Port Blair, Feb 9: The State Vice President, BJP, A&N Islands, Shri M. Vinod met Shri Jyotiraditya Schindia, Union Minister for Civil Aviation at New Delhi and submitted before him the burning issues pertaining to the aviation sector in A&N Islands.

Vinod submitted that the Islands of Andaman & Nicobar is although geographically located extremely isolated from the mainland of our Country, but with the splendid efforts of our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Islanders are witnessing vast all round development that makes us feel as if we are not away from the mainland.

But the people of our Islands are suffering largely from the exorbitant flight ticket rates due to which the tourism has effected badly. Tourism being the largest private sector employment provider is in a bad shape due to excessive flight ticket rates on all sectors connecting mainland.

Due to lack of specialized medical treatment in our Islands, Islanders are forced to proceed either Chennai or Kolkata and other nearby places for undergoing emergent and specialized medical treatment. Since past several months, non-availability of Oxygen Cylinders in the aircraft has left the Islanders in a deplorable condition as they are not able to travel anywhere during any medical emergencies. They are compelled to remain in the Islands even under extremely pathetic medical cases.

Moreover, the air travel for the stretcher patients has become so costly that a poor patient cannot effort to undergo any further specialized medical treatment at all.

The present rates of a stretcher patient ranges from Rs. 1.5 lakhs to 2.00 lakhs per patient.

Vinod requested the Minister that all these aforementioned issues may kindly be dealt with on priority and the islanders may be provided with some relief in the manner as deems fit and proper to the Civil Aviation Ministry.