Akhilesh wants air service between Varanasi, Andaman

Lucknow, Aug 10: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to start a new air service between Andaman and Nicobar islands and Varanasi, officials said on Monday.

In a letter addressed to the prime minister, Yadav also demanded a stop over of the Kolkata-Delhi flight at Varanasi. The decision would be of great help to residents of the state living in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, he said.

Attaching a letter of Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, S.P. Shukla, the chief minister referred to the fact that over 35,000 people living there have families in Uttar Pradesh.

The chief minister said Varanasi was a major international draw for tourists -- both domestic and international.