Now fly to Ghy, Kol, Dpr and back at rates between Rs 2 and 5 thousand Naidu urged to ‘check’ soaring flight ticket prices

OSR/DIPR
Imphal, Jan 15 : Chief Minister N Biren Singh has requested Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu to examine the soaring price of Manipur flight tickets and take up necessary steps to redress the grievances of the people.
He made the appeal during the launch function of additional flight service of Alliance Air viz Imphal- Guwahati- Imphal, Imphal-Kolkata-Imphal and Imphal- Dimapur-Imphal ticket fares of which will be between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 under Viability Gap Funding today.
The launch function held at the conference hall of Bir Tikendrajit International Airport was also attended by Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu through video conferencing.
At the occasion, the Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Minister of Civil Aviation for providing additional flight service of Alliance Air to Manipur.
He said that the initiative was taken up after the Manipur Government signed an agreement with Alliance Air as sections of people are unable to traverse along the National Highways due to the crisis.
He said that Imphal-Dimapur-Imphal, Imphal- Guwahati-Imphal and Imphal-Kolkata-Imphal flight services will be available twice a week and the rate of the flight tickets will be between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000. The maximum has been capped at Rs 5,000.
Ticket fares of other airlines such as Indigo, Air India, Jet Airways etc connecting Imphal and other cities, however, are expensive, the Chief Minister said and added that he had been requesting the Civil Aviation Minister to revise the flight ticket rates given the hardship being faced by the people.
Lakhs of people of the State are travelling by air and the high cost of air tickets has significantly affected the common people, he said and appealed to all private airlines to consider reducing the flight tickets from Imphal to other cities and vice versa.
The Chief Minister also urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to constitute a team to examine the pricing of air tickets and introduce more direct flight service connecting Imphal with major cities such as Kolkata, New Delhi and Bangalore.
About the initiative taken up by Alliance Air, N Biren said that the airline has been providing Imphal-Aizawl (two times a week) Imphal-Silchar (four times a week) and Imphal-Tezu (four times a week) flight services apart from the new three routes launched.
N Biren appreciated the CEO of Alliance Air for taking up the initiative in the interest of the people of Manipur.
The Union Minister of Civil Aviation stated that the inauguration of these new flights will bring the State closer to the rest of the country.
The new routes would enhance trade, travel and tourism in the State and also in providing employment, boosting the economy and empowering the people of the State, he added.
Addressing the function, Transport Minister Khashim Vashum stated that the introduction of new routes will improve connectivity between people.
This initiative will create new opportunities for travellers visiting the State and boost its economic activities, he added.
Mention may be made that air tickets will be offered at a subsidized rate twice a week on these new flight routes.
The inaugural function was attended by Works Minister Govindas Kon-thoujam, Water Resources Minister Awangbow New-mai, CAF&PD Minister L Susindro, Education Minister  Th Basanta Kumar Singh, MLAs Th Shanti Singh,  Kh Loken Singh, M Rameshwar Singh and Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh among others.