Imphal, February 16 Manipur Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, urging him to include the Imphal-Guwahati route under the regional connectivity scheme to address the transportation difficulties faced by the state's people.
He stated that air connectivity for the people of Manipur is "not just a convenience, but an essential requirement."
In a letter to the central minister, Singh said, "I am reaching out to highlight the issues currently impacting the flight connectivity of the state. The airfare for routes linking Manipur, particularly on the Imphal-Guwahati-Imphal route, remains significantly higher compared to similar routes in other NE states with comparable travel distances."
Alternative transportation options in Manipur are limited mainly due to frequent disruptions in road connectivity and the current non-operational railway services, he said.
The state government has "significantly lowered the value-added tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from 20 per cent to 1 per cent to enhance air connectivity and tourism," Singh added.
The CM continued that he would be grateful for personal intervention "for the inclusion of the Imphal-Guwahati-Imphal route under the RCS-UDAN Scheme to further mitigate the transportation difficulties encountered by the people of Manipur and to enhance the socio-economic development of the region."
The UDAN scheme was conceptualized under the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016, with a 10-year vision, to connect tier-2 and tier-3 cities through a market-driven yet financially supported model.