AGARTALA, April 25 (TIWN): After a relief the people of the state are again facing the high fare of air ticket price in the Agartala-Kolkata route.

The air ticket, which was sold at Rs. 2800 to Rs. 3000 has been selling at Rs. 5000 to 6000 and there is no indication of reducing the air ticket price. The tickets are also not available till May 30, said sources. Due to non availability of tickets, patients and their relatives have been facing lot to trouble to go outside the state for treatment purpose. Earlier, tickets were available at Rs. 2500 to 3000 in the busy Agartala-Kolkata route but prices are going up with every passing day after most of the travelling agencies decided not to draw group tickets.

After the CID’s crackdown on various travelling agencies aftermath of air ticket crisis, Air Travels Association has decided not to draw group tickets. However, a few travelling agents kept continuing to draw group tickets defying the Association’s decision. When asked about the sky rocketing air ticket price, a travelling agent on Friday said, “We were virtually blamed for the black marketing of air ticket in December and January last. After the slur, we stopped drawing group ticket barring a few agents. Now, who is to be blamed for crisis of air tickets?” Taking the advantage of the situation, almost all air service providers- Indigo, Spice Jet and Air India have been making brisk business by increasing air ticket price, he mentioned.

It is to mention here that worried by the air ticket crisis, Transport Secretary Samarjit Bhowmik has already spoken to Joint Secretary of Civil Aviation Ashok Kumar and sough his intervention to increase flights in the Agartala-Kolkata route.