NEW DELHI, January 15: The impasse at the Indira Gandhi International Airport still continues with no sign of a truce between the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Airport Authorities.Many concessionaires are still apprehensive as the temporary passes issued by the BCAS to some of them will expire tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Airport Director Harbans Kumar has shot off a letter today to BCAS Deputy Regional Commissioner S.K. Jain asking him to withdraw the order.According to the letter, the airport director has asked the BCAS that: "Any resentment, harassment and withdrawal of access into the the terminal building to the agencies and contractors authorised by AAI and the consequent loss of money and financial benefits would be attributable to BCAS."
According to Kumar, "In a letter sent on September 6, 1997 the Ministry of Civil Aviation had authorised the AAI to take over the access control of the airport, but BCAS is contravening that order by issuing orders like this."
"The BCAS wanted to
grab all the functions, and so they have come up with this now," says an official.
"I don't know why we are being harassed. Earlier we were asked to see the BCAS officials at their head-office if we wanted temporary passes, now they have issued it only for three days," said one of the concessionaires.
However, AAI officials pass on the blame to the BCAS: "It's a problem for us, our primary responsibility is to take care of customer services but if BCAS issues orders like this passengers would face problems," says a senior official.
According to some of the airport officials, these concessionaires expect the AAI to them to get them entry cards to the airport as AAI had given them the contract for running these counters.
"They can even initiate legal action against us, after all we have a contract with them. They should have at least informed us before taking such a step, I only received the letter on January 14...this would also lead to loss of revenue for AAI," said Kumar.
However BCAS officials
say, "We had already intimated AAI well in advance, for us security of the airport is the primary concern...we have taken this step to maintain uniformity as other entry cards were being made by us," says S.K. Jain, Deputy Commissioner, BCAS.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
