…a joke gone too far
Dr.Javid Iqbal
Isn’t it high time we stop calling it what it is not-Srinagar International airport and instead call it what it is-Srinagar domestic airport! The complaint is widespread and persistent that Srinagar airport is being subjected to official apathy. With great fanfare, it was upgraded to an international airport from being merely a domestic one.
And by doing that Government of India (GoI) had acceded to a longstanding demand of the people of J&K State. The international take off and landing facilities got a kick start with a straight Srinagar-Dubai flight. However after some time, the service was stopped. The reason ascribed to the stoppage was commercial viability. Enough passengers to make it commercially viable were not found. It may be recounted that commercial viability of an air service is not akin to instant coffee-just make it and taste it. There has to be an input to make it commercially viable. Kashmir being a tourist place of great importance has not been properly marketed. Proper marketing would need a proper coordination between central and state agencies, and in addition a level playing field for private sector involved with tourism. For reasons best known to the concerned, it has not been happening. Even if the necessary input is available, security concerns crop up.
Given that Kashmir is a sensitive border state and there might be genuine security concerns, however, economic wellbeing cannot be held hostage to security concern-not for ever. A measure of balance has to be worked out between security and economic concerns. Instead the status of the airport was degraded to being a domestic airport in deed, in word though tag of international airport was retained for providing direct service to Saudi Arabia during Haj season, just to soothe widespread concerns on the airport being robbed of international status. The facility has to be appreciated, but that may not mitigate the intense feeling against airport being deprived of Srinagar-Dubai service. To make the flight commercially viable, package tours could have been promoted for Gulf tourists to improve seat occupancy of the flight. It has to be admitted that summer trouble in 2009-2010 had an effect on the tourist trade, however, the degradation may not be wholly ascribed to it. The lack of effort to promote Srinagar airport to the status of a working international airport appears to be missing, or may it be said-not wholly apparent!
Another note of concern vis-a-vis the airport facilities was putting the instrumentation Landing System in place with a twin purpose: one to make all weather landing possible and two to facilitate night landing. Round the clock landing facility is needed to improve tourist traffic, improve commerce, and make the round trip, to and fro from Srinagar to winter capital-Jammu, the national capital-Delhi, the commercial capital-Mumbai and the IT capital-Bangalore possible on the same day. Demand for night flights to and from Srinagar, with the installation of instrumentation Landing System is gaining momentum with every passing day. As per press reports, while the Valley-based stakeholders have been pitching for the facility for the past many months now, it is reported that the state Congress chief and MP, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz has pitched for intervention of the Central Civil Aviation Ministry. He is believed to have told the local daily “Now that ILS has been put in place, I think the Civil Aviation Ministry must start the night landing facility at the Srinagar airport.” Soz, it is reported has who also raised the issue in Rajya Sabha.
It is believed that after intervention of PCC Chief- Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, if CM Omar Abdullah turns Soz’s push into a prod, it might help. Ministry of Defence (MoD) clearance might pose a problem, which could be overcome if CM Omar Abdullah takes it up earnestly by convening first a meeting of stakeholders at the local level and then taking up the issue with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA). It has been reliably learnt that the Srinagar-based Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials have already taken up the issue with the Civil Aviation Department. Besides, it is believed that it would save Jammu and Kashmir State, faced with resources crunch, lakh of rupees paid to state government officials as travel expenses and for stay in either of state capitals and in Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore.
In fact the duality of authority at Srinagar airport is another problem. Sources are quoted as relating that AAI has already made it clear in various quarters that it was ready to handle such a facility. But since the runway operations are handled by the Indian Air Force, MoD has to take the final call. There is already an air force base in Awantipora. The base has been used on a few occasions in the past for civilian purposes, while repairs were being undertaken at Srinagar. For quite sometime now reports of another air force base at Sumbal were circulating. In fact land deals were being negotiated with some major orchid holdings in the area; so far nothing conclusive has come forth. It might be a right thing to do, if the control of Srinagar airport is given to civil authorities-the AAI officials. In fact these officials, perhaps feeling hampered by the defence authorities have dropped enough hints in local media of restraints on their activity.
The buzz line has it that Rangarajan-the man supposed to provide a lasting solution to development and unemployment in J&K State is appraised of the problem. J&K Tourism Alliance (JKTA) and Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) officials are reported to have met him to discuss the problem. While JKTA chairman G M Dug believes that night landing facilities would bring in week end tourists from corporate world, Rouf Tramboo-TAAK president looks at the employment opportunities “When the tourism sector will grow, it would naturally mean employment to more youth” said Rouf. Rangarajan is as per the points of reference merely a recommendatory authority, in fact he heads a commission, hence not a constitutional authority. This falls in the realm of State and Central government-JKTA and TAAK might have wrung the wrong bell!
While the security needs remain the prime concern, the civilian needs being subservient to it continue to suffer. The security ‘No’ to any proposal becomes the gospel truth, with the civilian authorities rendered speechless. State government while taking cognizance of security needs, ought to provide space for easier civilian breathing and take due care of facilities, of provisions, avenues for job creation. Instead there is an official silence on the status of airport, seemingly a vow not to touch the topic, lest it becomes contentious. And the state government we are talking of believes in developmental issues being taken up, instead of agitational approach and stone pelting.
