AMRITSAR: Amritsar Vikas Manch has gratitude to the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other dignitaries for visiting the Golden Temple Amritsar but wondered at the chosen silence of the SGPC and the ruling SAD-BJP leadership over the high-pitch demand for Air Canada Vancouver–Amritsar–Vancouver Flights before the visiting Prime Minister.

In a joint statement AVM Patrons Prof. Mohan Singh and Dr. Charanjit Singh Gumtala has expressed wonderment at the lamented over Air India’s curtailment of Amritsar – London – Toronto existing daily flights to only four a week in spite of heavy bookings and absence of any protest from the Punjab Govt.

They added that demand for flights from Amritsar - Vancouver, Singapore, Melbourne, Milan and Birmingham was also raised by them in the committee meeting headed by Dr. M.S. Gill to promote development of the Amritsar Airport last year by the central government where assurance was given by then Air India executive director D.S. Kohli that such fights would be introduced after new carriers, in the pipe line, were added to their fleet. It is amazing that the assurance has not been executed although new planes have now been added to Air India.

The Manch leaders prevailed upon the Canadians of Punjab origin to keep their pressure on Prime Minister for Amritsar connectivity by Air Canada because according to them the ruling Akali – BJP Punjab Government does  not show any keenness to develop Rajasansi International Airport.

Meanwhile they have requested the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to reconstitute the special committee for Amritsar Airport Development under the chairmanship of Dr. M.S. Gill minister for Sports and Youth Welfare.