Gulf Daily News

Bahrain, Jul 2: AN Indian politician hit out yesterday at high air fares for workers travelling home from the Gulf.

India's top airlines are profiteering on the backs of poor workers, says Kerala Indira Youth Congress vice-president Praveen Kumar.

He called on Indian associations in Bahrain and elsewhere to join forces to force the Indian government to bring down fares.

Kumar's call follows a similar appeal last week by the Bahrain Malayalee Business Forum (BMBF), which says fares home charged by the two national carriers, Air India and Indian, are too high.

It has threatened to stage a boycott of both airlines, unless prices are slashed.

But airline officials say the fares are fixed by the Yield Implement Committee (YIC), which is made up of all airlines operating in Bahrain and chaired by Gulf Air.

Kumar backed the BMBF call, saying the Indian government must be made to listen.

"The present airfare laid down by the national carriers is unquestionably an over-burden to the Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and I don't understand why the Indian government is turning a deaf ear against the appeal of such a huge population," said the lawyer.

"The airline managers operating here are helpless when it comes to fixing the carriers' fares.

"When a person from Kerala wants to come to Bahrain and he/she books a ticket from there, the fare is almost one-third than of booking the same ticket from Bahrain.

"If a person in Bahrain wants to book a ticket to come here for a friend or relative in Kerala, it can be done, but if a person from Bahrain wants to go to Kerala, the ticket cannot be booked from the destination.

"This itself is proof enough that the airlines are trying to exploit the Indian residents of the Gulf region, despite the fact that they are a major source of the government's revenue.

"I also have reasons believe that losses made by the carriers in other sectors are made up from the excessive charges levied upon the Gulf sector."

Kumar said the Indian civil aviation department should act, but that he believed it was being manipulated by the airlines.

Kumar is in Bahrain for a meeting of the National Cultural Congress, the Gulf wing of the Democratic Indira Conference.

He arrived last Wednesday and leaves tomorrow.

BMBF vice-chairman Shankar Palloor said last week's rally call through the GDN had brought a strong response from individuals, but not Indian organisations.

"We are getting responses from general public, but it is essential to get the backing of an associations or clubs, but most of them are not ready to voice their inconvenience to the airlines because they get sponsorship from them for their various functions," he said.

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Pallor said the BMBF would be writing soon to Kerala State Chief Minister V.S. Achudanandan and Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bahrain Asian Traders Committee and Pearl, Gold and Jewellery Committee member Mohammed Hussain Malim also rapped the high fares.

He said Gulf Air very clearly and categorically explained that the fares to Indian destinations was the result of a collective decision by both parties.

"So it is very clear that our Indian civil aviation authorities or national carrier officials are solely responsible for this kind of price hike," said Mr Malim.

"We urgently need a forum to clear this up, like the International Air Passenger Association (IAPA) or NRI Air Travellers Association, from where we can fight."

The current cost of return air ticket from Bahrain to India is BD260 to BD280, ot BD220 to BD240 during the off-season.