The state government needs to wake up and strive to make Srinagar airport an international airport in word as well as in deed-the joke of so called international airport in word only not in deed has gone too far, and so far installation of instrumental landing system (ILS) too has not realised its full potential. Lot of work for official agencies to do, it is already late-better late than never!
Yaar Zinda, Sohbat Baqi
[Reunion is subordinate to survival]
Feedback at iqbal.javid46@gmail.com
Given that Kashmir is a sensitive border state and there might be genuine security concerns, however, economic wellbeing cannot be held hostage to security concern-not for ever. A measure of balance has to be worked out between security and economic concerns. Instead the status of the airport was degraded to being a domestic airport in deed, in word though tag of international airport was retained for providing direct service to Saudi Arabia during Haj season, just to soothe widespread concerns on the airport being robbed of international status. The facility has to be appreciated, but that may not mitigate the intense feeling against airport being deprived of Srinagar-Dubai service. To make the flight commercially viable, package tours could have been promoted for Gulf tourists to improve seat occupancy of the flight. It has to be admitted that summer trouble in 2009-2010 had an effect on the tourist trade, however, the degradation may not be wholly ascribed to it. The lack of effort to promote Srinagar airport to the status of a working international airport appears to be missing, or may it be said-not wholly apparent!
Another note of concern vis-a-vis the airport facilities was putting the instrumentation Landing System in place with a twin purpose: one to make all weather landing possible and two to facilitate night landing. Round the clock landing facility is needed to improve tourist traffic, improve commerce, and make the round trip, to and fro from Srinagar to winter capital-Jammu, the national capital-Delhi, the commercial capital-Mumbai and the IT capital-Bangalore possible on the same day. Demand for night flights to and from Srinagar, with the installation of instrumentation Landing System is gaining momentum with every passing day. As per press reports, while the Valley-based stakeholders have been pitching for the facility for the past many months now, it is reported that the state Congress chief and MP, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz has pitched for intervention of the Central Civil Aviation Ministry. He is believed to have told the local daily “Now that ILS has been put in place, I think the Civil Aviation Ministry must start the night landing facility at the Srinagar airport.” Soz, it is reported has who also raised the issue in Rajya Sabha.
It is believed that after intervention of PCC Chief- Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, if CM Omar Abdullah turns Soz’s push into a prod, it might help. Ministry of Defence (MoD) clearance might pose a problem, which could be overcome if CM Omar Abdullah takes it up earnestly by convening first a meeting of stakeholders at the local level and then taking up the issue with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA). It has been reliably learnt that the Srinagar-based Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials have already taken up the issue with the Civil Aviation Department. Besides, it is believed that it would save Jammu and Kashmir State, faced with resources crunch, lakh of rupees paid to state government officials as travel expenses and for stay in either of state capitals and in Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore.
In fact the duality of authority at Srinagar airport is another problem. Sources are quoted as relating that AAI has already made it clear in various quarters that it was ready to handle such a facility. But since the runway operations are handled by the Indian Air Force, MoD has to take the final call. There is already an air force base in Awantipora. The base has been used on a few occasions in the past for civilian purposes, while repairs were being undertaken at Srinagar. For quite sometime now reports of another air force base at Sumbal were circulating. In fact land deals were being negotiated with some major orchid holdings in the area; so far nothing conclusive has come forth. It might be a right thing to do, if the control of Srinagar airport is given to civil authorities-the AAI officials. In fact these officials, perhaps feeling hampered by the defence authorities have dropped enough hints in local media of restraints on their activity.
The buzz line has it that Rangarajan-the man supposed to provide a lasting solution to development and unemployment in J&K State is appraised of the problem. J&K Tourism Alliance (JKTA) and Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) officials are reported to have met him to discuss the problem. While JKTA chairman G M Dug believes that night landing facilities would bring in week end tourists from corporate world, Rouf Tramboo-TAAK president looks at the employment opportunities “When the tourism sector will grow, it would naturally mean employment to more youth” said Rouf. Rangarajan is as per the points of reference merely a recommendatory authority, in fact he heads a commission, hence not a constitutional authority. This falls in the realm of State and Central government-JKTA and TAAK might have wrung the wrong bell!
While the security needs remain the prime concern, the civilian needs being subservient to it continue to suffer. The security ‘No’ to any proposal becomes the gospel truth, with the civilian authorities rendered speechless. State government while taking cognizance of security needs, ought to provide space for easier civilian breathing and take due care of facilities, of provisions, avenues for job creation. Instead there is an official silence on the status of airport, seemingly a vow not to touch the topic, lest it becomes contentious. And the state government we are talking of believes in developmental issues being taken up, instead of agitational approach and stone pelting.
The state government needs to wake up and strive to make Srinagar airport an international airport in word as well as in deed-the joke of so called international airport in word only not in deed has gone too far, and so far installation of instrumental landing system (ILS) too has not realised its full potential. Lot of work for official agencies to do, it is already late-better late than never!
Yaar Zinda, Sohbat Baqi
[Reunion is subordinate to survival]
Feedback at iqbal.javid46@gmail.com
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