Srinagar, July 10: At the Srinagar Airport, claimed to be international in standards, the Air Conditioning system is lying defunct for past many days in the ongoing heat conditions.
 This is not the only problem faced by the flyers here. With Kashmir witnessing increase in air traffic in the wake of huge tourist influx this season, lack of other facilities at the airdrome is giving tough time to the travelers.
 An airport official said around 30 flights take off or land at the airport daily which marks an increase in air traffic by 50 percent compared to last year. But the rush of the visitors has exposed inadequate facilities at the aerodrome, the official said.
 The official said the defunct AC system in the terminal building has been replaced with fans. “This is shame. We call it an international airport and the AC is not working. How can we expect any kind of relief to the visitors in such conditions?” the official said.
 A source said the airport receives at least 5000 travelers daily and at any given moment their number is in hundreds in terminal building. “But there is not enough space in the building to accommodate the visitors. People could be seen struggling to get space,” he said.
 The source said at one time at least five to six planes could be seen on tarmac, with passengers boarding or de-boarding the flights. One flight carries around 180 passengers on an average, he said.
 “The situation is always suffocating inside the building and people jostle for space.”
 The official said everyday the airport witnesses several cases of nausea experienced by travelers due to congestion in the building.
 He said though the authorities had thrown open the international terminal building for domestic usage, there was no end to the problem.
 Since there are only two entrance gates to the terminal building, the travelers are made to wait in queues for long time before they are frisked and their baggage checked to let them in, the official said.
 He said the authorities could open more facilities (entry gates) to provide relief to the travelers and tourists.
 Besides, there are only three conveyer belts operational at the airport to cater to huge rush of travelers. Each traveler has to wait for at least half an hour to collect his baggage from the belt after de-boarding the plane.
 The growing tourist rush demands setting up of rest room for the travelers outside the terminal building along with adequate washroom facilities, particularly for women and children.
 “Though the facilities are available inside the building they are not adequate,” the official said. Complaints have also been received about “poor” announcing system at the airport.

SECURITY CONCERN
 At a time when the state government is planning to strengthen the anti-hijacking wings of the state police at Jammu and Srinagar Airports, the posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police (Anti-hijacking) at Srinagar airdrome is lying vacant for past one week after the official holding the position attained superannuation.
 The official said many positions in the anti-hijacking wing including some senior level posts already approved by the Cabinet were not being filled up.
 Repeated attempts to reach Director Airport for his comments on the situation did not yield result as he had kept his mobile switched off.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST