Domestic air travellers worst-hit as ATCs slow down

The ATCs are on a go-slow as their charter of demands, which include improved remuneration package as recommended by the Julka committee, are not being met. “If our demands are not complied with there would be further delays and if a worse situation arises we may think of another stir (like the 32-hour nation-wide strike on April 11),” threatened a member of the ATC’s guild.

Tourists are the worst affected as they have stipulated time to cover the places they are to visit. “India is fast becoming an unpopular tourist destination due to poor infrastructure facilities and high cost of hotel accommodation. Flight delay’s have added to the chaos that exists in the tourist industry today,” lamented Sarbjeet Singh, Managing Director, Travelite.

Tourists travel across several places in a stipulated time and these delays force them to skip some spots they would otherwise have seen. “Yesterday the flight from Delhi to Jaipur reached seven hours late and tourists were fuming as they get stuck at the airport for hours at a stretch,” added another tour operator.

Domestic air carriers allege that late flight clearances by ATCs is the main cause of the delay. ATCs say they are following the work-to-rule procedure which is creating the delays. “Earlier we were working more than what was stipulated for us, but not anymore,” said a controller.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources say, officially ATCs have not informed them about the go-slow. ATCs say that since it is not an agitation as they are following work-to-rule they have not intimated anybody. “We are appealing to them to revert back to their normal routine. The AAI chairman made a personal appeal to the ATCOs to end this movement as it is a bane for passengers,” an AAI spokesperson said. The AAI should solve the problem once and for all if they feel the demands made by the ATCs are justified. Otherwise they should make alternate arrangements like asking the Indian Air Force to intervene,” said Indian Association of Tour Operators president Subhash Goyal.

The AAI recently formed a five-member sub-committee to look into the ATCs demands. The members are AAI chief Ranjan Chaterjee, P K Brahma, A P Singh (both joint secretaries in Ministry of Civil Aviation), S Narula (Member Finance, AAI) and V D V Prasad Rao (Member P&A, AAI).