AARYAN SHARMA
JAMMU: For VVIP’s and who’s who of the State Administration it is very easy to gain access inside the airport premises in their private or official vehicles. Be it the case of boarding the flight or receiving their guests, they easily approach security personnel deployed at the airport or civil aviation authorities to register number of their vehicle and enjoy smooth passage inside the tightly guarded premises.
In contrast, the common passengers, first time visitors or pilgrims/tourists arriving here face many hardships on their arrival at Jammu Airport.
For those local residents, who do not have enough contacts in the State Administration or police waiting outside the exit gate or dropping their guests at the door step of airport is the only option made available to them.
There is no other mechanism where these people can walk inside the entry gate of the airport to see off their loved ones. Ironically, the security staff, deployed at the gates does not entertain even genuine passengers or local residents who accompany either senior citizens or first timers to facilitate easy travel.
Even visitors who are on their own too face numerous hardships soon after landing. In the absence of adequate parking facilities, the taxi operators are not allowed to park their vehicles inside the airport premises.
The visitors only receive tokens inside the airport from a pre-paid taxi counter and have to walk down on foot outside the exit doors of the airport to board a private cab.
Once these people step out of the exit gate they have to struggle hard to find the driver of the taxi allocated to them as there is huge rush of vehicles parked outside the exit gate of the airport.
Often the road gets clogged with huge traffic jams on account of arrival of any other VVIP as its cavalcade takes time to move out forcing the traffic authorities to stop the routine flow of traffic leading to jamming outside the airport. Official sources claimed till the time the Jammu airport expansion project is not completed the authorities cannot afford to review the existing arrangements as the same were incorporated in view of the prevailing
security situation and lack of adequate parking space inside the airport
premises.
