The newly elected body of the Area Programme Joint Council (APJC) has run into troubled water on the representation issue. In the new board, out of the seven IATA representatives, five are from the west, one from the north (Praveen Chugh of TAFI) and one from the south. However, the TAAI-NR has no representation at all. This inadequate representation is what concerns TAAI members of the north.

“There are 325 active members out of total 880 TAAI members in the northern region. Yet, we have no representation. We are concerned about being overlooked and stepped over. Naturally, we are feeling aggrieved,” says Rajji Rai, president TAAI-NR.

It may be recalled that APJC was formed in 2001 (the tenure of each body is for two years) in place of the Area Investigation Panel (AIP). It performs all the functions that AIP was doing earlier. While AIP had representatives from airlines alone, APJC has seven members each from airlines and agencies, with equal voting power.

What irks members is that TAAI president, Jehangir Katgara, president, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has turned a deaf ear to their grievances. “When we approached the TAAI president, he said ‘we look at the right person for the right job, we don’t look at the region.’ Does that mean there isn’t any competent person to represent IATA members in the north?” inquires an angry Rai. No wonder, the president’s reaction has created an uproar among members, who have decided to write a formal letter to him expressing their anguish and demanding a permanent representation in the body from TAAI- NR.

Explaining his point of view, Katgara said, “The APJC committee has been elected and represents the travel fraternity on a national basis, so there is no particular bias to any one association. This has also got nothing to with regional representation.”

However, Rai informs that, “The representatives can be changed by notifying the chairman of APJC.” Nevertheless, ask Rai what happens if the president refuses to accept the suggestion and pat comes the reply, “We are interested to solving the matter amicably. And, if necessary, we will approach the APJC chairman, Sanjeet Talwar to disband the body. In that case, the seven agents will have to be elected on an all India basis. But I believe matter won’t reach there.”