NAPA appeals for direct flight between Amritsar, California

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 16

The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) has made an appeal to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing direct flights between San Francisco and Amritsar ahead of their scheduled California visit at the end of this month.

NAPA Executive Director Satnam Singh Chahal has reiterated that more than 6 lakh Sikhs and Punjabis living in California and its surrounding since long have been demanding direct flights to Amritsar, not only because they will come as a relief to passengers bound for Amritsar which houses the Golden Temple but will attract an equal number of a similar population residing in the adjoining Canadian State of British Columbia, particularly Vancouver, Surrey area. In the absence of direct flights between San Francisco and Amritsar, Punjabis have been facing great inconvenience, he said.

Chahal and other NAPA representatives had earlier met the Councillor General of India (CGI) Venkatesan Ashok in July of this year, who had reportedly assured their delegation that a final decision for direct flights between San Francisco or San House and Amritsar would soon be taken.

“It must be noted that the direct flight between San Francisco and Amritsar will benefit not only the lakhs of Punjabis settled in California but also an equal number of around 6.5 lakh Sikh and Punjabi Diaspora of surrounding American states and British Columbia of Canada besides the tourists visiting India from the American region. This flight will give a fillip to trade and business between the two destinations because the perishable cargo items from Amritsar will reach San Francisco very fast. Additionally, millions of mostly Punjabi’s living in the California and its surroundings hail from 150 km radius of Amritsar International Airport, commonly from the areas of Majha and Doaba region of Punjab, which is also known as a NRI Belt in India”, Chahal said thanking the Government of India for introducing the facility of e-visa at Amritsar Sri Guru Ram Dass International Airport as well.

NAPA has also demanded from GOI to develop Amritsar airport as a “International Hub” of North India after Delhi because all flights from Delhi to Western Countries and Middle East flying above the sky of Amritsar before 45 minutes reaching to Delhi.

Mostly passengers of flights of US, Canada, England and Italy to Delhi are Punjabis, he has said appealing to PM Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapath Raju to take the necessary steps in this direction.