'Gold plating' of airports should be avoided, travel cost should remain in common man's reach: Par panel
New Deli, Aug 6 (PTI) The government should ensure that development of infrastructure at airports is cost-effective and the cost of travel remains within the reach of the common man, a Parliamentary Panel has recommended while voting against the concept of "gold plating" of airports.
The panel headed by Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar has said that the most important stakeholder in the sector is the common passenger whose aspiration and need to undertake air travel will deepen with the passage of time and growth of the economy. The committee has also suggested that user charges should remain affordable and competitive as compared to other airports in the Asia Pacific region.
"India is a developing country and passengers are price conscious. In our national civil aviation policy, affordability and sustainability have been emphasised by the government. The Committee observes that maximum people use the airports just for travel, do the baggage check-in, get their baggage on arrival and leave. Other peripherals cannot be given that much importance as could rather be given to the passenger service," the panel said in its report tabled in Rajya Sabha.
