GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday sought immediate intervention of the Civil Aviation Minister Jayanta Sinha to check airlines from hiking air fares in all flights connecting the Northeast which has remained cut off through railway for 11 days in the wake massive destruction of railway infrastructure by flood in Bihar and West Bengal areas.
Sonowal urged Sinha to ensure that airlines maintain ‘reasonable fare’ in all flights connecting the North East India, an official source informed.
In view of the disrupted train services connecting the region because of flood fury, there has been steep rise in prices of air tickets much to the chagrin of the commuters from the region. The airlines have cashed in on the heavy rush of passengers in the region following suspension of train services.
Meanwhile, in view of the ordeal faced by the passengers because disrupted railway services between the North East Region and the rest of the country, the Assam chief minister requested the Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu to restore train services with the region on a war footing.
Sonowal called Prabhu over phone this morning and drew his attention of the harrowing time the rail passengers particularly from the North East have been going through following the snapped rail link in Katihar division and requested him to restore train services on a war footing.
He apprised the Railways Minister of the impending shortfall of essential commodities that the region might experience following prolonged disruption of rail traffic and called for his intervention for early restoration of the damaged portion of the tracks washed away by the deluge
The CM moved the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to ensure smooth movement of essential goods laden trucks to the region so that there was no scarcity of commodities in Assam and other parts of North East.
Sources in the Northeast Frontier Railway headquarter at Maligaon here informed that direct train connectivity between the Northeast and the rest of the country couldn’t be restored before August 28 next even though work was going on in a war footing to repair and restore the railway infrastructure damaged by the flood fury.