Civil aviation minister surprise checks Chennai airport

New Delhi, Sep 28 :

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju carried out an inspection of the key infrastructural facilities at Chennai airport and later said there was scope for doing better in terms of cleanliness and maintenance, the civil aviation ministry said Sunday

“Accompanied by his Minister of State, G.M. Siddeshwara, Raju yesterday (Saturday) inspected the key infrastructural facilities at Chennai airport, where the chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other senior officials were also present,” said a ministry release here.

The minister wanted to personally visit Chennai airport following complaints received by him regarding deficiencies in infrastructure and maintenance standards, the statement added.

Raju said after his inspection Saturday that the AAI has “fairly attended” to the deficiencies notified during the surprise visit carried out by his ministry’s officials and there is scope for doing better in terms of the cleanliness of terminals, maintenance of washrooms and the overall interior ambiance.

The improvements should be done on a sustained basis to improve customer perception, he added

The minister also gave suggestions for improvements to the passenger waiting areas by realigning certain concessionaires’ kiosks for more space in the passages.

“Some passengers also expressed the view that there was scope for authorities to improve the facilities related to hygiene in the washrooms and the AAI chairman informed the minister that the facilities related to washrooms shall improve further as AAI has already put in place modified upkeep and janitorial services,” the release said.

After reviewing the state of the airport in July, Raju had said he would inspect the premises subsequently to assess improvements in various spheres, ranging from hygiene to showcasing Tamil culture and heritage.

Earlier, the minister’s personal staff had visited the airport and come away with photographs showing the premises in a state of neglect. This included damaged or loose flooring, unhygienic bathrooms, trolleys in poor condition, a packed parking lot and only four departure doors leading at times to congestion.

(IANS)