Delhi T3 congestion issue temporary, situation will be normal soon: DIAL Deputy MD Narayan Rao
Dec 15, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 15 : Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) Deputy Managing Director Narayan Rao on Thursday said that the number of passengers has increased post-COVID which has led to overcrowding at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Rao while addressing the issue of overcrowding which is leading to inconvenience to the passengers, said that the situation is "temporary.
"The situation is temporary; it will be normal soon. The number of passengers has increased post-Covid. All steps including increasing the number of screening machines have been taken. We are strictly working with the government," Rao said while talking to ANI.
DIAL group deputy MD (DIAL) Narayan Rao attended the meeting of the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture, including aviation members on the behalf of DIAL.
Meanwhile, DIAL CEO Videh Jaipuriar was absent from the meeting despite the committee's summons issued to him.
"The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Aviation members are unhappy over the non-attendance of the CEO of DIAL despite being issued a summons. DIAL group deputy MD (DIAL) Narayan Rao and others are in the committee meeting on behalf of the DIAL CEO," a committee member told ANI.
The Committee, earlier on December 13 had summoned the chief executive officer of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and others amid reports of passengers facing congestion at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
The committee, headed by YSR Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy, took suo moto cognizance of passengers' complaints of inconvenience at the Delhi airport before issuing summons to the DIAL CEO.
Officials said certain changes have been effected at DIAL airport T3 in the last four days and these pertain to several areas, including entry, security, and the immigration process.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla also held a high-level meeting on congestion at Delhi airport on Thursday.
A senior officer informed that the meeting was primarily held on the immigration process and infrastructure of airports. There were complaints of long lines at immigration.
The meeting was held considering the complaints on social media by irate passengers about missed flights and serpentine pre-boarding lines at India's busiest airport in Delhi.
The pictures posted on Twitter showed overcrowding at Delhi International Airport. There were reports of passengers grumbling about long waits for security checks and mismanagement by the airport staff.
The government has even stepped in to help ease the congestion, with India's Civil Aviation Ministry earlier saying in a statement that it's working with airlines to reduce flight departures to 14 during peak hours. It did not disclose data for normal traffic.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also visited one of the terminals earlier this week and said that he will look into concerns around the management of security checks at Delhi's T3 Indira Gandhi (IGI) airport in response to a complaint by a passenger on social media. The minister has ordered airport officials to resolve the issues on priority.
