Congress seeks low-cost cafes at Assam airports, writes to Civil Aviation Minister
'The prices of food items in the private shops inside the airports are exorbitantly high. People find it difficult to purchase them,' says Debabrata Saikia
A file image of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport
Guwahati, June 14: Debabrata Saikia, Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, has urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to facilitate the opening of ‘Udan Yatri Cafes’ in all airports across Assam.
Saikia has addressed a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu regarding this matter.
“I am writing this letter to bring to your notice that the prices of food items/eatables in the private shops inside the airports are exorbitantly high due to which the people find it very difficult to purchase them,” the senior Congress party leader stated in the letter.
“Even the contractual workers, labourers, and other staff working in the airport under various contractors etc., also find it very difficult to purchase tea, snacks etc., inside the airport. As such, in the greater interest of the public, I would like to request you to kindly take steps for opening Udan Yatri Cafes inside all the airports of Assam, including LGBI Airport, Guwahati, as the shop provides edible and other items at concessional rates to facilitate and make travel more convenient.”
Meanwhile, the LGBI Airport is gearing up to shift operations to its new terminal by October this year, with construction and supporting infrastructure work advancing at a rapid pace.
During a high level meeting Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota directed all concerned departments — including Public Works (Roads), Water Resources and Guwahati International Airport Ltd (GIAL) — to strictly adhere to the October deadline and ensure seamless inter-departmental coordination.
He added that various works related to roadways, service lanes, street lighting, drainage and utility logistics must be prioritised.
“Roads, service lanes, street lighting, clearing of encroachments, drainage-related obstructions and other utility logistics must be addressed on priority,” he said.
Work along the key stretches — including Dharapur, Garal, SOS Village and VIP Junctions — is to be expedited, he said, adding that beautification elements like landscaping, signage and labelling will also be undertaken in parallel.
The new terminal was initially being developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) before the airport’s management was handed over to the Gujarat-based Adani Group in October 2021.