Ranchi, Feb. 11: The elderly, sick or those travelling with small children will no longer be at the mercy of unauthorised trolley operators to help them with their luggage at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi.
For, Airport Authority of India (AAI) has allowed Delhi-based private service provider, Shaurya Aeronautics, to start a paid porter service from this month from a Meet and Greet Swagat Sewa counter at the terminal.
"Our attendants wearing orange fluorescent jackets will be deputed both outside and inside the terminal round-the- clock. We will help flyers not only in transporting their luggage, but also assist those with special needs from the terminal gate to the security check-point," said Rajiv Kumar Singh, the counter-manager of the company at Ranchi.
The elderly and sick, especially those in need of wheelchair assistance, would be helped right up to the aircraft and vice-versa, he added.
Depending on the services used, the company plans to charge a maximum of Rs 300 per passenger as per its agreement signed with Airport Authority of India (AAI).
"We can charge a maximum of Rs 300 for all the services as per the terms mentioned in the tender. The charges will depend on the number of services. We will finalise this in a day or two," he explained, adding that anyone availing of any service would be given a receipt for the fees collected.
Similar services are already in place at a few AAI airports like Calcutta and Bhubaneswar.
In Ranchi, the attendants, who have been specially trained to look after people with special needs, would be provided with special passes and ID cards to operate inside the departure lounge.
"All the attendants are specially trained to look after elderly, sick, disabled and pregnant passengers. We will also help first-time passengers reserve and buy tickets and also assist them to hire cabs, book a hotel, etc. For business customers coming to Ranchi for first time, we will help them book conference rooms or business centres," Singh said.
Earlier, an unauthorised work force of trolley handlers would fleece unsuspecting passengers in need of help. But Ranchi airport director Anil Vikram assured passengers that the paid porter service would begin from this month.
"They have bagged the tender floated by AAI and have launched services which will not only help elderly, sick and disabled passengers, but also assist guests and delegates coming for the Global Investors' Summit on February 16-17," Vikram said, adding that efforts would be taken to ensure that the unauthorised trolley men were no longer allowed anywhere near the terminal.
"We will prohibit unauthorised trolley operators at the airport in a day or two," he said.
