AGARTALA, June 29 (TIWN): Despite the Tripura Left front Government had reduced the value-added tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) by four percent previous year, the state has lost the tendency of frequent air travel from the Agartala airport planned to be extended and make international standard. As compared to the year 2012, the air transportation has declined for the last 2 years the tendency remains the same this year even after several persuasions to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. As a result hundreds of people flying to Kolkata and Delhi from Agartala and vice versa have been badly hit, said the state government official here. The official informed that despite seeking more flights to run in this region the MoCA has not taken any necessary steps to meet the growing population of the passengers. According to the official here during the year 2014 the figure of the total air passengers rested at 9 lakhs which increased compared to the year 2013. Recently the Jet air company has withdrawn its flights from Tripura region and other parts of the North Eastern region except Guwahati. More than eight lakh people travel from Agartala to Guwahati, Imphal, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad every year. Air traffic has been heavy because of lack of other means of transport.

Recently this year flagged off Agartala-Kolkata and vice versa direct bus service via Bangladesh capital Dhaka has some way or other brought respite to the suffering of the Tripura passengers who are now keeping eyes to avail the direct bus service from Agartala to Kolkata as an alternate to the air travel.

Since the past couple of year several airlines reduced their operations in the Agartala sector without any valid reason which has been creating serious problems for the people of the state now and thus resulted them to choose the only option of the recently flagged off Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata direct bus service, the official said.

Briefing the current status report to the Governor Tathagata Roy in the recently had meeting the state government official said the Air India had also withdrawn their flight operation from the Agartala sector and had also cut their ATR flight services from the sector. The official said to facilitate the Tripura passengers here they approached the Civil Aviation several times and seek more flight operation in this sector, but no steps are being taken yet today. However, the officials had urged the Governor to take up the issue with the Ministry at the earliest.

Besides, the high flight fares had also hit the passengers very badly. The state government on its recent initiative after several persuasions is planning to modify the ticket selling system. It opposed booking of multiple tickets with a single PNR and later selling them at a high rate. The state CID had also completed investigating the matter but no one has been arrested yet and interestingly many of them had already taken a bail from the court in wake of their arrest.

The state government on the request of the central government has reduced the VAT on ATF by four percent. Earlier the VAT on ATF was 22 percent and henceforth it rested at 18 percent. The official said that the taxes on ATF in India are among the highest in the world and that is considered to be one of the major reasons for the mounting losses of airlines.

Besides, though the Agartala-Kolkata direct bus service via Dhaka kicked off and had emerged as the only hope for the Tripura passengers, but the delay by the state government here to start the service has brought no change to the passengers’ suffering. The West Bengal government had already kicked off the commercial services.

State Transport Secretary Samarjit Bhowmik earlier said that the Tripura government had planned to procure two international standard Volvo buses which would be brought here very soon to kick of the commercial service from Agartala.

According to a section of passengers who frequently move to Kolkata expressed that once the service starts from Agartala this would facilitate them at large as the flight fare is very high and the air transportation had declined.

However it is worthy to mention here that the Agartala-Kolkata bus service is expected to bring a fresh hope for the Tripura air passengers which would act as an alternate to expensive air transport.