09-02-2007, 07:58 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Just dial DIAL for chaos </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Leaking roofs, defective conveyor belts, stained toilets -- you name them and the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has them. Indeed, the one year that the IGIA has been in private hands, there has not been any significant improvement in the quality of services.
Since a year when the airport modernisation project was given into private hands, the ASQ rating has increased only by a fraction.
The GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) took over the airport for a modernisation process.
"When the airport was being controlled by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the ASQ ratings were 3 on a scale of 4. After GMR took over, nothing much has changed," a senior airport official pointed out.
While taking over, DIAL had come in with bug promises of a facelift and had assured the authorities an ASQ rating of at least 3.5.
"The target of 3.5 has to be achieved till 2010. The ratings are quite enthusiastic. On a scale of 4, we score quite well," said a DIAL official. From Page 1
Contradicting DIAL's claims, a senior AAI official said the target of 3.5 was to be achieved in the first year of takeover itself which has not happened.
After taking over the airport, GMR has captured a large area which was earlier marked for passengers. Extension of duty-free shops on the international terminal has left no space for passengers to roam around.
The scenario is similar at the domestic airport too, where more shops have been allowed to come up, doing nothing to enhance the comfort of passengers. At the international terminal where passengers have to wait for a long time before boarding, very often the air conditioning is off and the more serious problem is that there is no redress mechanism in place.
<b>The Civil Aviation Ministry is flooded with complaints regarding the poor passenger comforts and very little attention is being initiated by the Ministry. </b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Leaking roofs, defective conveyor belts, stained toilets -- you name them and the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has them. Indeed, the one year that the IGIA has been in private hands, there has not been any significant improvement in the quality of services.
Since a year when the airport modernisation project was given into private hands, the ASQ rating has increased only by a fraction.
The GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) took over the airport for a modernisation process.
"When the airport was being controlled by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the ASQ ratings were 3 on a scale of 4. After GMR took over, nothing much has changed," a senior airport official pointed out.
While taking over, DIAL had come in with bug promises of a facelift and had assured the authorities an ASQ rating of at least 3.5.
"The target of 3.5 has to be achieved till 2010. The ratings are quite enthusiastic. On a scale of 4, we score quite well," said a DIAL official. From Page 1
Contradicting DIAL's claims, a senior AAI official said the target of 3.5 was to be achieved in the first year of takeover itself which has not happened.
After taking over the airport, GMR has captured a large area which was earlier marked for passengers. Extension of duty-free shops on the international terminal has left no space for passengers to roam around.
The scenario is similar at the domestic airport too, where more shops have been allowed to come up, doing nothing to enhance the comfort of passengers. At the international terminal where passengers have to wait for a long time before boarding, very often the air conditioning is off and the more serious problem is that there is no redress mechanism in place.
<b>The Civil Aviation Ministry is flooded with complaints regarding the poor passenger comforts and very little attention is being initiated by the Ministry. </b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->