With the support of over 250 local institutions and associations, the BJP today kick-started a mass agitation against central government’s alleged injustice to the city of Surat regarding air connectivity. City’s diamond and textile industries observed total ‘bandh’ today and people involved in these industries joined the agitation. The core part of the agitation was when MPs, MLAs and local prominent persons sat on runway and prevented flight of an Air India plane which was scheduled to leave for Delhi. It is for the first time in history that such kind of agitation has taken place on this scale. At least 45 people were detained by the city police for not allowing an Indian Airlines flight to take off for New Delhi from the airport. Among those detained were Mayor Raju Desai, Navsari MP CR Patil, Surat MP Darshana Jardosh, MLA (north) Nanu Vanani, president of Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) Devkishan Manghani and chairman of South Gujarat Textile Processors Association (SGTPA) Pramod Chaudhary.

Surat has been declared the fourth fastest growing cities of the world in recent international survey. The city is now having around five million population. It is thriving with textile, diamond and other industries. The city is the second largest city of Gujarat. However the city airport has facility of only one flight a day which connects it to Delhi, but charges double compare to similar routes.

According to city BJP leaders, when Deccan360 had even procured planes to start services from Surat in last May, the central government’s civil aviation department didn’t allow it go-ahead. Surat MP Shri C.R.Patil says the centre spoiled Surat chances of better air connectivity to obstruct progress of Gujarat. The service was to inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi, main political rival of ruling Congress party in centre. Patil said the centre threatened and pressurized the air operator to withdraw from its plan to operate intra-state service.

To demand better air connectivity and to protest against neglect from central government in this regard, today afternoon thousands of citizens of Surat marched towards Surat airport and gathered there. They were addressed by Surat’s MPs, trade leaders and others. Surat’s diamond market, textile market and number of other markets and institutions are supporting this agitation and participating it in large number.

After a public meeting at the airport, around fifty prominent citizens of Surat, including city BJP leaders will leave for Delhi to submit a memorandum to central Civil Aviation minister. Scheduled meet with Civil Aviation minister Vyalar Ravi will take place on Saturday. Ravi will be given 10-day ultimatum, and if there’s no concrete proposal within this period, there will be a larger agitation after that, said city BJP leader Purnesh Modi.

What kind of larger agitation it could be is difficult to judge at this time, but when it comes to Surat, one can always remember a ‘rail roko’ agitation run by local MP Patil last year under which all trains running between Mumbai and Vadodara were stopped to convince the railway ministry to listen to Surat’s railway related longtime pending issues.

Meanwhile Executive Director of Jet Airways Shri Saroj Dutta visited Surat today to meet the office bearers of Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce to discuss possibility of Jet Airway’s operation in Surat. Dutta was invited to visit Surat for air connectivity related discussions by local traders during recently held meeting in Mumbai. Dutta said the city deserves more.