Police say they have launched a crackdown on taxi touts at the Kolkata airport and arrested a number of such operatives.
However, touts continue to harass passengers, almost with impunity.
A passenger who arrived from Bangalore on Tuesday afternoon had a harrowing experience as unknown men started pulling his luggage to get him into their car.
Airport officials said the police were supposed to prepare a list of the vehicles that are used by the touts to ferry passengers from the airport to various destinations at a higher fare.
However, till Wednesday evening, the list was not made available to the airport authorities or the agency managing the parking at the airport and the lanes in front of the terminal, said officials.
A resident of Kasba who arrived from Bangalore around 5pm on Tuesday recounted the harrowing experience he went through after stepping out of the terminal.
“I came out with two pieces of luggage. Soon after I stepped out of the terminal, three to four men approached me. They asked where I would go and whether I wanted a taxi,” said the passenger.
“I told them I did not require one and booked an app cab myself. But they insisted that I went with them and asked what fare I was willing to pay. One of them was pulling my luggage,” he alleged.
“I did not reply to them and held both pieces of luggage. A few policemen were standing near the lane where taxis were parked and they were looking the other way,” said the man in his early 40s.
“I have been to Bangalore many times. I have never seen anyone approaching a flier at the airport there for a taxi ride.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Mohammad Asif Iqbal arrived from Chennai with his wife Shabana and two sons. They were headed for Sealdah.
“We were going to the pre-paid taxi booth when a man approached us and asked whether we could pay Rs 1,400 for a taxi ride to Sealdah. We told him the amount was too high,” said Iqbal.
“The man then asked for Rs 1,000. But I refused and chose to take a pre-paid taxi at a fraction of the fare the man had demanded.”
Taxi touts have been operating at the Kolkata airport for decades.
According to an officer at the NSCBI Airport police station, more than 60 touts are regularly seen at the airport.
Recently a meeting was held among several stakeholders — including the airport authorities, police and the parking agency — to eradicate the menace.
“We have asked the police to provide us the registration numbers of the vehicles that touts use to ferry passengers. We can then tell the agency that manages the parking lot and the lanes not to allow those vehicles on the premises,” said a senior official at the Kolkata airport.
An official at Omega Enterprises, which manages parking at the airport, said the police are supposed to provide them the list of the vehicles operated by touts.
“Anyone can pay the legitimate parking fee and park the car. We cannot object to this. But if the police provide us with specific numbers, we can prevent those vehicles from entering the airport premises,” said the official of Omega Enterprises.
From December 31 till Wednesday, the police have arrested 53 alleged taxi touts and charged them under several sections of the IPC, including 384 (extortion), 151 (whoever knowingly joins or continues any assembly of five or more persons likely to cause disturbance at a public place).
However, most of the accused were releaed on personal bonds and asked to secure bail within a specified date from court, a senior officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate said.
Aishwarya Sagar, deputy commissioner, airport zone, Bidhannagar commissionerate, told Metro that they are carrying out a drive against taxi touts and arresting those involved in the illegal activity.
According to Sagar, they have identified several of the vehicles that are operated
by such touts and are preparing a comprehensive list of such vehicles.
“Once the list is ready, the vehicles will be banned from the airport. Apart from our regular patrol teams that are making rounds of the airport, we have deployed plainclothesmen outside the terminal building,” Sagar said.
Another officer of the commissionerate, who works in the airport zone, said the activity of touts and illegal money changers spike during the holiday season.
“The touts operate in teams and are well aware of each other’s turf. While some of the touts park their vehicles inside the parking lot after paying the stipulated parking fee, others park near the old terminal building and bring their cars in front of the new terminal once their accomplices find passengers. They not only charge exorbitant rates but also ask passengers to pay the parking fee once they are inside the vehicle,” said the officer.