New Delhi, India: India’s stigious show piece, Indira Gandhi international (IGI) Airport here, apparently is not for the common man as it is only for the elite, with chauffer driven cars and the rich Who can afford to hail taxis.
According to a report, there is no auto rickshaw stand at the Rs. 950 million airport terminal complexes which opened only at the end of May last after several months of delay and rolling off many heads, including the sacking of Captain AM. Kapur former Chairman of International Airports Authority of Indian (IAAT) which oversees the four international airports of India at Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
It may be recalled the engineers had forgotten to build the vital cargo complex at the airport. They seem to have forgotten much more than that.
No auto rickshaws are available at the arrival section of the airport. Only taxis and a few buses are visible and one has to walk a long way to take an auto rickshaw. Perhaps, it is considered “infra dig” for international travellers to board three wheelers.
On an average, the taxi takes about Rs, 100 to reach a destination in the Indian capital. That too is the official rate calculated through a computer at the airport.
It is interesting to note that in the more expensive cities like Paris and London, there is always a choice of transport for the convenience of passengers, including rapid mass public transport such as Metro or underground trains.
The report said one would expect that in the absence of a good public transport in Delhi, the least that can be done is to ensure availability of the existing forms of conveyance — not to put visitors to more hardships.
Police officials admit that no provision had been made for an auto-rickshaw stand at the arrival ride. However, auto-rickshaws could come to the airport to drop passengers.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 25, 1986
