Tewari demands point of call status for Chandigarh airport

For the convenience of international travellers from neighbouring states, a point of call (PoC) status has been sought for the Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Chandigarh International Airport situated in Mohali for international airlines to facilitate flights to and from here.

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In a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari stated that a large number of people travel internationally from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh both for the purpose of work as well as tourism.

“Unfortunately, the airport has not been designated as a point of call for international airlines and therefore is not on the ‘Bilateral Offer List’, which is a prerequisite for foreign airlines to be able to fly in-and-out for the Chandigarh airport,” he said.

The MP said he would be extremely grateful if the airport was added as a PoC to the list of 18 airports in India in addition to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, which are designated as PoC and therefore on the ‘Bilateral Offer List’ for foreign airlines, to be able to fly to these airports. “This cannot happen till the time it does not become the 23rd airport to be put on ‘Bilateral Offer List’,” said Tewari.

Kataria urged to regularise structures outside lal dora

Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari and city Congress president HS Lucky have urged UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to take a compassionate approach toward the regularisation of structures situated outside the lal dora limits. In the interim, they have called for an immediate provision of water connections to these areas. Emphasising that this has been a long-standing demand of villagers, both leaders underscored the need for an urgent action.

They argued that the cash-strapped MC should be told to implement this measure, as it would not only legalise unauthorised water connections but also generate revenue.

Tewari and Lucky added that despite villages falling under the jurisdiction of the MC, the outdated concept of lal dora continues to persist. Ideally, they asserted, the demarcation should have been abolished following the villages’ integration into the municipal framework.