Congress cries ‘unfair deal’ as Srinagar-Dubai flight remain grounded.....

KE NEWS; 

Srinagar: As the Srinagar-Dubai flight remain grounded from past 13-month, the state congress unit in Jammu and Kashmir has accused the civil aviation department in Government of India of giving ‘unfair deal’ to the state.

“The Civil Aviation Ministry, government of India is extremely unfair to the State by cancelling the Srinagar – Dubai flight for no cogent reasons,” Prof. Saifuddin Soz, president of congress state unit, said to have told the Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Vayalar Ravi.

“The flight was introduced with great fan-fair and that event had constituted a heart-warming gesture towards the people of the State. This flight was cancelled in a huff and no argument worked with the Ministry,” Soz informed the minister during his interaction last night, a party statement said here Saturday.

The former water resources minister in Manmohan Singh administrations also reminded the Civil Aviation Minister that he raised the issue three times in the Parliament Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, “but the Ministry did not budge.”

The congress also ‘pleaded’ with the minister that he should consider a workable and advantageous proposition that Srinagar be connected with Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) via Dubai.

Soz said that he expects favourable decision by the ministry within days so that a large number of passengers will use this route, particularly the ones who intend to embark on Umrah this year.

The Civil Aviation Ministry, he said, assured to examine the proposal urgently.

Once in a week service, the air travel from here to Dubai was flagged off by the chairperson of United Progressive Alliance, Sonia Gandhi amid a glittering function here.

The sudden break in the service has already evoked resentment among the aspiring passengers, tour and travel operators, businessmen and tourism coordinator in the Valley.

According to officials, a total of 48 flights were operated after the launch on February 14, 2009. However, the passengers boarding the flights have remained a very low ebb affair as only 35 per cent of the capacity has been satisfied.

Against the capacity of 9100 seats, 3300 boarded the flight from here while only 2300 used the service to visit Valley.

One of the reasons cited for lesser travel from here through this service includes lack of visa facilities in Srinagar.