Taxi driver’s death: Flash protest at Bangalore Airport

Chaos reigned at Bangalore Airport on Sunday after the death of a taxi driver due to low blood pressure led to a protest by other drivers.

Police said the deceased has been identified as Maruti Prasanna (45), a driver for Mega Cab services.

According to the police, Prasanna had parked his taxi at the stand on Sunday afternoon and collapsed in the parking lot.

Other drivers rushed him to the first aid clinic at the airport and later to a nearby private hospital where he died during treatment. Irate drivers, then, returned to the airport and demanded compensation from Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) since he died on the airport premises where proper facilities were allegedly not provided to drivers.

“They charge us fees for every small thing. But they don’t even provide us a shed to escape the heat. They even delayed providing an ambulance for some time since it was a driver who had collapsed,” alleged R K Holla, Secretary of the Bangalore Tourist Taxi Operators Association.

“Facilities provided to those cab operators who have a counter inside the airport, but not for the others who handle more than 30,000 pick ups and drops from the airport. This is partial treatment,” he charged.

Meanwhile, traffic police sources said more than 1,000 cab drivers went on a flash strike around 3 pm and services to visitors at the airport were severely affected. However, bus services managed to save the day, they added.

BIAL Statement

In a statement,  a BIAL  spokesperson said, “Taxi services are temporarily disrupted following the demise of a driver employed with Mega Cabs, official transportation partner of BIAL.”

“The driver passed away in transit to a hospital where he was being taken after complaining of chest pain,” the statement added.