Despite admitting that the Transport Department is not making any profit from the chartered helicopter service, Transport Minister Madan Mitra said here on Thursday that the one-way fare from Kolkata to Durgapur had been reduced from Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 1,500.
When asked by reporters as to why the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government is reducing the fare, he said the decision was taken as per the ‘instruction’ of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the objective was ‘public convenience’. Pointing out that the service can be of great help in case of medical emergency , Mr. Mitra said, “Even doctors can rush to other districts from Kolkata to perform surgery in a situation when the patient cannot be shifted.”
On those who can afford the service, he said, “Those who travel by helicopter will definitely not be from the lower-middle class. Apart from medical emergency, the service can be used by tourists.”
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Besides the Kolkata-Durgapur route, the fare has been slashed in five other routes.
The chartered helicopter service, a ‘brainchild’ of Ms. Banerjee was declared by the State government on December 27 and was officially launched on December 30. Twin-engine helicopters with a maximum capacity of seven passengers are used in it.
The helicopters are provided by the government-owned Pawan Hans Ltd. Other than Durgapur, the service connects Kolkata with Bolpur (Birbhum district), Malda (Malda district), Balurghat (Dakshin Dinajpur district), and Gangasar. At present, the helicopters operate from Behala Flying Club on the western part of the city.
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Meanwhile, the Transport Department has decided to ‘demarcate’ most of the bus routes in West Bengal among the three State Transport Undertakings (STUs) - Calcutta State Transport Company (CSTC), Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC), and West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC).
Alapon Bandyopadhyay, Principal Secretary in the Transport Department, told reporters, “It has been done to reduce inefficient competition among the three STUs, which is driving up the expenditure.” He said making the three STUs ‘prime operators’ in most of the routes would make them more ‘accountable’. The decision will be implemented on June 16.