Pune airport plans time bound entry system to curb congestion

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Pune: The Pune airport will soon implement a time-based pick-up and drop-off system for private vehicles to curb congestion on the premises.Vehicles flouting the rule will be penalised, authorities said.“Many private vehicles are parked along the arrival and departure areas for an extended period, resulting in congestion. Although there are four to five wardens on the premises to manage the traffic, we need to manage the situation,” Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke told TOI.Under this system, the entry of all vehicles will be timed, and the same will be checked upon exit.“If it is found that the timing exceeds the stipulated period, a fine will be imposed. However, we are yet to decide on the timing and the fines. This system is already in place at many airports,” Dhoke said.AeroMall’s vice president, YS Rajput, confirmed the problem.“We have our wardens stationed at the airport to streamline the traffic. However, on average, we are charging a penalty of Rs500 to at least 10 people as a last resort daily. Many people enter the airport under the pretext of dropping off or picking up flyers and park their cars for a long time.

As per the existing system, we impose fines on vehicles that do not have a driver present. Many cars have a person sitting in the driver’s seat, claiming they will move soon, but don’t. The wardens have been directed to levy a fine only during peak hours to manage the traffic,” Rajput told TOI.Back in 2019, the airport had a time-bound system, under which any car found waiting on the premises for more than three minutes was fined Rs340. Before this, until 2016, car owners had to ensure they left the airport premises within seven minutes, failing which they were fined Rs85. At present, commercial vehicles like cabs are only allowed to drop passengers at the airport and no pick-up are allowed. Private vehicles are allowed to enter the premises for both pick-ups and drop-offs.Prantosh Singhal, a regular flyer who lives in Koregaon Park, said the matter needed urgent attention.“In late evening, many cars are lined up in almost all lanes. It simply increases the chaos. People walking towards the AeroMall or the cab pick-up area have to bear the brunt. Besides, vehicles are also lined up all along the New Airport Road and Symbiosis College Road. I wonder why these vehicles can’t spend some money and park at the Aeromall?” Singhal said.Nishith Patil, a Kharadi resident who flew from Delhi recently, said, “We waited for the bus for around 8-10 minutes as even the bus lane was occupied by some cars. The old building had a system to address the problem, and despite criticism, it was a good move and acted as a deterrent. The authorities should carefully calculate the timing and fix it so that the fine levied is rightful and can’t be questioned,” the business professional said.