Port Blair, Jan 02: Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee has seriously taken concern of the populace of the islands on the issue of exorbitant hike in air fare which has become unaffordable to them.
Accordingly the PCC President Kuldeep Rai Sharma has sent a fax to the Civil Aviation Minister Mr Ajit Singh on 1st January, 2013 wherein he has stated that the air fare between Port Blair to Chennai, Port Blair to Kolkata and vice verse have gone so high during the current tourist season that this has become completely unaffordable for the local population as well as the tourists.
Advocating for the Islanders, Kuldeep has also mentioned that the local residents of the islands who have to visit the mainland for various compelling reasons such as medical treatment, meeting the children studying at mainland and other social engagement etc are hard put to pay these exorbitant air fare through their noses.
“This is causing a great deal of difficulty and resentment among the populace in these remote Islands,” he said.
Kuldeep has also drawn attention of the Minister to the fact that, the high air fares are affecting the tourists in these islands and tourism in the islands and tourism being the main revenue earning activities for the people engaged in tourism sector are being badly affected due to this very reason.
He has also stated that the matter has already been taken up at the different level by Pradesh Congress Committee as well as AN Administration on different occasions but unfortunately no solution has been forth coming till date and has thus requested to treat this request for lowering the airfare to an affordable level as an SOS.
At the same time, Kuldeep has also earnestly requested the Minister to consider additional Air India flights for these islands and hoped that such consideration may also cause lowering the air fare.
