Lucknow: The first flight carrying Haj pilgrims will leave for Saudi Arabia on August 27 from an airport in Lucknow, officials said yesterday. Saudi Airlines will take off from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at Amausi at 10am. The second flight will take off the same day at 8pm. The same flight schedule will be followed in August 28 and 29, officials said here. The pilgrims will be shifted to the Haj house on the outskirt of the city a day before their departure. State minister Mohammad Azam Khan has called a meeting of district officials to take note of the facilities being provided to the pilgrims. People going for Haj have been asked to reach the state capital a day before the journey to avoid inconvenience, said the officials.
Speaker defendsmove on oppn post
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan yesterday defended her decision to deny the leader of opposition post to the Congress, saying it was based on rules and that the Supreme Court had made no observation against her. “The Supreme Court has questioned the centre on the issue of Lokpal’s appointment in the absence of leader of opposition and the attorney general will inform the court about the government’s stand. It has made no observation against the speaker,” she said. The Supreme Court had on Friday questioned the central government over the issue of appointing a leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, and said it will give a larger interpretation to the concept of the opposition leader if the government failed to resolve the issue. “I have taken the decision afters studying the rules and traditions and after taking experts opinion on the issue. No opposition party has more than 55 (members). Till date, the rule that a party should have a minimum of 10 percent seats in the house has not changed,” said Mahajan.
IANS
