CHENNAI: After an emergency review meeting to look into improving facilities at the Chennai airport was convened in the capital, Airports Authority of India officers have been asked to make ‘amends’ within a month.
According to well placed sources, Chennai Airport Director H S Suresh and Member (Operations) G K Chaukiyal made a presentation before top-rankers in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, on Thursday evening.
The director had apparently been asked to make a presentation about methods in which the airport’s condition could be improved. “After he made the presentation, MoCA and AAI officials have made specific recommendations based on complaints received and the photos taken during the surprise inspection last Sunday. They have asked him to get the work done immediately with another review set for a month from now,” said the source.
The airport terminals were built at a cost of Rs 2,150 crore and were inaugurated in January 2013. Between frequent infrastructural problems and legal tussles, AAI’s plans of privatising the airport have been indefinitely delayed.
Dirty toilets, rusted seating arms, rats and low sanitation in the food courts and frequent shattering of glass panes were the major concerns raised during the meeting, “Some quick measures like increasing cleaning and enforcing supervision have been tasked. These may ensure that the airport gets marginally cleaner now,” said an AAI official from Chennai.
Air Passengers Association of India President D Sudhakar Reddy also submitted a report to the Minister of Civil Aviation about the torrid condition of Chennai airport and pressed for some measures to be taken.
As far as long term plans are concerned, plans are afoot to get contractors to revisit some of the infrastructural work done and repair or replace any faulty, substandard materials.
“Independent studies and quality audits have been ordered and only when these come through will we know how bad the materials used were. At least now everybody knows that the government is watching,” added the official.