Srinagar, Aug 25: With the people panicky over the proposed closure of the Srinagar International Airport for 12 days from September 1 on account of runway repairs, the Jammu and Kashmir government Wednesday took up the matter with the Civil Aviation Ministry.

OMAR SPEAKS
Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah told Greater Kashmir that the Valley won’t remain cut off for 12 days. “The state’s take on the issue is very clear. At the time of proposed closure of the airport in May-June, it was deemed appropriate to postpone the runway repair work on account of the tourist season. It was decided that the work would start from September 1 to September 15, but that is subject to the operation of flights from the Awantipora air base,” Omar said, when asked how state was responding to the airport closure move.
“We have taken up the matter with the Civil Aviation Ministry. It is okay if the Defence Ministry has to repair the runway, but we can’t remain cut off for 12 days. There is the festival of Eid coming. We have to think of those who have to visit the Valley to celebrate the festival with their families. So we are exploring the options with the Civil Aviation Ministry on how the flights can operate,” he said.

AWANTIPORA FEASIBLE?
While Omar hinted operation of flights from the Awantipora air-base—25 kms from Srinagar—sources said the airlines have made it clear that they won’t operate from Awantipora as it lacked infrastructure and was “not feasible” from the landing and take-off point of view. “In this age of e-ticketing, how is it possible for the airlines to shift their paraphernalia to Awantipora and operate from their?” said station manager of a commercial airline. “Let IAF be asked to do the work on alternate days. Awantipora is an open field without any terminal building or necessary infrastructure pertaining to the airport functioning. So it would be a huge inconvenience to both public and the airlines.”
The private airlines, the sources said, have already suspended their services and asked the travel agents not to make any bookings from September 1 to 12.
The Chief Minster however asserted that if the airlines won’t operate to Srinagar in view of the Srinagar airport repair, the matter would be taken up with the Civil Aviation Ministry.

IAF CALLS SHOTS?
Sources in the state’s Civil Aviation Department said the Defence Ministry’s decision to completely block the air traffic to Srinagar Tuesday took the state government by surprise. “How can they even think of blocking air traffic to Srinagar? That is completely unfair. We were shocked to hear that the IAF is contemplating complete closure of the airport,” they said. “The IAF is calling the shots. It can’t be obviously tolerated. The government has to call spade a spade and ensure that our people don’t suffer.”
Pertinently, Srinagar International Airport is under the operational control of the Indian Air Force while all other civilian airports throughout the country are manned by the Airports Authority of India.

PEOPLE PANICKY
The airport closure has caused panic among the people. “This time we normally have 10 to 15 patients who are airlifted to Jammu or Delhi from Srinagar for treatment,” said an airport official. “During Eid we have a lot of rush from Delhi to Srinagar. People come to celebrate Eid with their families from different parts of India and abroad. So the airport closure would be a huge inconvenience to them.”
The student fraternity too has expressed anguish over the decision. “The students have to frequently visit outside to appear in different interviews. How can they? The Srinagar-Jammu highway is completely unreliable. It gets closed even during summers due to heavy rains,” said Aatif, a student of SP College. “The IAF must reconsider the decision and do the runway repairs in piece-meals. Otherwise people are bound to suffer.”

AIRLINES WORRIED
The station manager said airlines had to cancel hundreds of tickets after the IAF issued a “spontaneous diktat” that the airport shall be closed for 12 days from September 1. “We had issued the tickets to customers, but we had to refund them. All of a sudden we got to hear that the airport is being completely closed,” the station manager said. “We have run into loss of millions of rupees on account of ticket cancellation. And once the airport is closed, it would be loss of billions of rupees for all airlines operating their flights to Srinagar.”

Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST