About 30 Indian expat organisations and community groups will host a summit in New Delhi to draw the attention of politicians and decision-makers towards skyrocketing airfares, especially during holiday seasons, and come up with a lasting solution.
The ‘Diaspora Summit in Delhi’, to be organised by Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) Abu Dhabi on August 8, is expected to see the participation of senior Indian politicians and about 200 community members from the UAE. It will be held in collaboration with KMCC, Delhi, and about 30 associations from Abu Dhabi.
Airfares to popular destinations record a massive uptick during New Year, school vacations, and festivals like Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha, Onam and Christmas.
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“Airfares, especially in the Kerala-Gulf sector, skyrocket during the holiday season. Apart from 3-4 months, the fares are exorbitant. It’s our blue-collar workers who are the most affected. They travel once in two years, and sudden surges in airfares leave a hole in their pockets. It is inhumane,” said Shukoor Ali Kallungal, president of KMCC, Abu Dhabi.
Massive cancellation of flights and irregular services by Air India Express, allowing more international airlines to operate from Abu Dhabi, are among the other crucial issues that will be raised during the summit.
“We are trying to get all the Members of Parliament from Kerala in Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) and Rajya Sabha (the upper house) to participate in the summit. We have made a detailed report and will submit our concerns to the politicians we have helped win during the elections. It is high time they acted. We will seek the Indian government’s intervention in this regard.”
Haris Beeran, Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha from the Indian Union Muslim League, is also the president of KMCC, Delhi, and working to make this summit a success, Kallungal said.
“This week, MP Haris Beeran raised the issue of the exponential increase in airfares in Rajya Sabha. We are hoping that Ram Mohan Naidu, the federal Civil Aviation Minister, will address our concerns.”
Recently, representatives from about 30 expat groups got together at the Indian Islamic Centre in Abu Dhabi to officially announce the summit.
“We have been raising this issue here for years but have failed to get a positive response. So, now we have decided to raise our voices in front of our politicians. It is not just for Abu Dhabi or the UAE, but the Gulf region. Successive governments are pretending not to see the clamour raised by expatriate organisations demanding a permanent solution. We are hopeful of a lasting solution to this vexed problem,” Kallungal said.