Jalandhar: Rajya Sabha Member and former Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill today stressed the need for early opening of the Lahore-Wagah-Amritsar trade route and connecting the Raja Sansi airport with more international flights.

Talking to reporters here, Dr Gill also urged the government for setting up cargo complex in Amritsar and finding means to provide relief to debt-ridden farmers of the State.

He said that the Government had not been paying due attention to the economic and general development of Amritsar which played the "role of engine of economic and agricultural growth of Punjab".

He added that more international flights should be available at the Amritsar's Raja Sansi airport. He said that a large number of Punjabi people are settled in Britain and Canada and keeping in view this fact, more flights of British and Canadian airlines which originate or terminate at Delhi should be extended up to Amritsar. The number and frequency of flights of domestic airliners should also be increased, he suggested.

He said that more flights at the Raja Sansai airport would not merely mean strengthening of the air service but it would have multi-fold impact on the economic activities of the city and would provide more employment and means of livelihood to the unemployed youth in allied services.

He also demanded setting up of cargo complex in the holy city saying that this could enable vegetable growers of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and nearby areas to export their produces up to Kuwait in shortest possible time via Amritsar.

He also demanded conversion of the Pathankot, Jalandhar, Amritsar road up to Wagah into a six lane express highway so that a truck trade route up to Lahore could be prepared.

He expressed concern over stringent action taken by government sleuths for recovery of loans from farmers and said that means of livelihood of farmers should not be taken away from them for non payment of their loans. -- UNI

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