The moods were happy for me and my wife in the sense that we were about to take an International flight to Dubai to be with my son Pushkar and daughter-in-law Taruna! My older son Capt Neeraj gave us a staff ticket to travel and thrill was all the more as the departure was from the new International terminal that was recently inaugurated at Chennai.
As scheduled, We took a cab at 5.00 in the morning and were at the airport at 5.30am. The check in took hardly anytime and we were through the immigration and taken to the departure hall at level 2 of the international airport. The huge, sprawling size and area of the terminal made us look at everything in awe and astonishment! We were seated in the new row of chairs that looked neat and clean except for the dustbins kept at regular intervals which did not have proper lids and attracted small flying insects in plenty defeating the basic word of cleanliness that counts for gradation of the airport to match international standards.
Soon, a representative of the Indigo airlines came and told us that the flight will depart from gate no 14 and held out her hand like a traffic police showing the directions to reach there. We followed the crowd booked by the same airlines and after a brief walk through the new corridor, We were asked to take the lift to reach the 1st floor level and again walked for sometime only to realise that we were walking through the old terminal and the environment was very familiar and nothing new? The security area had been removed as the screening was done at the new terminal itself. The same seating arrangements and the same procedure of entry through the old Aero-bridge left an element of doubt about the way the airport authority boast of having made this new International Airport. The new International airport must necessarily be new for the passengers and they must not be deceived by showcasing the new one and making them experience the old? It is like the old saying"old wine in a new bottle"!!
The Airport authority should not charge the new levies and taxes meant for the new terminal if the passengers are to be routed through the old terminal at the airport. The passengers were at inconvenience and discomfort to have entered through the newly constructed building/terminal only to end up walking and walking to reach the old terminal and take a flight from there by paying more taxes and levies!!
This can happen only in India where the Government does not really care for the citizens and do whatever they feel like without any obstruction.
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