Guwahati, March 5: An unsavoury tug-of-war between the North Eastern Council and the civil aviation ministry has threatened to ground the ambitious Avions Transport Regionale (ATR) service, launched last year exclusively for increasing air connectivity in the region.
Despite tall promises, the ATR services have not been extended beyond Dimapur, Agartala and Lilabari due to the shortage of aircraft as the funding agency, the NEC, has not released the requisite money.
Alliance Air had launched the 50-seater ATR-42 flights on December 25, touted as a “gift” to the Northeast from the Prime Minister on his birthday.
Besides these three places, the Rs 175-crore project was supposed to connect Imphal, Aizawl, Shillong and Silchar with Guwahati and Agartala through ATR services by the end of January.
“We have completed all the technicalities for operating the service on the proposed routes,” an aviation ministry official said.
“A survey of Umroi airport in Meghalaya which connects Shillong was done recently as this airport was out of operation for a long period,” he added.
The NEC is yet to even reimburse the cost of the two ATR-42 aircraft procured on lease from a consortium of two French companies on December 19.
The NEC has earmarked Rs 35 crore per annum for five years for the project.
The agency, however, said it could not release the funds because the council is yet to get clearance from the Cabinet committee on expenditure.
NEC secretary P.L. Thanga told The Telegraph that he has even dashed off a letter to the aviation ministry seeking its co-operation to expedite the clearance of funds from the committee, but is yet to get a reply.
Aviation minister Shahnawaz Hussain, however, expressed ignorance about the letter. “I have not received any communication from the NEC in this regard,” he told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi. He added that the remaining aircraft would be procured soon.
Amid the blame-game over the expansion of the fleet, Alliance Air — a subsidiary of Indian Airlines — which is operating the ATR service, is considering hiking the airfare. The funding agency has raised strong objections.
The hike would negate the whole purpose of the project, Thanga said. A senior Indian Airlines official here said the fare must be revised in view of the zero-economic viability of the project.
The NEC has also accused Alliance Air of keeping it in the “dark” about the implementation of the project. “We are yet to receive any operation plan from them,” the NEC secretary said, pointing out that the flight schedules were changed without informing the council.
The route, timing and the frequency of the flights of the two operational ATR aircraft were decided without consulting the NEC, he added.