THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has demanded of the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) and the Civil Aviation Ministry to review the decision to hike user development fee and put on hold the decision to implement the hiked fee from July 1. In a letter sent to AERA chairperson S Machendranathan on Monday, Mr. Tharoor said that the decision to hike the user fee was totally unfair and had generated widespread resentment. Copies of the letter were also sent to the Minister of state for civil aviation Mr Jayant Sinha, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey and Airports Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra.
DC reported on Monday the decision of AERA to hike the user fee for international passengers from Rs 575 to Rs 950 as well as to introduce user fee of Rs 450 for domestic passengers. Mr. Tharoor pointed out that most of the passengers using Thiruva-nanthapuram airport were low-wage workers eking out harsh livelihoods in the Gulf region. The user fee of Rs 950 would be an intolerable burden on them. He also said that no user fee was collected at Nedumbaserry and Karipur airports.
“If at all the fee has to be imposed as a matter of principle, then it should be imposed on all airports, and not selectively on a few. Even then, if a fee is levied on all airports in Kerala, it should be at the same level and at a reasonable fee structure which would not impose hardship on the passengers, such as a sum of Rs 100 per adult and Rs 50 per child, or thereabouts. Alternatively a total fee of say Rs 150 could have been equally split between the passenger and the airline. Senior citizens and students could be given reductions while business and first class passengers could be asked to pay more,” he said.
Meanwhile, travel agents are also upset over the decision to hike the user fee. “The fee hike has been made without any proper hearing from stakeholders. As a result of this unreasonable hike, passengers from places like Kollam may now prefer to travel from Nedumbaserry rather than Thiruvananthapuram. The state government should strongly object to the hike as the land for airport development was given free,” said Kerala Association of Travel Agents president K .V. Muraleedharan.
