Airport inauguration: It’s a race against time

Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
26 Feb 2011

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With just three days remaining from the new international terminal of the Thiruvananthapruam Airport to become operational, making arrangements for cargo handling on time proves a challenging task for the agencies concerned.

Even when the Airports Authority of India (AAI) claims that the terminal is ready for operations, several hurdles are there for the authorities to clear. Completing the construction of the temporary export facility near the new terminal building and getting Customs notification for the facility are the major challenges that are to be cleared in the next 72 hours.

If the export facility is not in place, the only option will be to go for a temporary embargo on export and import.

"We are really concerned whether the temporary export facility will be ready by March 1 as the work is progressing at a slow pace," said Agricultural Products and Processed Foods Exporters Association secretary Dil Koshy.

The public sector Steel Industrials Kerala Limited is carrying out the construction works.

The Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE), which runs the Air Cargo Complex, is, however, hopeful that the structure would be completed by March 1. "The temporary export facility being built at 4,000 square metres provided by AAI on lease will be ready by March 1. It will have X-ray and weighing facilities and there will be office room for Customs officials," said KSIE deputy general manager (Cargo) Abdul Rehman.

Obtaining Customs notification for the temporary export facility from the Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise is another hurdle. Airport Director G Chandramouli said that the KSIE was working on getting the Customs notification. KSIE officials said that they had already applied for the notification and it was expected to be obtained in two day’s time.

With Saturday and Sunday being holidays for Customs and Central Excise, further process for getting the notification could be expedited only on Monday, sources point out.

There are certain concerns regarding the movement of imported cargo as the Customs officials insist that the cargo that was unloaded from an aircraft should be taken to the existing cargo complex in closed trucks through the perimetre road of the airport.

However, Air India Thiruvananthapuram station manager Sivanath said that Air India, which was the ground handling agency ofr many airlines, would transport the imported cargo to the cargo complex.

A team of officials of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is expected to inspect the facilities in the airport on Saturday.

Another issue before the authorities pertains to loading problems. A section of the people, who were evicted for acquiring land for constructing the new terminal, had also staked claim for cargo loading activities. However, already there are loading workers at the cargo complex. Hence, the matter is pending before the Labour officer.

Being a prestigious project, all the agencies concerned are expected to take an all-out effort to ensure that the new terminal is thrown open to the public on March 1 evening, as scheduled.