With the opposition parties blaming the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government for the higher airfare for the Haj pilgrims flying from Vijayawada, the authorities concerned appear to be on a damage control exercise by taking the issue to the notice of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
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Rajampeta Member of Parliament P.V. Midhun Reddy led a delegation including Deputy Chief Minister S.B. Amzath Basha Bepari and State Haj Committee chairman Ghouse Alam to New Delhi. They met Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, with a plea to reduce the air fares for Haj pilgrims flying from Vijayawada.
The bone of contention is that the air tariff is quite affordable (around ₹3.08 lakh) from Hyderabad and Bengaluru, while the same is ₹3.88 lakh for those who fly from Vijayawada. The price gap is learnt to be a result of variable costs due to embarkation norms, but the pilgrims are in no mood to accept the excess tarff.
Mr. Midhun Reddy explained to Mr. Scindia the reason for the displeasure among the Haj pilgrims.
Meanwhile, Mr. Amzath Basha has announced to the media that the State would bear the excess fare if the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation did not consider the pleas to reduce the air tariff.