Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Tuesday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat, saying it plays a pivotal role in realising the goal of Viksit Manipur. In a significant move to improve air connectivity in the state, the Chief Minister flagged off the commencement of SpiceJet’s direct flight services from Imphal to Guwahati, Kolkata and Mumbai at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport here.
He said that in the prevailing situation, air travel has emerged as the preferred mode of transportation for people travelling outside the state and directed the airline to review airfares to ensure affordability. As part of the launch event, the Chief Minister handed over the boarding pass to the first passenger of the SpiceJet flight to Guwahati.
The programme was attended by Congress Lok Sabha member Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, MLAs Tongbram Robindro Singh and Khashim Vashum, Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) Anurag Bajpai, and other state government and Airports Authority of India officials, and representatives of SpiceJet.
Meanwhile, the Manipur government has on several occasions urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to intervene to reduce steep airfares on Imphal-connected routes and to introduce additional flights. Additional Chief Secretary Anurag Bajpai held a series of meetings with the MoCA Secretary and senior officials, highlighting the civil aviation challenges faced by the people of Manipur.
Bajpai pointed out that exorbitant airfares charged by airlines such as IndiGo, Air India Express and Alliance Air were causing severe hardship, with ticket prices reportedly five to six times higher than those in other northeastern states. He also informed that government guidelines on airfare capping were not being followed in the Imphal sector and that the number of aircraft operating on these routes had been reduced since October.
He further said that Alliance Air had discontinued services on crucial routes, including Imphal-Silchar, Imphal-Aizawl and Imphal-Dibrugarh, and urged the MoCA to facilitate their immediate revival. The state government also requested that these routes be considered again under the RCS-UDAN scheme in view of strong public demand.