Punjab NRI Affairs Minister turns to Centre for direct flights to US
New Delhi, March 1
In the wake of no direct flight connectivity to Punjab from Canada and the USA, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal on Wednesday met Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Dhaliwal handed over a memorandum to the Union minister and demanded to include both Amritsar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport (Mohali) for direct flights connectivity to Canada, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco (the USA).
He said the commencement of these direct flights would ensure huge benefits to a large number of travellers from both sides.
Dhaliwal said the Punjab Government, in December last year, had organised five ‘NRI Punjabian naal milni’ programmes in the state. “During these, the major concern expressed by the NRIs was poor direct connectivity to Punjab from different cities of Canada and the USA. They have to either take a connecting flight or take a taxi to reach Punjab since all flights from the USA and Canada are up to New Delhi, said Dhaliwal while interacting with media after meeting the Union Aviation Minister.
Punjab NRIs Affairs Minister apprised the Union minister that a large number of Punjabis and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders had been living in Canada and the USA for long. He requested the Union minister to include both the Airports for direct flight connectivity to redress this long pending demand of the Punjabi Diaspora living in these countries.
