VIPs, surging partymen delay flights at airport

Chennai: When it comes to security at airport, the authorities seem to follow two rules one for ordinary citizens and another for party workers.
The special treatment given to partymen delayed flights after airlines were prevented from moving their equipment into the operational area.
Ever since the Airports Authority of India (AAI) closed the gate near the domestic terminal and shifted the VIP entrance to Gate No: 1 located near the Air India service complex, airport and airline employees are having a tough time.
Vehicle movement to AAI administrative building, AAI parking lot and Air India service building were blocked hours before political leaders entitled to Z plus category security cover were expected on Friday.
When chief minister M Karunanidhi returned from Delhi, the police stopped all vehicles including cabs that were dropping Air India's in-flight crew from entering the road that lead to Gate No: 1 for almost three hours.
However, they allowed party workers to not only drive down, but also congregate, with flags, drums and other paraphernalia, quite close to the gate through which the chief minister was to drive out from the tarmac.
According to the police, no outside person should be allowed inside the 100 metre perimetre of the security ring for a person with Z plus security. "We are not even allowing vehicles of ministers near the VIP gate. So no one can go inside," said a policeman on security duty near the VIP gate. However, within few minutes, scores of DMK partymen with a hired band made their way to the high security' zone, breaching the Z plus security norms.
According to sources, Air India's flights often gets delayed whenever there was VIP movement because the airline would not be able to take out their equipment because the police block movement in and around gate adjacent to the airline's building.
After that incident, Air India's security personnel today took a tough stand and allowed only state minister's vehicles to be parked inside the service complex campus.
23/05/09 K Praveen Kumar & V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Categories: Airports May 2009, Safety May 2009