Taking a cue from the infotech industry, air traffic controllers are now seeking essential service status to ensure a disruption-free functioning of Calcutta airport on December 14, the day Left parties have called for a nationwide strike.

In a letter to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee — with a copy marked to the directorate-general of civil aviation — the Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild, eastern region, has placed its demand.

“Experience shows that since this particular service has not yet been declared an emergency service, it comes within the purview of strikes, bandhs and gheraos,” mentioned the letter, seeking waiver for services by Air Traffic Control (ATC).

The fact that disruption in ATC services even for a day will send wrong signals to new airlines planning to start operations from Calcutta this winter, is the most important trigger behind the guild’s move.

Admitting receipt of the letter, chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb said: “We should definitely do something about this.”

The ATC performs key functions, like guiding aircraft during landing and take-off. It helps the pilot till the aircraft is in the radar area of the airport. Overflying flights are also guided through the Calcutta air zone by the ATC.

Calcutta airport handles 200-plus aircraft every day, while 600 flights overfly the Calcutta air zone.

But the airport all but stopped functioning in February, when the joint forum of Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees called a three-day strike at all airports in the country to protest privatisation of airports.

“On the strike days, the agitating AAI employees blocked our entry and did not even allow food inside to our colleagues, who were stuck for long hours,” recounted an ATC official. As things spun out of control, the ATC had to issue a notice declaring Calcutta airport unsafe for take-off and landing. Police were called in to escort ATC staffers in and out of the building and CISF personnel ferried food packets to the starving ATC employees.

“But in other states, the ATC continued functioning smoothly. On December 14, we want to operate without any disruption,” summed up another ATC staff.