Fliers had a harrowing time at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport on Friday because of double 'VIP movement'.
First, the workers' meet hosted by the BJP at the Veterinary College grounds near the airport, which the party's national president, Amit Shah, addressed. Second, the movement of the chief minister's cavalcade.
Hundreds of vehicles carrying BJP workers from across the state left Shaheed Peer Ali Marg or the airport road chock-a-block almost throughout the day. The closure of both the airport entry gates for around half-an-hour around 2pm for smooth sail of the chief minister to the Assembly from the airport worsened the snarl.
Fallout: several fliers were forced to disembark from their vehicles at the entrance gate of the airport and walk up to the terminal building with their luggage.
Generally, vehicles are allowed up to the terminal building. But Friday's measure compelled passengers to walk for more than half-a-km for reaching there. The worst sufferers were those travelling with old and ailing people and children.
Sharing his agony with The Telegraph, Motihari surgeon Dr Ashutosh Sharan, who had come to Patna with his family members to catch the GoAir Calcutta flight, said: 'My octogenarian father was travelling with me. As the main gate of the airport was closed, I went inside walking and brought a wheelchair to take him to the terminal building.'?
He said his family had to carry the luggage from the entry gate up to the terminal building, which was a Herculean task.
'The security men deputed at the gates did not give any reason for their closure and kept on looking the other way while the passengers were suffering. This is ridiculous,' said the Motihari doctor.
Several other fliers who had booked tickets for the GoAir flight for Mumbai ended up missing the plane because of the chaos. A few like Amit Bajaj could be seen running towards the airport.
A flier on a bike on Shaheed Peer Ali Marg struggles to reach the airport even as BJP workers, as the one in the foreground, disperse after attending Amit Shah’s meeting at the Veterinary College ground on Friday. Picture by Jai Prakash
'I saw my Delhi-bound flight landing when my car was stuck on the airport road. Since my vehicle was moving at a snail's pace, I decided to get off and walk down to the airport. The flight still hasn't taken off but I don't know if I would be able to make it,' said Amit, running towards the terminal building.
The in-charge at the Airport police station claimed that the gates of the airport were closed only for half-an-hour.
'There was already heavy traffic on the airport road since 12noon. The convoy of the chief minister had to be provided a safe passage. Thus, we closed the gates for around half-an-hour around 2pm. The traffic was smooth thereafter,' said the cop.
Patna traffic superintendent of police P.K. Das claimed that the organisers of the BJP workers' meet did not obey the directives from the traffic cops. 'I agree that some people might have missed their flights because of the snarl on the airport road. The vehicles were too many in number. The entry of buses on the airport road for going to the political meet was prohibited today (Friday). But a number of buses entered the road and were even parked on it. Many of those people were simply not listening to us,' said Das.
Experts raised questions regarding the planning for traffic regulation on the airport road during mass gatherings.
'The airport road should have been kept free from such mass crowd movement. I fail to understand the kind of traffic planning was done to regulate such heavy vehicles and public movement in this area. I think authorities failed to take precautionary steps,' said Atul Singh, the executive director of Delhi' Centre for Aviation Policy, Safety and Research.
