‘VIP raj’ soars to a new high at city airport

Hina Rohtaki

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 27

Even as the Government Railway Police (GRP) replaced their controversial barricades set up for a special lane for VIPs and VVIPs, the “VIP raj” continues to prevail at the Chandigarh airport.

The airport is vanity personified with the authorities having created a special VIP parking (see photo) and permitting vehicles belonging to these people to park for an unlimited period of time outside the arrival and departure area. In contrast, the general public is permitted five minutes without charge to drop or pick up passengers. Exceeding five minutes involves a parking charge that ranges from Rs 40 to Rs 120 depending on the type of vehicle (see photo of the display board).

A reality check carried out by Chandigarh Tribune from 11.05 am to 12.40 pm today during which nine flights arrived and departed revealed the “modus operandi” of the VIP culture. Any vehicle with a beacon (red, yellow or blue) or the words “Government of India” or that of any state government written on it is a privileged vehicle. The vehicle simply gets waved through without being handed a parking slip and the driver has the comfortable option of either parking unhindered and for an unquestioned period of time in the arrival/departure area or in the specially designated VIP parking zone. This is despite the fact that a board installed by the Airports Authority of India clearly states that all government and private vehicles will be accorded only five minutes of free parking following which vehicles, depending of their type, will be charged between Rs 40 and Rs 120 for up to four hours.

Airport Director JS Balhara claimed that government vehicles had been exempted from being charged. However, no official board has been installed with such an announcement. The parking staff at the airport, however, said they were under “instructions” from the airport authorities not to charge VIPs. They went on to add that VIPs travelling even in their private vehicles do not pay and insist on being permitted to park in the free VIP car parking.

When this reporter, along with a photographer, arrived at the arrival/departure area of the airport, a white Toyota Camry car with a red beacon belonging to a senior Punjab Government official was sighted parked with an escort for nearly 25 minutes at the no-parking zone. All vehicles were allowed to enter without a parking slip.

A white Innova with a yellow beacon (private vehicle of a VIP) was also permitted to enter without a slip and, again, permitted to park for over 20 minutes until 12.40 pm at the arrival area to pick up the kin of a VIP.

Traffic policemen, however, have a different story to narrate. They told this reporter that they felt completely helpless when it came to checking VIPs. “A few months ago, a colleague of mine had asked a staff member accompanying a VIP to park the vehicle at a proper place. For that he was transferred out on grounds of misbehaviour,” said a Chandigarh traffic policeman while requesting anonymity. UT SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill, who holds the additional charge of the SSP (Traffic), said, “I will review the situation tomorrow itself and do the needful.” Balhara, however, went on to defend the free movement of VIP vehicles saying, “VIP parking has, in fact, been created so that there is no traffic chaos by convoys or escorts at the entrance. (But) I will certainly review the situation because government vehicles should not be obstructing the movement of the common man.” He also did not justify VIPs seeking privileges when travelling in their private vehicles.