NRI forum threatens stir on foreign airlines issue

Kozhikode, Sep 27 (UNI) A Non-Resident Keralites (NRK) organisation today threatened to intensify agitation against the Centre's alleged failure to introduce foreign airlines from the Karippur International Airport here.

Talking to newspersons here, Jeddah-based Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) Office Bearers said its activists would stage a 'Satyagraha' before the residences of Union Ministers A K Antony, Vayalar Ravi and E Ahamed and the Members of Parliament from the Malabar Region if their demand was not met by October 15.

They said the KMCC was forced to intensify the stir as the government had taken an ''adamant'' attitude on the issue despite several agitational programmes, including an airport march, by different organisations.

Alleging the Centre wanted to protect the monopoly of Air India in the Gulf sector, they said a majority of its fleet was outdated and it failed to provide flight services as per schedule.

Many employees working in the WEST ASIA had lost their jobs as they were unable to report for duty on time due to non-availability of AI flights which often developed technical snags, they claimed.

UNI