With connectivity to many parts of Karnataka and Kerala hit, many have been forced to look for flights as a last resort. However, in a rude shock to people looking to travel to Mangaluru — an airport close to Kerala — airfares have seen a massive surge.
People are now demanding a cap on the fare, and joining the chorus was Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
The Minister, in a tweet on Thursday, said the flight fare from Mangaluru to Bengaluru touched ₹18,000 against the average rate of ₹4,000 on other days. He called the “act of money making” by private airlines “a shame”.
In his tweet addressed to Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, Mr. Gowda demanded that the ministry seal a cap on airfares for routes such as Mangaluru to Bengaluru and Mangaluru to Mumbai.
“Today, Mangaluru to Bengaluru ticket rate skyrocketed to ₹18,000. Average rate of this route is never more than ₹4,000. It is the time to introduce more flights,” he tweeted.
People travelling from Bengaluru to Thiruvanthapuram were also forced to pay higher fares. On Thursday, ticket booking sites showed ticket fares crossing ₹20,000 for economy class.
Buses off the road
Meanwhile, bus services continued to remain off the road. On Thursday, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus services to Mangaluru, Udupi, Dharmasthala, Kundapura, and others were cancelled. A total of 74 services were cancelled to these points due to landslips in Shiradi Ghat area.
Since buses did not operate from Tuesday to Thursday, the corporation incurred a loss of ₹89.33 lakh, with a total of 706 services cancelled on these days, officials said.
In addition, the KSRTC did not operate 33 scheduled bus services, including 31 premier services to various destinations in Kerala. As many as 13 services from Chamarajanagar to Ooty, and seven services to Kozhikode were cancelled.
A KSRTC official said the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation too had stopped bus services to Bengaluru from various points.
