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PIA FLY OR FLUTTER

The only link road between Chitral and the rest of the country is the Lowari pass . This pass remains closed for around six months of the year and even when it opens there are casualties crossing the 47 hairpin bends on the pass. Before Lawari closes there is a frantic movement of vehicles carrying goods like grains, fuels, medicines and all essentials for surviving through the harsh freezing winter in Chitral.. This year with constant rains and snowfall in �April � the areas is still cut off and short of essentials . Without having any disregard to such emergencies and its effects on a remote area, PIA has cancelled all flights from Islamabad to Chitral adding more to the woes of Chitralis .

The pretext for this was, not enough passengers on the flights . The present PIA Chairman should remember that many times the Chitral Islamabad flight came up for discussion in board meetings where members kept complaining that passengers were being refused seats ( on the pretext that flights are full ) while flights were going empty. There were repeated letters in newspapers and many directly addressed to the Chairman for the inefficient PIA reservation system which was denying seats to passengers. The reasons for PIA loss in revenue is its own blunders that is now giving an edge to private airlines. PIA purchased a reservation system at Rs 40 Crore and set it up in a multi storied building with 300 computers . It kept all of this unutilized for ( 2 years ). This system has finally just been commissioned only. But due to further inefficiencies, the result is further loss of revenue .

Adding to this are wrong policy moves. By canceling the Islamabad Chitral flight PIA has to now position its crew in Peshawar for the Peshawar Chitral flight. The new crew positioning is such that PIA is now paying more money than it claims to have lost on the Islamabad Chitral flight. This stationing of crew at Peshawar is costing PIA Rs 5 lac per day ( yes Five Lac per day ) which PIA is paying to hotels in Peshawar for the crew . While if even three passengers flew from Islamabad to Chitral the operating cost for the Islamabad Chitral flight would have been less and justifiable. Hopefully with a government bent on solving people problems the Islamabad Chitral flight will now resume? The members of Chitral Youth Welfare Association, Islamabad have decided to go mile extra to restore the much needed Islamabad Chitral flight and expect the present government of PPP to consider this issue favorably.

Fazal Elahi Qazi.
Chitral