Additional flight to Leh sought

quot;After the schools closed down, the students had to vacate the hostels. Now many of these small children are forced to stay with the older ones in the university or colleges because they have nowhere else to go till they fly home,quot; he said.

Another student, Stanzin Dawa, added that though a number of students had booked their tickets in January and February, confirmed tickets had not been given to them till now. quot;The students of Class X finished their exams in March and have been waiting till now,quot; he said.

Dawa pointed out that many students had to miss appearing for interviews in Ladakh for the local jobs because of non-availibility of seats.

quot;All these students go home only once a year. And here too, we are harassed by the airline authorities,quot; he regretted.

When contacted, the local airport manager A.C. Mahajan said that the flights to Leh and Ladakh are heavily booked. quot;We have asked Delhi to provide an additional flight for these students. It will be better if the students book their tickets in October or November for going to their homes,quot; he said. The students, on the other hand, give the plea that their examination schedule is made available only about a month before the exams, so they are not able to book the flights in advance. quot;Even making the bookings in January has not helped the students,quot; resented Dawa.