When the sky becomes a cage Criminal fare structure

Paying not for free market but State enabled monopoly of suffering. This is the line used in a write up and submitted to The Sangai Express by a concerned and well meaning citizen of Manipur. The said write up came as a response to the news item under the heading, ‘45 mins flight fare to Gauhati dearer than 3 hrs flight to Delhi’ which went viral on the social media for reasons which need not be spelt out here. A case of the different airlines operating on the Imphal-Gauhati leg maximising on the situation and milking the people dry is another line that comes to mind and even as it became clear that more will be in line to go by air, given the reality on the National Highway here, it is stupefying to note that the number of flights to Guwahati has seen a sharp dip after Manipur went up in flames on May 3, 2023. Cutting down the number of flights on the Imphal to Gauhati sector in the face of more people going by air absolutely makes no sense, unless it is to enable the different airlines to hike up the flight fares according to demand. And this is what Manipur is facing right now. It is a free market, alright but if the time and the situation demand it, there should be no reason why the Ministry of Civil Aviation cannot step in and at least try to keep a tab on the fare structure to ensure that no one ends up feeling robbed ! But the pinch is real, very real for the people of Manipur. A cursory glance at the fare structure should tell its own story. For a 45 minute flight to Gauhati from Imphal on November 5, the fare is pegged at Rs 14,328 as reported in this paper while on the same day the 3 hour flight fare on the Imphal to Delhi sector is Rs 10,037. Market driven prices may sound logical but to the common people this just does not make sense. Making things worse is also the fact that while there were five flights daily on Imphal-Gauhati sector, this has come down to just two now, one by Air India Express and the other by Indigo. Route competition is the reason understood to be behind the cutting down on the number of flights, but the truth is, demand for air travel has never been as high as now in Manipur. Something has to give. Common logic says that something as crucial and important as air travel cannot be left alone to the cold and mechanical calculation of the market and this is where the need for mechanisms to step in and give it a humane touch becomes necessary. Raj Bhavan and its administration may step in and see how it can and should approach the Civil Aviation Ministry to rationalise the fare structure on the Imphal-Gauhati sector. Just leaving it to the cold, calculation of market forces is certainly not what one expects from a welfare State. It also stands that majority of those who take the flight to go to Gauhati from Imphal do so out of compulsion such as for getting medical treatment, for higher education, sports etc.
Raj Bhavan must take note of the reality and accordingly do what ought to be taken up. Approach the Civil Aviation Ministry which in turn can get in touch with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and other departments responsible and see what may be done to keep the flight fare within ‘human reach’. Better still increase the number of flights. As the news carried by The Sangai Express went viral on the social media, it was heartening to note the initiatives of some individuals who took it upon themselves to highlight the reality to the people and department concerned, tagging them on sites such as X and writing to them. So far there is nothing much to indicate that a sort of a collective voice is being raised to sensitise the Civil Aviation Ministry to the reality, a reality of the sky becoming a cage, to reflect a line from a write up and which is being carried alongside this commentary. Manipur has been reeling for more than two years and surely Delhi ought to take note of the reality and see what steps may be taken up to ease the suffering of the people. Going by air is not an option but the only way for the people to move out of Manipur. Raj Bhavan and the men in positions of responsibility should take it upon themselves to see what may be done to address the woes of the people. For one see how the number of flights may be increased, which in turn could rationalise the fare structure. It is criminal to let the people feel robbed just because they need to fly out for medical reasons or for higher education or any other compelling reasons. Forcing the people to cough up over Rs 10,000 for a 45 minute flight sounds criminal.