Travel bodies urge government to regulate fares
Idrees Bukhtiyar
Srinagar, May 22: Patients and students travelling to Kashmir from different parts of the country are facing immense hardship due to a sharp spike in airfares, with ticket prices on several routes soaring beyond the reach of common travellers.
Passengers said the sudden increase in fares has particularly affected students returning home for vacations and patients travelling for medical treatment, many of whom are unable to afford the exorbitant prices.
According to online travel portal MakeMyTrip, the lowest airfare from Delhi to Srinagar is currently around Rs 12,000 and goes up to nearly Rs 21,000 depending on the timing and airline availability. Similarly, fares from Mumbai to Srinagar are ranging between Rs 18,000 and Rs 27,000, while ticket prices from Chandigarh to Srinagar have also touched Rs 13,000. Tickets from Jammu to Srinagar used to cost Rs 2000 but have increased to Rs 13,000.
Several passengers expressed concern over the situation, saying the steep fares have made air travel almost impossible for middle-class families.
“It has become extremely difficult for students and patients to travel. Many people have urgent requirements to return home, but such high-ticket prices are unaffordable,” said a Srinagar-bound student currently studying in Delhi.
Another passenger Tahir Ahmad said patients travelling for specialised treatment outside Jammu and Kashmir are the worst affected. “People who travel for medical emergencies cannot wait for fares to drop. The government must intervene and regulate prices,” he said.
Ahmad, who works in a private firm in Delhi and was scheduled to return home for Eid, said he could not afford the airfare this time. “I have now booked a train ticket instead,” he told Rising Kashmir.
President of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK), Farooq Kuthoo, said the soaring fares were putting additional financial burden on passengers, especially students and patients.
“The prices have gone very high and it is badly affecting patients and students who frequently travel outside the valley. The government should keep a cap on airfares and monitor the situation because many families cannot afford such huge ticket prices,” Kuthoo told Rising Kashmir.
He said the association has repeatedly taken up the issue with the concerned authorities. “We have written to the authorities many times and urged them to intervene so that passengers are not exploited during peak travel seasons,” he added.
Kuthoo attributed the rise in fares to the heavy tourist influx into Kashmir, increased fuel prices and prevailing heatwave conditions in several parts of the country.
Travelers have appealed to the Civil Aviation Ministry and airline operators to introduce special concessions or additional flights to Kashmir during the peak season to ease the burden on passengers.