JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRA
India Post News Service
PHAGWARA: The first turbaned Sikh MP from UK and NRI from Phagwara Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi met Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry minister Som Parkash in New Delhi and sought a direct flight between Amritsar and London for fulfilling the long-pending demand of a large number of NRI Punjabi diaspora and those living in Punjab.
“The best way to initiate direct flights would be for the national carrier Air India to demonstrate leadership by initiating this route before other international airlines realize that it would be beneficial for them and travellers,” Dhesi said. During the meeting, Som Parkash, who represents Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituency in which Phagwara assembly segment falls, said: “I certainly favor more direct flights to the UK as that will boost commerce, trade and tourism within Punjab and neighboring states. We listened intently to the details of the demand and my colleague Puri assured MP Dhesi that the union government will try to ensure it happens as soon as possible.”
Puri said that he would look into the matter with his officials to see what could be done as he certainly wanted the holy town of Amritsar to progress and become a gateway for North India and beyond. Dhesi’s own Slough constituency that is close to Heathrow airport has a lot of Punjabis.
Thanking both the ministers, Dhesi said: “Since being elected, I have been taking up this demand of the diaspora community with Indian ministers, because people, especially the elderly and those with young children, face huge inconvenience due to delays, stopovers and changing aircraft.” Claiming that a large number of Punjabi diaspora wanted to come to India to attend the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, Dhesi said that the early launch of a direct flight between Amritsar and London will be a befitting gift for them.
“Besides boosting trade, tourism and cultural ties between both nations, it will no doubt prove lucrative for operators, since Amritsar is visited by millions of worshippers and tourists each year,” he stated. It may be mentioned here that Dhesi, popularly known as Tan Dhesi, hails Raipur village and is settled in the UK. His NRI parents S,..Jaspal Singh Dhesi and Dalwinder Kaur Dhesi live in Phagwara. His politician uncle Paramjit Singh Raipur, SGPC member, was with him during his Delhi visit.
