Jyotiraditya Scindia has asked DIAL to manage crowds better, reported PTI .
New Delhi:
Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has asked the Delhi airport operator DIAL to improve crowd management after passengers complained of chaos at the airport as the Omicron-related travel guidelines came into effect. Images from the Delhi airport since December 1 have given an impression of a crowded railway station, with hordes of masked passengers waiting for Covid tests and its results for anything up to eight hours. With a total absence of any social distancing, many have described the airport as “Covid hotspot”.
After news reports and tweets about the situation, Mr Scindia held a meeting on Monday with officials of the Airports Authority of India, Bureau of Immigration and GMR group-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), reported news agency Press Trust of India.
Officials of Genestrings Diagnostics, the sole laboratory that does RT-PCR testing at the Delhi airport, were also present at the meeting, PTI reported.
At the meeting, the minister directed the DIAL to implement better crowd management strategies, reported PTI quoting un-named government officials.
Under the Centre’s guidelines of November 30, all passengers coming from “at-risk” countries have to take a mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival. Besides, two per cent of passengers arriving from other countries would also have to take the test on a random basis. All of them have to wait for results and are allowed out of the airport only if they test negative.
To cut down on waiting time, many have been taking the more expensive rapid PCR tests — which come at a hefty Rs 3,500 and provide a result in two hours. The waiting time for a normal RT-PCR test, which costs Rs 500, is six to eight hours.
Yesterday, the Delhi airport authorities announced that 20 dedicated counters have been opened for passengers who pre-book their tests before flying in.
So far, 21 Omicron cases have been detected in India — nine in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra, two in Karnataka and one each in Delhi and Gujarat.
