Port Blair, Aug 04: The Member of Parliament of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has requested the Minister of Civil Aviation to take immediate steps to bring the airfare down, in Port Blair-Mainland Sector.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Civil Aviation, dt. 03rd August 2021, the Member of Parliament pointed out that Andaman and Nicobar Islands are situated far away from Mainland India and presently, flight is the only option for Islanders to reach mainland and vise versa.
But he mentioned that the airfare, between Port Blair- New Delhi, Port Blair- Vizag, Port Blair- Chennai and Port Blair – Kolkata sectors, is soaring sky-high, putting a huge financial burden on Islanders, who have to travel to Mainland for emergency works like emergency medical treatment, education, social commitments, job interviews etc.
The Member of Parliament pointed out that on certain days the airfare between Port Blair and mainland are Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 25,000 which is unaffordable for most of the Islanders, especially when due to Covid -19 lockdown many people have lost their jobs and suffered huge financial losses.
Considering all points, the Member of Parliament requested the Minister of Civil Aviation to intervene in this matter and order necessary capping on airfare in the mainland- Port Blair sector and bring down airfare to an affordable level.
