HT Digital,
Manipur, Nov 03:Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has criticised domestic airlines, alleging that carriers are exploiting passengers through inflated airfares to and from Imphal.
With the state’s main highways blocked for months due to unrest, air travel has become the only link connecting Manipur to the rest of the country. Singh said that despite this, airlines continue to charge unreasonably high fares.
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In a post on X, the former chief minister noted that a short 45-minute flight to Guwahati now costs more than a three-hour journey to Delhi. “For more than two and a half years, people of Manipur have suffered due to highway closures and unrest, making flights the only way in and out of Imphal. Yet airlines continue to charge exorbitant fares,” he wrote.
Singh appealed to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu to intervene and ensure fair ticket pricing. He urged the ministry to rationalise fares in the interest of passengers who have been left without alternative means of transport.
The ongoing highway blockades, triggered by the prolonged ethnic conflict in the state, have disrupted the flow of essential goods and cut off routine movement. The surge in airfare has only deepened public frustration, with many residents expressing similar concerns over what they see as corporate profiteering amid crisis.
