A private call taxi operator who had obtained a five-year licence from Airports Authority of India (AAI) for providing taxi service to inbound passengers at the airport here has approached the Madras High Court Bench here alleging loss of business due to operation of unauthorised taxis and auto-rickshaws in the airport campus.
The licensee claimed that his licence was valid from May 19, 2013 to May 18, 2018. It was obtained on payment of fee prescribed by AAI. The licence authorises the company for providing taxi service by putting up a kiosk outside the arrival gate in the newly constructed airport terminal building and deputing its staff there to coordinate with the passengers.
Filing an affidavit in support of the writ petition, the operator claimed that at present only nine flights are operated at the airport here every day and of those who travel by the limited number of flights, just about 80 to 100 passengers choose to hire taxis for their local travel. “Hence, the company has to operate its service on very thin profit margins,” it claimed.
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Making things worse, a number of other private taxi drivers and auto-rickshaw drivers also canvass for passengers outside the terminal building and take away around 40 to 50 passengers on a daily basis, the petitioner alleged. It accused the AAI officials and the police of failing to take action against them despite lodging several complaints so far.
“The company’s repeated requests on September 23, November 6, January 30 and March 24 to the officials of the AAI to curb the entry of unauthorised travel operators went in vain… In addition to the erosion of company’s goodwill, the company is suffering a cascading daily loss of about Rs.15,000 due to surreptitious action of unauthorised operators,” the affidavit read.
Alleging that the unauthorised travel operators abuse, intimidate and manhandle its staff, the petitioner company claimed that the police too had not taken any action so far for want of a formal complaint from the airport officials.
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