Appeal for hassle-free plying of Air India baggage tractors at Dibrugarh Airport

From our Staff Correspondent

Dibrugarh, October 19: The members of the Eastern Assam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dibrugarh has submitted a memorandum to the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju  seeking his intervention in the matter of plying of Air India baggage tractor within the apron area of Dibrugarh Airport and to direct the Airport Director to allow the same.

The president and general secretary of Eastern Assam Chamber of Commerce and Industry , Bhudev Phukan and Ashok Singhania , in  the memorandum stated that ground staff members of Air India were being engaged in pulling and pushing of the baggage carts which are used to carry baggage to and from the Air India Aircraft at Dibrugarh Airport and on enquiry it was found that Air India’s baggage tractor was not permitted to ply on the apron area, on grounds of not having ‘individual’ insurance cover  by the Airport Director here  at Dibrugarh Airport, a press release stated.  All Air India equipment, including baggage tractors, are plying normally under same conditions in other airports, including Guwahati and Kolkata. It has been further stated in the memorandum that as Air India had already made payment of the insurance premium amount to the insurer and that authorities of Air India had already given an undertaking regarding the said payment to the Airport Director,   the Airport Director at Dibrugarh Airport cannot stop Air India personnel from using their baggage tractor within the apron area of the airport. Insurance premiums are paid by the airlines on centralized basis and not on individual basis for each and every equipment, a fact which is known to the Airport Director but for reasons best known to him, the Airport Director is acting arbitrarily for which the passengers are made to wait for long to collect their baggage, the memorandum stated.

The organization, which has been working as  the facilitator for development of commerce and industry in Eastern Assam and keeps tracks of the development works in aviation and communication sectors,  has condemned the non-cooperative attitude of the Airport Director of Dibrugarh Airport ,who being a government servant , had earlier  refused to accept a change of schedule for Air India flight in the Kolkata - Dibrugarh - Kolkata sector , stating that he could not accept a flight at 7.30am ,but later agreed  for the change of schedule upon  the intervention of the Regiol Executive Director of the Airports Authority of India.

The Union Civil Aviation Minister, through the memorandum, has been called upon to take necessary steps to ensure hassle-free plying of Air India’s baggage tractors at Dibrugarh Airport, to provide relief to the ground staff from pulling and pushing the baggage carts and for convenience of the passengers flying for Air India flight in the Kolkata - Dibrugarh-Kolkata sector.

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