launched with fanfare, the Ranchi-Baidyanath Dham direct flight service is turning out to a damp squib because of no passengers for first week of Shravan. All efforts to generate interest for the flight service, which was launched in last month, fell flat as the ticket bookings are too low to even mention.
“People did not seem to be enthusiastic about the direct flight service which is amply clear from the number of tickets booked so far,” said Ranjeet Kumar Tibrewal, president Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FJCCI). Although first day of Shravan begins from today first flight to Deoghar is unlikely to takeoff beforeJuly 29. “We have sufficient booking to operate the flight for 2 to 3 days beginning from July 29,” added the FJCCI president.
Even with their brave faces FJCCI officials could not hide the fact that the trade body has not booked any flight to take the devotees for darshan. “We could not collect enough money to book a flight to begin the services,” acknowledged Tibrewal. FJCCI officials claim that around 100 people have approached travel agents for availing the tour package however there no money has been collected from them. “Some tickets have been booked but we are yet to receive money from the passengers,” maintained Tibrewal.
Incidentally, the flight service is said to have fallen victim to the negative publicity and too much attention to the controversies surrounding it besides challenges usually faced by any service when launched for first time. “People are skeptical about the service which is obvious however things will improve once the flight service to Deoghar starts,” added Tibrewal. The direct flight service was conceived with a larger dream of providing boot to the tourism industry in Jharkhand. Under the provision, Tourism department were supposed to provide planes and other logistical support while the FJCCI were entrusted with the responsibility of finding passengers for the flight.