Amritsar, February 3rd 2015 (Bharat Sandesh Bureau):– The Amritsar Vikas Manch has reacted strongly, and rightly so, to state government’s apathy to the Majha and Doaba regions in general but particularly to their willful and ruinous schemes to shift all international flights to the fledgeling Chandigarh airport and leave Guru Ramdas Airport Amritsar to do with whatever domestic traffic may offer.
In a passionate appeal to the prime minister, Manch Patron Mr Charanjit Singh Gumtala has drawn his attention to the news published on iFly International Air Transport Portal (http://www.ifly.com/amritsar-airport) that New Chandigarth Airport IXC is nearing completion, tentatively June 2015 following which international flights from Amritsar Airport would be transferred to new Chandigarh Airport – while Amritsar would then handle only domestic flights.
The Manch leader has expressed apprehensions that the Punjab Government is hell bent on destroying whatever remains of the economy of Amritsar, Majha and Doaba. They have built unfeasible Chandigarh airport with financial help from Haryana but neither the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, nor Air India, nor Jet Airways are prepared to allow any of the new international flights to Chandigarh because they don’t want to hurt the profits of New Delhi Airport.
Hence, they now want to divert international flights like Qatar Airways, Turkmenistan Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways and Birmingham and London flights of Air India from Amritsar to Chandigarh, so that Chandigarh Airport survives, no matter what happens to the now widely popular Guru Ramdas Airport Amritsar. He has recalled that the Amritsar Airport was built due to the initiative of Mr. IK Gujral who as PM sanctioned Rs 125 crore. Afterward Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Union Minister Dr Manohar Sigh Gill, Lok Sabha member Mr. Navjot Singh Sidhu took keen interest in its development and it became a world class airport with latest technology although the Punjab Government has no love for the and that they want to take everything of economic value away from it.
Gumtala reminded the PM that when Finance Minister Sh Arun Jaitely visited the Golden Temple Amritsar on 18 August 2014, he had promised to make Amritsar a “dream city”and assured the launch of more international flights from Amritsar to make the city a tourism hub in the true sense of the word.
The Manch patron has request Mr Modi that instead of transferring international flights from Amritsar to Chandigarh, Amritsar should be made a hub like Delhi etc and direct Air India flights to London, Birmingham, Toronto, Vancouver should be introduced. The traffic profile demands it and the Punjabi diaspora needs it.
Related news: http://www.ifly.com/amritsar-airport
Present and future Airport developments:
1. The New Chandigarth Airport IXC is nearing its completion tentatively targeted for June 2015. It is intended that upon completion, international flights from Amritsar Airport will be transferred to new Chandigarth Airport – while Amritsar would then only handle domestic flights
2. (a) Plans are in place to launch regular bus services between the airport and other cities of Punjab
(b) Air India plans to provide regular bus services for its ATQ passengers to/from Jalandhar.
(c) The State unveiled plans to build a monorail line, connecting the airport with the Golden Temple and Amritsar’s railway station.
NOTE: While Airports Authority of India is still the operator of many of India’s airports, it has no longer has updated web page for Amritsar Airport, nor does Amritsar Airport have another official website.
Copy of the news 19 Aug 2014 Hindustan Times (Chandigarh) Aseem Bassi aseem.bassi@hindustantimes.com
Rise above petty issues to make Amritsar dream city: Jaitley
AMRITSAR: Despite his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls from Amritsar, union defense and finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday expressed concern for the Holy City and advised all elected representatives to rise above petty issues to make Amritsar a “dream city”.
While addressing leaders and workers of the SAD and the BJP, Jaitley, who was on his maiden visit to the city after the LS polls, said: “I would like to instruct the elected representatives of the SAD and the BJP from the dais that in place of utilising their power and energy on issues of postings and transfers, they must channelise it for the development of Amritsar.”
“There were lots of thing that we talked about this city. The city has lot of potential and we need to exploit them. So I advise the mayor of Amritsar also to ensure that this city sees betterment,” he added. The union minister, who repeatedly talked about Amritsar and his dream to see it highly developed, said: “I would just like to tell the representatives that now we have the advantage. We have the SAD-BJP government in the state as well at the Centre. Some works can be done at the state level and some at the level of union government.
The leaders here need to come and raise demands for this city.” “They need to sit and plan a blueprint and bring that to us. There are issues of trade, flights, bridges and other things. I just want the representatives of the government here must act as bridge between people and the government,” he added.
Notably, at the time when Jaitley was addressing the gathering, Punjab cabinet ministers including Bikram Majithia, Anil Joshi, Chunni Lal Bhagat, BJP chief Kamal Sharma, CPS Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, CPS Inderbir Bolaria, mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and various other Akali-BJP leaders were present on the dais.
Punjab Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who was there to receive Jaitley in the morning, said: “We are thankful to Jaitley that he has always taken up issues of Punjab and in future too we will continue taking up our demands with him regularly.” BJP chief Kamal Sharma also congratulated Jaitley for the crucial role in the government and appreciated the way he showed concerns for Amritsar. Earlier, the union minister was given guard of honour by the Punjab police personnel at the local Circuit House.
