Demand grows for change in schedule of Nanded return flight

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 18

Following the successful launch of Air India’s Amritsar-Nanded biweekly flight, the demand for changing the schedule of its return flight is growing. The flight was launched with pomp and show from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on December 23.

A retired principal, Kulwant Singh, said, “It is a welcome move that the national carrier pressed in its 162-seater AI815 flight for connecting the Akal Takht with the Takht Hazur Sahib. However, the flight operates on Saturday and Sunday which doesn’’t give enough days for the visitors to see all historic gurdwaras in and around Nanded. There should be a gap of at least three days between the flights.”

He said there were over 12 historic gurdwaras in Nanded. Besides, there are historical Sikh religious places in nearby Karnataka’s Bidar town. Bidar has Gurdwara Nanak Jheera, which is believed to have been visited by Guru Nanak Dev centuries ago. Besides, the gurdwara is dedicated to Mata Bhago, who had inspired 40 Muktas to fight for Guru Gobind Singh, also falls on the way to Bidar from Nanded.

One of the first five beloved Sikhs, who were baptised by the tenth Sikh Guru at the initiation of the Khalsa Panth, was Bhai Sahib Singh, who hailed from Bidar.

MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said the flight became a success as it was receiving a good number of passengers. He said it provided convenient journey to the passengers who used to spend around 36 hours in trains to reach Nanded (Maharashtra) from Amritsar. The same distance by air consumes about two-and-a-half hours.

He said the demand of people to raise its frequency and spacing of time would be taken up with the Civil Aviation Ministry.

He informed that similarly, the demand for a flight from Amritsar to Patna, which also has Takht Sri Patna Sahib, was being raised with the ministry. He hoped that it would be met soon.