Flights soon from Sri Lanka’s Jaffna to 4 Indian cities but not Chennai. Here’s why
? தினக்குரல் :யாழ்ப்பாணம் பலாலி விமான
நிலையத்திலிருந்து ஒக்டோபர் 16ஆம் திகதி
இந்தியாவுக்கான விமான சேவைகள் ஆரம்பிக்கப்படும் என சிவில் விமான சேவைகள்
அதிகார சபை அறிவித்துள்ளது.
இந்தியாவின் புதுடில்லி, கொச்சி மற்றும் மும்பை ஆகிய நகரங்களிலுள்ள விமான நிலையங்களுக்கே பலாலியிலிருந்து விமான சேவைகள் இடம்பெறவுள்ளன.
இந்தியாவின் விமான சேவை நிறுவனங்களான அலையன்ஸ் ஏயர் மற்றும் இண்டிகோ ஆகியன யாழ்ப்பாணத்திலிருந்து இந்தியாவுக்கான சேவையில் ஈடுபட பேச்சுக்கள் நடத்தியுள்ளன. அத்துடன், பிற பிராந்திய விமான சேவை நிறுவனங்களும் யாழ்ப்பாணத்திலிருந்து சேவையில் ஈடுபடவுள்ளமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
MC Rajan Hindustan Times, Chenna : Flights soon from Sri Lanka’s Jaffna to 4 Indian cities but not Chennai. Here’s why
Come October, Palali will undergo a radical
transformation and become Sri Lanka’s third international airport with
connections to four Indian cities.(HT Photo)
Since the end of its three-decade long civil war in 2009 and
with the help of India, Sri Lanka has been upgrading the Jaffna
peninsula’s Kankesanthurai harbour and the adjacent air field Palali,
which played a crucial role for the Sri Lankan air force to air-drop
relief supplies during the brutal conflict, when supply lines to Jaffna
were often cut off by the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE).
Come October, Palali will undergo a radical
transformation and become Sri Lanka’s third international airport with
connections to four Indian cities. However, and much to the chagrin of
Tamils in both India and Sri Lanka, Chennai is not one of them.
Sri Lankan civil aviation minister Arjuna Ranatunga last week inaugurated a INR 2.5 billion expansion program of Palali’s facilities for which India provided Rs 300 million. Speaking on the occasion, the minister expressed the hope that opening up Palali to Indian visitors will attract investment, create employment and boost tourism in the Jaffna peninsula. He also announced that smaller commercial planes will operate flights to Bengaluru, Kochi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
But what about historically and culturally linked Chennai? As of now and given the lack of land and sea connections, members of Sri Lanka’s largest minority community desirous of visiting Tamil Nadu have to take a circuitous, six-hour road trip to Colombo’s Bandaranaike international airport to fly there. Whether Chennai will be added when an extended runway in Palali is able to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft, remains an open question.
“Reopening Palali is welcome as we have been pressing for it, but is of little use if there are no connections to Tamil Nadu,” Northern Provincial Council education minister, Kandiah Sarveswaran said over the telephone from Jaffna. According to the minister, the omission only reinforced the impression that the Sri Lankan government was using development projects in Jaffna “as tools to further majority Sinhala hegemony.”
“Tamil expats from around the world who are headed for Jaffna could break journey in Chennai for some shopping and sightseeing and then fly to Palali,” Sarveswaran said, adding that not connecting Chennai to Palali also seemed a ploy to ‘protect the revenue of Colombo airport.” The minister also expressed surprise that the Sri Lankan central government in Colombo had taken up the project ‘towards the fag end of its tenure’. Presidential elections are due in December 2019.
இந்தியாவின் புதுடில்லி, கொச்சி மற்றும் மும்பை ஆகிய நகரங்களிலுள்ள விமான நிலையங்களுக்கே பலாலியிலிருந்து விமான சேவைகள் இடம்பெறவுள்ளன.
இந்தியாவின் விமான சேவை நிறுவனங்களான அலையன்ஸ் ஏயர் மற்றும் இண்டிகோ ஆகியன யாழ்ப்பாணத்திலிருந்து இந்தியாவுக்கான சேவையில் ஈடுபட பேச்சுக்கள் நடத்தியுள்ளன. அத்துடன், பிற பிராந்திய விமான சேவை நிறுவனங்களும் யாழ்ப்பாணத்திலிருந்து சேவையில் ஈடுபடவுள்ளமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
MC Rajan Hindustan Times, Chenna : Flights soon from Sri Lanka’s Jaffna to 4 Indian cities but not Chennai. Here’s why
Sri Lankan civil aviation minister Arjuna Ranatunga last week inaugurated a INR 2.5 billion expansion program of Palali’s facilities for which India provided Rs 300 million. Speaking on the occasion, the minister expressed the hope that opening up Palali to Indian visitors will attract investment, create employment and boost tourism in the Jaffna peninsula. He also announced that smaller commercial planes will operate flights to Bengaluru, Kochi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
But what about historically and culturally linked Chennai? As of now and given the lack of land and sea connections, members of Sri Lanka’s largest minority community desirous of visiting Tamil Nadu have to take a circuitous, six-hour road trip to Colombo’s Bandaranaike international airport to fly there. Whether Chennai will be added when an extended runway in Palali is able to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft, remains an open question.
“Reopening Palali is welcome as we have been pressing for it, but is of little use if there are no connections to Tamil Nadu,” Northern Provincial Council education minister, Kandiah Sarveswaran said over the telephone from Jaffna. According to the minister, the omission only reinforced the impression that the Sri Lankan government was using development projects in Jaffna “as tools to further majority Sinhala hegemony.”
“Tamil expats from around the world who are headed for Jaffna could break journey in Chennai for some shopping and sightseeing and then fly to Palali,” Sarveswaran said, adding that not connecting Chennai to Palali also seemed a ploy to ‘protect the revenue of Colombo airport.” The minister also expressed surprise that the Sri Lankan central government in Colombo had taken up the project ‘towards the fag end of its tenure’. Presidential elections are due in December 2019.
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