Mighty stink welcomes passengers at airport

Mighty stink welcomes passengers at airport
Deccan Herald

At Bangalore’s most prestigious transit point, infrastructure is almost a half-baked idea. For the frequent flier, it’s common knowledge that the HAL Airport — the fourth busiest airport in the country — also has a stinking public toilet on its fringes and a steady invasion of mosquitoes in the evenings. The extensive construction work taken up at the domestic terminals seem to prepare the airport for busier traffic and better services. Outside the terminals, things are still caught in a time warp.

The public toilet at the taxi stand near the domestic arrival redefines nausea. The drivers and guards seem to have mastered the skill to live with the stench. The toilet is a picture of filth — complete with muddy shoeprints and paan spittle on the walls. There are also pieces of paper strewn around, some floating in small pools of water. To boot, the toilet is close to the airport restaurant.

“There are cleaners who do their job, but it soon gets filthy again. They should make this a pay-and-use toilet as well, or demolish this because there is a pay-and-use toilet anyway,” says Prakash, a taxi driver. The existing pay-and-use toilet is maintained better, but is evidently underused by those who aren’t quite taken up by the idea of spending money to abuse public space.

Evenings outside the airport invariably means bouts of mosquito attacks, despite the daily spray of mosquito repellent across the premises. And stray dogs continue to enjoy access to the terminal fringes. “It’s shameful that the airport of a city like Bangalore has stray dogs welcoming you outside the terminal... However, not many seem to mind and the authorities are probably taking it easy,” says Arjun Venugopal, a banking industry professional and a frequent flier.

The eateries outside the terminals have by and large managed to stay clear of rubbish, but a couple of them located on the parking lot are dangerously close to what could be called a make-shift automobile cleaning centre. Drivers use water from the public tap to wash their cars, leaving behind short trails of filthy water, even as some customers have a bite and wash their hands right at the parking lot. The open garbage bins are already bursting at their seams.

Rule benders: The rules at the airport are not always followed. Any given day, trolleys obstructing passenger movement is a common sight.

The 90-second boarding/ alighting time is not always adhered to and the no-parking zone right in front of the terminal occasionally allows autorickshaws and motorbikes. With the new terminal ready, the expansion activities are moving to the next level, but it’s hard to miss the cement bags piled behind waiting passengers inside the new terminal.

“These problems are natural when such construction works are on, but there are other persisting issues of delayed baggage and annoying taxi and auto drivers which need to be addressed,” says Rajaraman, a senior citizen.

At the parking lot, a ‘double-purpose’ signboard catches the eye. With ‘trolley stand’ and ‘no parking’ written on either side, the signboard stands right in the middle of the parking lot. And there are no trolleys in sight.