Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Mar 15: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has proposed additional air flights between Jammu and Delhi, particularly in the early morning and evening hours.
Taking up the issue with Union Aviation Ministry, Dr Jitendra Singh sought to draw attention to the fact that within half an hour from 3:45 PM to 4:15 PM in the afternoon, there are about three air flights taking off from Jammu to Delhi, one after the other, which could be spread over a wider span of time. Additional flights, if possible, can also be introduced.
Similarly, during the first half of the day, the first direct flight from Jammu to Delhi is only around 1 PM and therefore a morning flight from Jammu to Delhi can also be contemplated. He said, he has also taken up the issue with Union Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey.
Earlier, in Rajya Sabha, while supplementing an intervention made by Leader of Opposition, Gulam Nabi Azad, during the discussion on railways in the context of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Jitendra Singh also proposed expediting of the work of rail link to Basholi-Bilawar and introduction of more DMUs between Udhampur and Jammu.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Aviation sector executives led by senior Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament and leader of Republican Party of India, Ramdas Athawale called on Dr Jitendra Singh at his Parliament House office and discussed different issues relating to civil aviation services in the country.
The delegation, which included representatives of some of the foreign airlines, discussed with the Minister the issues related to the operation of foreign airlines in India. The representatives of the Emirates Airlines informed the Minister that there were as many as 12,800 Indians in the “Emirates Airlines Global team” and ever since this airline was launched in 1985, India has been the cornerstone of it. They sought the Minister’s indulgence to put forward their request for greater participation in terms of flights from Dubai and other cities to various destinations in India.
Dr Jitendra Singh told Ramdas Athawale and other members of the delegation that he was personally a member of the team of Ministers headed by Union Home Minister, which was finalising certain proposals for the revised aviation policy for India. These decisions, he said, took into consideration the rapidly expanding air traffic in the country, coupled with the increasing presence of new airlines, both domestic as well as international.
The delegation also handed over a memorandum to Dr Jitendra Singh in response to which he said, he would take up the issues raised in the memorandum with the concerned authorities in the Civil Aviation Ministry.
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