The ongoing metro rail construction inside the Chennai airport has caused congestion in the service lane and severe inconvenience for parking, say passengers. “The service lane is clogged and also several government vehicles are perennially stationed near the terminal making it increasingly difficult to get off my car,” said C. Raman, a frequent flyer to Delhi.
The site, which has consumed a majority of the parking space, sprawls over 17, 300 sq.m. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has handed over the skeleton work to Airport Authority of India (AAI) who will complete it in 14 months time. The CMRL will take another six months to complete the finishing work.
Several passengers complain that they are unable to park their cars near the terminal as a lot of space is eaten up by the metro rail work. “Most of us prefer parking near the terminal because it is easier to enter it with the baggage. Now, the little space available near the terminal gets filled up easily and we forced to park it some corner,” said R. Narasimhan, a passenger.
An AAI authority said that the congestion has eased a bit now. But the parking spaces are particularly crammed during the night since several international flights take off then. “When the new domestic and international terminal starts functioning, their respective parking lots will be used and the situation will get better. At present, that parking area remains unused,” he added.
Moreover, the booth system that was introduced in April to enable the free movement of vehicles and prevent the traffic inside the airport gives the passengers only seven minutes to enter and exit the airport premises. After the seven minutes, they will have to pay Rs. 120 for four hours in the premium parking lot and Rs. 60 for the normal area. “I have 50 per cent disability and I struggle to get off the car quickly with my bags within this short span ,” said S. Ram, a 60-year-old who flies to Mumbai often to visit his daughter.
A senior official of AAI said that they plan to increase the time to ten minutes for the international domain alone.
