Parliamentary Panel Questions Delhi Airport Operator Over Congestion: Report

Members of a Parliamentary panel on Thursday questioned officials of Delhi airport operator DIAL about congestion at the airport and they assured the committee that the issues will be resolved by the end of this month.

The department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture chaired by YSR Congress Party leader Vijayasai Reddy was briefed by representatives of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) about various issues, including congestion, at the airport, according to sources.

In recent weeks, there have been rising passenger complaints about long queues and waiting hours at the country’s largest airport Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

The sources said the panel grilled the officials about the congestion and the steps being taken to address the issue.

The meeting was attended by DIAL Deputy MD K Narayanarao and others.

“We are working with the government (to deal with congestion). We have been increasing the number of screening machines at the airport. Everything will be resolved by the end of this month,” Rao told reporters after the meeting with the panel.

He also said there is no conflict between private security guards and CISF personnel.

The civil aviation ministry and other stakeholders have taken various measures to deal with the situation.

IGIA has three terminals — T1, T2 and T3. All international flights and some domestic services operate from T3. On an average, it handles around 1.90 lakh passengers and about 1,200 flights daily.

At the meeting on Thursday, some panel members also expressed concerns about lack of civic amenities and high prices of items like water bottle at the airport, the sources said.

A member specially asked why is that water bottle which is available for ₹ 20 in the market is being sold at a much higher price at the airport, they added.