Why should only we pay for COVID-19 tests: Passengers arriving at Mumbai Airport

Passengers arriving at the International Airport have alleged that they are being forced to undergo COVID19 tests for a price Rs 850 when the BMC has been conducting tests for free in the city They claim the reports are sent to them online nearly 24 hours later and have questioned the point of such tests RTPCR which allow them to move freely until thenPassengers arriving by train at Dadar station on Thursday being tested PicAshish RajeWhile Mumbai Airport Authority Limited MIAL officials said they are only following state government orders a BMC official said flyers who donrsquot want to pay can get the tests done before and carry the reportIn the past few days COVID cases have spiked in the city and civic officials have the challenge of preventing the spread by finding those positive The BMC has also increased testing However it is not charging passengers coming by train for the tests At the airport however BMC officials have been conducting mandatory RTPCR tests on passengers if they donrsquot carry a negative report done within 72 hours of their arrival Passengers furiousSpeaking to midday Gajendra Thomar a resident of Thane and a construction sector contractor said ldquoI am a regular traveler for business purposes I went to Delhi last week and returned to Mumbai on Tuesday via flight At Mumbai airport I was forced to go through a test and had to pay Rs 850 for it After the swab test they allowed me to leave the airport and told me that I would get the report on my mobile from 8 to 24 hours later But this report should be given immediately Within 24 hours had I been positive I could have easily spread it as I was allowed to roam freelyrdquoldquoAlso in Mumbai city the BMC is conducting free tests but at the airport they charge I have just started my business which has stopped due to the lockdown I travel 45 times in a month and each time I will have to pay Rs 850 for a COVID test each time They should stop looting people in the guise of COVID testingrdquo he further addedAnother passenger Deepak Kumar Agrawal a social worker from Bhayander said ldquoOn 14 March I arrived in Mumbai from Delhi I was forced to a test and charged Rs 850 for it Many passengers and families were fighting at the airport refusing to pay for the test Besides the result of the test should be given immediatelyrdquoMIAL speakAccording to a MIAL official ldquoNobody can enter Mumbai by air without a COVID test report valid for 72 hours If not they have to undergo a test at the airport Itrsquos mandatory for passengers from four states including Rajasthan Goa Gujarat and Karnataka arriving in Mumbai We inform the BMC if any person is found positive and this takes 8 hours minimum We are only following state government guidelinesrdquoBMC speakBMC Assistant Commissioner Devendra Kumar Jain who is in charge of BMC staff deployed at the airport for testing was not very clear about why only flyers were being charged He said ldquoIf the flyers donrsquot want to pay for the test they should get tests done before and carry the report with themrdquoAsked how passengers are allowed to move freely till the test result comes he said ldquoIf the passenger wants an immediate report shehe has to pay Rs 4500 and will get it in 15 minutes We donrsquot have a facility to isolate people until the test results come So we let them leave But if found positive we immediately inform them to quarantine themselves or offer to put them up at our quarantine centres Cases are rising again in Mumbai and Maharashtra We donrsquot want to take any riskrdquo