The airport mess

Why is the Delhi airport mismanaged, who is responsible and how to solve the problem?

- PUJA MEHRA

Before Delhis airport was privatised by the Manmohan Singh-led government in 2006, it used to be a pretty chaotic place. I recall the congestion on a particular day distinctly. The poet Gulzar, in crisp white kurta-pyjama and gold-embroidered ornate shoes, was standing by the baggage carousel. The bags started arriving but no one moved. You could have heard a pin drop. Gulzar picked up a small carton of mangoes, one of the earliest pieces dropped on to the conveyor belt, and made his way towards the exit, walking with an air of authority as if he owned the airport. The rest of us also waiting for our bags, sort of mesmerised by his demeanour and personality, parted duteously to make way, opening up a path through a sea of people. He was gone in moments. A mad chatter immediately replaced the heavy silence. There was much pushing and grabbing. Baggage carts were crashed into ankles. Bags were toppled from the carousel. Flea markets must probably be less messy.

We fly to save time and reduce the hassles and stress of travel. The air-travel industry, comprising airports and airlines, duty-free shopping and other services, pitches itself as one that makes life easier. In the years after privatisation, the experience of the airport improved. But congestion and disorder have returned to the Delhi airport. Don’t economists always insist that privatisation is the antidote to poor government service standards? I put this question to a friend well-versed in many private airports in the country. The answer was: privatisation isn’t the cause of the chaos. If the authorities have taken time to respond to the news