Kharadi in Pune, in connivance with government officials, willy-nilly designed to help the builder.

Vyas has claimed the misdoings include: an alleged money-laundering scam, encroachments, illegal constructions, corruption of officials, flouting sanctioned building plans, discarding the National Building Code, and other shortcomings that may have cheated the government of potential revenue worth scores of crores rupees, though the exact figures could emerge after a forensic audit of the Society.

“Instead of taking corrective measures, the CHS Managing Committee is hounding me with fake allegations, threats, pressurizing me to shut up, protect the scamsters and department officials who have defrauded the government,” an irate Vyas told 'The Perfect Voice'.

The 17-storied CHS building has 6 shops, 208 flats of around 1200-1300 sq-feet, currently estimated to be worth around Rs. 2.25-2.75 crore.

When contacted, the Ganga Platino PQR CHS Chairman Sagar Mane told 'The Perfect Voice' he was unaware of any such developments, but revealed the Deputy Registrar of Societies conducted three audits of the society and reportedly issued “a clean chit”.

In the early days of his crusade, Vyas apprised the corruption matter to ex-union minister of housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri (in April 2019) and the builder’s purported ‘dark deeds’, seeking immediate action.

He said that at least 60 other Society members raised similar grievances that concerned the Pune Municipal Corporation, Cooperative Department headed by Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, plus statutory environmental and urban planning laws.

At Puri’s behest, the PMC top officials called Vyas and 25 society members and heard them out, promised action within 3-4 weeks, slapped a show-cause notice to the builder, Subhash Goel and other steps -- but nothing moved forward thereafter.

Undeterred, Vyas moved various state and central authorities and investigation agencies, including the President, providing hard evidence like documents, official records, sting-audios, etc. demanding that all the culprits should be booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Prevention of Corruption Act.

“An independent probe team should be appointed from outside Maharashtra to avoid local collusion or influence. There are a host of violations/irregularities/frauds, which need proper investigation,” demanded Vyas.

He listed a few of them, including illegal formation of the Ganga Platino PWR CHS; 12 illegal penthouses built using free FSI of the society terraces of around 6,500-700 sqft; violations of fire safety, building code and MRTP Act; double/multiple parking allotted to certain members; fire-fighting systems concealed by illegal grills endangering lives; ground-floor public open spaces grabbed by shop-owners, and more.

Apprehending threats to life, Vyas has urged the government to provide full security to his family, even as the ED has initiated the process to launch a preliminary probe.

Govt officials red-flagged Pune CHS’ affairs

In June 2025, a Maharashtra government’s Senior Nodal Grievance Redressal Officer Dilip Deshpande opined that Kashyap Vyas’ matter is related to the Centre.

“He acknowledged that this massive corruption scam is beyond the state’s purview, plus either his inability or unwillingness to resolve the issue, but unwittingly justifying the jurisdiction of the central agencies like the ED, CBI, IT or CAG,” said Vyas.

Similarly, in May, a top Central official said that Vyas’ grievances are “multi-jurisdictional’, involving serious criminal, financial, human rights and governance issues”, as he sought judicial intervention after submitting overwhelming evidence in public interest.

Maharashtra has more than 1.25 lakh CHSs, with big and small scams perpetrated in thousands of societies that house more than five crore members.

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Palvinder.reliance.growth

Jul 07, 2025

An Examination of Fraudulent Practices in MahaRERA’s Issuance of Registration to Mohan Nano Estates: A Closer Look at Hari Bhatia’s Admission*

In a recent statement, Mr. Hari Bhatia, a prominent figure in the real estate sector, admitted to the incorrect issuance of a commencement certificate, which raised serious concerns regarding the credibility of the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA). His response, while acknowledging the mistake, sheds light on an issue that many industry stakeholders are now questioning — the validity of MahaRERA’s registration process, especially when it is based on fraudulent commencement certificates.

The Admission by Hari Bhatia

Mr. Bhatia’s admission came in the wake of an ongoing investigation into the authenticity of certain documents associated with real estate…