HC orders issuance of notice to airport authorities

The Madras High Court today ordered issuance of notices to airport authorities in Chennai and New Delhi and also the civil aviation department on a plea seeking that a move to allow app-based taxi pickups in airport terminals be declared arbitrary, illegal and void.
Justice M Duraiswamy, while hearing a plea by Chennai Airport Prepaid Meter-Taxi Owner-Driver Union, directed the authorities to file their reply in four weeks.
The Union submitted that they were paying about Rs 14 lakh per month towards rent for parking their vehicles in the airport premises here and also royalty charges to the Airport Authority.

The Airport Authority had issued a letter to the Union on September eight stating that they are proposing to facilitate operation of Ola and Uber services inside the terminal for passenger pickups.
Stating that the airport authorities have not followed the principles of natural justice while taking the decision to subserve the commercial interest, the union contended that its members would incur severe loss as considerable income on day to day basis were taken out by these app-based operators.