Canadian Punjabi diaspora seeks direct flights to Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 9

Punjabi diaspora in Canada and NGOs in India have urged to introduce direct air connectivity from Vancouver and Toronto to Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International (SGRDJI) Airport, Amritsar, to facilitate travel keeping in view the year-long celebrations of the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Sikh Guru who was born in Amritsar.

Seeking direct connectivity with Amritsar ahead of the historic occasion, Sameep Singh Gumtala, convener of the Fly Amritsar Initiative, said direct flights to SGRDJI Airport had been a long-pending demand of thousands of Punjabis across Canada and Punjab.

Gumtala said Amritsar would be the hub of celebrations of the 400th Prakash Purab, with the Punjab and Central Governments already announcing many programmes in India and abroad for the centennial celebrations. Lakhs of devotees from India and abroad were also expected to travel to the country for the year-long celebrations and members of the Punjabi community were reaching out to the Prime Minister of Canada, their parliamentary representatives, and Government of India for direct flights.

“We have sent a written representation to the Prime Minister of Canada, many MPs, including the ones in the Greater Toronto area, Vancouver, Surrey, Abbotsford, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and ministers concerned, seeking the fulfilment of this long-pending demand. Last year in March 2020, thousands of Canadian families were stranded in India due to the pandemic-induced shutdown of air travel. It was estimated that the highest number of them among any other region (over 40,000) were stuck in Punjab at that time, said Gumtala.

A petition has also been started by FlyAmritsar Initiative with the support of many Canadians to submit to MPs all over Canada.