Darbhanga, 31st October 2023: Sanjay Kumar Jha, the Water Resources Minister in the Bihar Government, has taken aim at the Central Government for the dwindling flight operations at Darbhanga Airport. His critique follows the Darbhanga Airport Administration’s recent social media post revealing the movement of only 1241 passengers through a total of 08 flights on October 26, 2023.
Expressing concern, Jha highlighted that the number of flights has witnessed a significant decrease in the past year. He questioned the responsibility for this decline and sarcastically remarked on the airport’s ‘achievement’ over the last twelve months. Janata Dal United National President Lalan Singh shared Jha’s post, indicating a shared concern within the party.
This isn’t the first time Minister Sanjay Jha has raised questions about airfares. Recently, he questioned the Central Government on the exorbitant airfares affecting the residents of Mithila. Jha raised the issue, stating, “For how long will the airfares be so expensive for the people of Mithila!” This concern arises despite the initiation of flights under the UDAAN scheme connecting Darbhanga Airport to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore.
दरभंगा एयरपोर्ट की पिछले एक साल की इस 'उपलब्धि' पर किसे गर्व होगा?
✈️26.10.2022 को कुल 16 उड़ानों के जरिये 2311 यात्रियों का आवागमन।
✈️26.10.2023 को कुल 08 उड़ानों के जरिये 1241 यात्रियों का आवागमन।
एक साल में उड़ानों की संख्या आधी हो गई! कौन जिम्मेदार है?#DarbhangaAirport… pic.twitter.com/OEk0TordLP
— Sanjay Kumar Jha (@SanjayJhaBihar) October 26, 2023
Moreover, Minister Jha highlighted that the Bihar government imposes only a 1% tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), providing a favorable tax environment for flights. He emphasized that this tax benefit is not extended to Patna Airport. In theory, this tax relief should result in significantly lower fares to and from Darbhanga Airport compared to Patna.
While in Darbhanga, Minister Jha shared a friend’s experience, stating that the fare from Delhi to Darbhanga on October 22, 2023, exceeded Rs 29 thousand.
