Frequent fliers dread Kolkata’s rally ritual

Commuters leave for airport two-three hours in advance to avoid political rally in poll-bound West Bengal capital to catch their flight

Frequent fliers dread Kolkata's rally ritual

Commuters leave for airport two-three hours in advance to avoid political rally in poll-bound West Bengal capital to catch their flight

Flying to Kolkata, the capital of bandhs and rallies? Better camp near the airport to avoid getting trapped in traffic chaos and missing your flight.

The Left Front and the TMC have been organising rallies almost every other day in Kolkata in the run-up to the state Assembly elections in West Bengal

For, the main political parties in poll-bound West Bengal the Left and the Trinamool Congress are busy displaying their muscle power by organising bigger rallies and dharnas on the streets, throwing traffic out of gear.

If the new rule, which makes it mandatory for commuters to report at the airport at least 45 minutes before the scheduled departure, was a bane for commuters in the city, they are now in for more trouble in the form of rallies and bandhs.

Now, the commuters are left with no option but to leave for the airport at least two to three before the scheduled departure.
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There are only five gates for security clearance at the Kolkata airport and because of heavy rush commuters have to reach much before the departure time to ensure that they get the boarding pass.

Anand Agarwal, a Borivli-based frequent flier on the Kolkata route, said, "I missed my flights twice in the past two months because of these nonsensical political rallies.

On both occasions, I got trapped in traffic jams caused by these rallies and reached the airport late. Earlier, whenever I visited Kolkata, I would book a hotel room in the heart of the city.

But in the run-up to the state Assembly polls, roads have become a stage for the Left and the TMC to demonstrate their political clout.
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To avoid this chaos, I decided to book a hotel on the outskirts of the city from where I can reach the airport on time."

One of the frequent fliers from Mumbai has even written a letter (copy with MiD DAY) to aviation minister Vayalar Ravi drawing his attention to the issue.

"Kolkata is infamous for rallies and bandhs that hamper the movement of traffic and leave passengers hard pressed to reach the airport.

Besides this, the services at the Kolkata airport are also below standards," said V K Beswal, a Marine Lines-based chartered accountant, in his letter.u00a0

New rule says
The DGCA had re-issued its earlier Air Transport Circular, 2009, directing all airlines to follow certain procedures to ensure timely departure of flights last July. After the circular came in force, most airlines fixed the boarding time 45 minutes prior to the departure.