Pics: Abhijith N Kolpe
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)
Mangaluru, Apr 3: Director of Mangaluru International Airport V V Rao on Tuesday April 3 clarified on the viral video regarding overcharging by airport parking attendants and said that the video was two months old and stringent action had already been taken against the parking attendant concerned and the contractor.
Addressing a press meet here, V V Rao said, "The video which is doing the rounds in social media is two months old and we have taken stringent action against the parking attendant concerned, besides imposing heavy fine. The parking is manned by a Mumbai-based contractor. We have received repeated complaints from the public, on which we have acted and terminated the attendant according to the clauses mentioned in the contract.
"The Airports Authority of India will come up with a new parking policy, which will also the cancel the present contractor and tender will be called for a new policy. Here the rates will be rationalised," he added.
"We have listed out the complaints received and sent a letter to the contractors regarding the violations. We have imposed a penalty of Rs 2.58 lac on the contractors," he said.
"For the first time in MIA, in association with Srinivas Institute we conducted grooming classes in the month of November for car drivers and parking attandants. Circulation of such videos and misbehaviour with passengers will tarnish not only the image of MIA but also Mangaluru city," he added.
As a bonus for passengers arriving at the airport, the director announced that on Tuesday, parking at the airport will be free of cost for all. "This will incur a huge loss for the contractors. They can appeal if they can provide proper documents, or else the contract will be terminated altogether," he said.
On the other issues, as already reported in these columns, the director announced that Mangaluru International Airport bagged the country's cleanest airport award in a survey conducted as part of the 'Swachh Bharath Abhiyan'.
"The award was received on April 1 in New Delhi on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary celebration of the Airports Authority of India. Officials of the Airports Authority of India had visited Mangaluru International Airport a month ago and verified the cleanliness at the airport terminal, parking area, toilets, commercial shops, customer lounge and road connectivity and given grades accordingly. Mangaluru International Airport secured the highest points in this survey and stood first in the country.
"Safety and security of the passengers are the main concerns of the airport for which we have put in place several security systems and introduced safety measures. We have even signed a contract to provide free Wi-Fi for passengers, which will soon be commissioned. Airports Authority of India has decided to allow an app-based cab service. They had earlier done a pilot study on this app in five airports in the first phase, and received positive response. In the second phase, Mangaluru international Airport will be commissioned with the app-based cab service," he informed.
He further said, "Mangaluru airport is witnessing exponential growth. In the financial year 2017-18, we handled 23.5 lac passengers compared to 17.5 lac passengers last year. Domestic cargo handled from April 2016 to March 2017 was 3,271 metric tonnes, while from April 2017 to March 2018, the domestic cargo was 3,297.92 metric tonnes and international cargo was 2,159.53 metric tonnes. We are extending the terminal building which will include a new arrival hall being built at a cost of Rs 132 crore. The work is expected to start from June this year.
"Several initiatives have been taken up to cater to the needs of women and child passengers, such as providing child care rooms and installation of sanitary napkin vending machine. We are upgrading the existing facilities in the airport to meet international standards. We have even introduced a practice to welcome the passengers at the terminal building with jasmine fragrance through AC so that passengers can enter the airport on a happy note," said V V Rao.