E-Paper
IndiGo crisis disrupts MLAs’ travel plans to Nagpur for winter session
Many MLAs from Pune and western Maharashtra left for Nagpur in private vehicles. The Pune-Nagpur road journey spans nearly 700 km and takes more than 12 hours, but legislators are making the long trip to ensure that they are present on the opening day of the winter session.
PUNE: Nagpur is set to host the winter session of the state legislature beginning today even as MLAs from across Pune and western Maharashtra are still on their way to the city owing to the IndiGo operational crisis.
Widespread IndiGo flight cancellations and delays have severely disrupted travel across the country, directly affecting several legislators who rely on air travel to reach Nagpur. Dozens of flights have been cancelled, with several MLAs from Mumbai, Pune and western Maharashtra receiving last-minute notifications regarding scrapping of their bookings. Many have said that they are unsure how they will reach Nagpur on time for the session, with some fearing that even rebooked flights may not operate.
With uncertainty mounting, many MLAs from Pune and western Maharashtra left for Nagpur in private vehicles. The Pune-Nagpur road journey spans nearly 700 km and takes more than 12 hours, but legislators are making the long trip to ensure that they are present on the opening day of the winter session.
Higher and technical education minister and Kothrud MLA, Chandrakant Patil; along with Shivajinagar MLA, Siddharth Shirole, opted to travel by chartered aircraft.
Kasba Peth MLA Hemant Rasane travelled to Nagpur in two stages — first from Pune to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and then onward to Nagpur — using his private vehicle. He said, “With constant changes in timings of IndiGo flights over the past few days, I left by road Sunday evening. I took a halt in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to meet party workers and then continued to Nagpur to reach on time. Many MLAs from Pune and western Maharashtra are travelling by road because of IndiGo’s confusion.”
Whereas Shirole said, “IndiGo cancellations have hit many MLAs. The winter session starts Monday and everyone must reach Nagpur by Sunday. Chandrakant Patil will leave by chartered aircraft this afternoon, and several of us will travel with him. We usually fly for the winter session. But due to the flight mess this time, I chose to take the Samruddhi Highway to Nagpur. It was a smooth and pleasant experience.”
MLAs from Pune and western Maharashtra have expressed strong displeasure over the ongoing IndiGo disruption. Many who depend on regular flights said that they were left with no option but to drive and added that the long road journey, fuel costs and physical strain were an additional burden.
