The Delhi High Court on Wednesday held that the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) was entitled to charge Rs. 150 from commercial vehicles entering the arrival area of Terminal 3 of IGI airport to pick up passengers to “discourage overcrowding, touting or nuisance”.
Justice Manmohan, however, directed DIAL to show the entire revenue generated from the fee as a separate entry in its balance sheet and to use it to improve infrastructure at the airport.
The court was of the view that amount of Rs. 150 for eight minutes was not a fee or tax, rather it was a parking and usage charge, which any airport was entitled to levy.
The court passed the order on a plea filed by cab service ‘magic sewa’, an app-based cab company.
The firm had contended that the fee was illegal and claimed that three other cab firms — Easy, Meru and Mega Taxi — were being given preferential treatment as they had paid huge sums.
The HC considered the submission of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) that there is no bias and that tenders were floated for grant of special privilege and the three firms are being charged huge amounts for it.
“Magic Sewa as well as other taxi operators can park their vehicles in the multi—level car parking (MLCP), which is integrated with the airport and from where they can pick up passengers, thus avoiding paying of the entry fee and disruption of the smooth traffic flow on the arrival lane of T3,” it said.
