Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 30 December 2023
The new integrated terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport started functioning on 21st August 2023, following its virtual inauguration by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi on 18th July 2023.
The new terminal building is a remarkable asset created by the Central Government for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The design of the building, along with its amenities, has been praised by people from around the country as well as internationally.
The new terminal building boasts dedicated lanes for dropping off departing passengers, but surprisingly, autorickshaws are not allowed to drop off passengers at the departure section of the airport.
Autorickshaws are directed to drop off passengers at the main entrance near the ITF ground. Hundreds of passengers reaching the airport in autorickshaws for their onward flights face inconvenience every day.
Many airports across India have banned autorickshaws, but several such airports provide public transportation from autorickshaw drop-offs to the departure gate. Taking Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad as an example, the airport allows autorickshaws until the public transport centre area, from where passengers can avail shuttle service.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at Mumbai has dedicated auto stands at both T1 and T2 terminals of the airport.
The new terminal at Port Blair airport should have incorporated a special lane for drop-offs by autorickshaws, considering the building is new and they could have learned from other airports.
Banning a legally valid public service vehicle from entering the airport premises in a newly constructed terminal building, despite learnings from other major airports in India, is not justified.
In many airports, autorickshaws are banned in the name of safety and accidents, which is utter nonsense. The vehicles allowed to ply on roads everywhere in India suddenly become unsafe in airport premises. How?
Airport authorities should move away from their elite mindset and allow autorickshaws to enter airport premises and even designate an autorickshaw stand inside the airport’s parking area for the convenience of the common people who prefer a three-wheeler over costly private cabs.