Team Herald
VASCO: Locals from Vasco feel that the relaxation time from 5 minutes to 7.5 minutes for vehicles entering and exiting airport doesn’t serve the purpose as it requires more time and better system to facilitate the traffic. People also feel that charging fines on locals without putting system in place would not help people.
Speaking to the locals on the recent policy decision taken by the Airport Authority of India to waive off the entry charges on private vehicles at Dabolim airport has not made any mark in the minds of the people.
Parshuram Sonurlekar, a local from Vasco, feels that there need to be a relaxation of at least 10 minutes because 7.5 minutes won’t make a much difference. “And if on the 8th minute we have to pay 100 or 200 rupees as a fine than it will be unfair,” he said.
Another local Shreya Israni, opined that the 7.5 minutes relaxation time to pick and drop passengers doesn’t make any sense. There shouldn’t be fine imposed on people and enough time needs to be given for those who enter and exit airport.
Pritam Naik, a social worker from Vasco, feels that the locals shouldn’t be fined or charged for entering and exiting airport. He said that during the tourist season the rush is so much that it becomes difficult to unload luggage and move out of the airport quickly due to traffic congestion. “I feel the system needs to be in place and coordination with the traffic police and authorities needs to be there to bring smooth entry and exit of the vehicles at the Dabolim airport,” he said.
When inquired about the this decision, Dabolim Airport Director Gagan Malik stated that the main motto of this decision to waive off entry and exit charges on private vehicles is to bring maximum comfort to the tourists and people who visit Dabolim airport.
He further said that the new policy decision was made to solve and overcome the issue of parking problem. The new multilevel car parking facility is likely to get operational by July. Once the parking facility gets operational, then, the haphazard parking outside airport terminal would be forbidden and the area would be marked as no parking zone. “The MLCP will have pay parking for private vehicles and the basement will be dedicated to motorcycles,” Malik added.
Malik also informed that the commercial vehicles would be continued to be charged a defined fee. “A special toll booth will be installed for the two separate lanes specially for commercial and non commercial vehicles who enter and exit airport. The tourist buses which are parked at the entrance of the Airport terminal will be relocated and the parking area for them will be re-augmented,” he said.
The three storey multilevel car parking facility is yet to get finishing touch and is likely to get operational within three months. Sources from Airport traffic police said that the parking facility would bring much relief to traffic congestion as well as the parking issue. The currently because of no proper parking place, the vehicles private as well as commercial are being parked haphazardly. The parking facility is expected to cater to around 50 to 400 cars which will help to facilitate the traffic at the airport and will have smooth movement at the airport terminal, told sources.
