Vayudoot services airlinking Shillong and Calcutta -scheduled to begin from January ll-failed to take-off on the appointed day much to the discomfiture of the ticket-holders.
On January 11 passengers holding tickets for the inaugural flight drove down to Umroi only to return disappointed as no aircraft landed at the airstrip. The same story was repeated on the following day too. A near pandemonium broke out at the Vayudoot’s local agent’s office as irate passengers demanded compensation, The situation was, however, saved after the Agent made arrangement for sending the passengers to Gauhati to catch IA airbus service.
Enquiries with the local Agent (Sheba Travels) yielded no clear explanation for the let-down by the Vayudoot. “We are trying to establish contacts with them”, a spokesman said cryptically.
On January 13, when the 16-seater German aircraft -Dornier-finally landed at Umroi, there was no passenger on board, except some Vayudoot officials. It took off for Gauhati-again without any passenger.
It is learnt that the Vayudoot officials did not come out with any clear explanation for its failure. They merely said that the flights would carry on “from now on” provided weather did not stand in the way.
Vayudoot’s public image is already at its low ebb. Its repeated failures in the region has earned itself a poor image. Many critics consider it as ”Center’s much pampered white baby elephant”. And now with this instance of its lackadaisical performance, the public confidence must have reached its rock bottom.