Srinagar airport to spruce up amenities to handle increased footfall

Setting up more baggage checking machines and introducing electric vehicles to ferry passengers are among the key measures to be undertaken to handle increased footfall at the international airport here ahead of G20 events and the tourist season, officials said on Friday.

Besides these, a police unit to cater to complaints and grievances of tourists and a police facilitation counter would also be setup, they said.

The measures were announced on Thursday at a meeting to review the security aspects and functioning of the Srinagar international airport, the officials said.

It was conducted by Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh and Director General Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) Zulfiquar Hasan, and attended by top officers of the civil administration and police, the Central Reserve Police Force, the tourism department and the airport.

During the meeting, measures to ease congestion such as increasing the number of baggage checking machines at the main gate and introducing electric vehicles to ferry passengers from the main gate to the terminal were discussed threadbare, the officials said.

To help tourists, a police facilitation counter will be opened at the airport, besides a police unit will be established to cater to requirements of passengers and their grievances and complaints, they said.

The officials said a proposal for an extended baggage-cum-check-in counter in Srinagar city, preferably at the Tourist Reception Centre, will also be considered to reduce congestion at the airport.

These measures will help the airport handle more air traffic, especially in view of the upcoming G20 visits, tourist season and the Amarnath yatra, they said.

It will be ensured that no passenger is over-charged for any service, including taxi services, the officials said.

The security audit of the airport and its surrounding premises will be conducted to neutralise any threat, they said.