Mangalore, Aug 18: Under the banner of Mangalore International Airport Users' Forum, representatives of NRI expatriates from Karnataka living in the Gulf countries held a protest dharna on Monday seeking full-fledged support from the government in fulfilling the demands of passengers frequenting the international airport in Mangalore.
The forum was constituted and backed by several NRI organisations based in Gulf countries such as Abu Dhabi Karnataka Sangha, Dubai Karnataka Sangha, Sharjah Karnataka Sangha, Kannada Sangha Al-Ain, UAE Tulu Koota Dubai, Karnataka Sangha Dubai, Karnataka Sangha Bahrain, Karnataka Sangha Muscat, Karnataka Sangha Kuwait and KESEF Kasargod.
Members participating in the dharna sought the introduction of budget airlines operating from Mangalore, cancellation of user fee at Mangalore International Airport (MIA), increase in luggage and gold limit at the airport and an NRI Forum to address the problems of expatriates from Karnataka in Gulf countries.
The forum also demanded the upgradation of the existing passport office in Mangalore with full-fledged facilities.
Speaking after inaugurating the protest dharna, owner of Arab Dubai Group of Hotels from Abu Dhabi Shekhar B Shetty said that the government had not satisfactorily responded to the problems and needs of NRI expatriates from Karnataka living in the Middle East. Since members of the NRI community residing in GCC countries are not eligible to vote in the elections held in India, the union and state governments have been steadily neglecting their demands. However, the expatriates from this region are directly connected to their native towns and the NRI community plays a role in the growth of the economy of the country through their investments here, he said, urging the government to address the demands placed by the concerned expatriates.
Co-ordinator of the forum Prabhakar Ambalathere demanded that the Karnataka state government implement open air policy' which would encourage several airlines to start their operations at the Mangalore airport.
Former MIA director and chief co-ordinator of Karnataka NRI Forum M R Vasudeva said that the government was treating the NRIs from Karnataka as Non-required Indians' by neglecting the needs of the expatriates living in the Middle East. The elected representatives of this region assume that the NRIs living in the Gulf face no problems in the GCC countries. An airport was established in Mangalore for the convenience of air passengers from this region and was also given an international tag, but the services and facilities are nowhere on par with other international airports in the country. While airports in Mumbai and other cities offered full-fledged facilities to the passengers by collecting user fees from them, why are such facilities not available in Mangalore despite collection of user fees, he said, demanding full-fledged facilities at the airport.
He also demanded that services such as Volvo buses from Mangalore city should be resumed at the airport.
Mumtaz Ali from Bearys Cultural Forum, Mangalore said that if the government failed to heed the demands of the NRI community, the protests would continue in the state capital as well as the national capital of the country.
He said that even after 7-8 years after the Mangalore airport acquired the international status, there were no proper facilities at the airport.
Earlier, the representatives paid a visit to the site of the Air India Express flight crash close to the airport and lit candles to pay homage to the 159 passengers who died in the accident that occurred in 2010.
Thereafter, they undertook a protest march from Ambedkar Circle to the DC office where the dharna was held.
James Mendonca from Mangalore Konkans Dubai, Daya Kirodi from Karnataka Sangha Dubai, Madhavan from KECEF, Kasargod, Balakrishna, Venkatesh Bhat and other NRI representatives participated in the dharna.
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