SWAC complains of nasty treatment

http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19980615/16651304.html

Monday, June 15, 1998
SWAC complains of nasty treatment
Kumar Shakti Shekhar
AHMEDABAD, June 14: Even as Defence Minister George Fernandes warned the Civil Aviation authorities to make available air base facilities at the Ahmedabad airport `within 24 hours' starting from Saturday, the South Western Air Command (SWAC) officers complained of "nasty treatment from the airport authorities". The SWAC is present in a big in the state -- with a base at Vadodara and now at Gandhinagar -- they are being harassed by airport officials and some feel it was better at Jodhpur.
Senior SWAC officials aired the grievance that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has not provided them 20 acres of land near the existing airport even though the request had been made more than a year back.
Although the space is necessary for SWAC to carry out its functioning in an independent manner, some minimum requirements are a must till this land is provided. But even those have been denied to them here.
SWAC needs a permanent parking space for at least two transport aircraft and one helicopter to protect the important installations in the area, but the government has yet to decide about this. Whenever, the officials need an aircraft to fulfill a commitment, it has to be flown from its base at Vadodara and after operation is over the aircraft has to be flown back to Vadodara.
Besides extra expenditure on fuel, the process is time-consuming and it also leads to inconvenience to the SWAC staff. In case of emergency situations, which arise more often than not keeping in view the strategic location, the officials land in a tight spot.
Air Vice Marshal M S Brar said that SWAC needs shelter for the aircraft on a temporary but urgent basis as it is not possible for them to build one overnight when an emergency situation arises.
He said, "SWAC needs minimal accommodation to function the basic infrastructure of small aircraft detachment."
However, senior airport officials when contacted said the proposal to provide 20 acres of land and other infrastructure facilities to SWAC is "under active consideration of AAI and a decision would follow shortly."
When reminded that Defence Minister George Fernandes had, on Saturday, given a deadline of 24 hours to Civil Aviation authorities, the airport officials said that today being Sunday no communication has arrived from their Delhi headquarters.
But this is not the end of the travails of SWAC staff. They do not even have an office or a store-room at the airport. They have to ferry the equipment from Gandhinagar and take them back after use. There would have been no need to take so much of useless pain if there was an office here, the officials said. Even worse, the crew after landing at the airport cannot change or take rest in the absence of any separate room for them.
They also feel they are being `harassed by the airport authorities' when it comes to letting them inside the airport. Every time they have to go to receive or see a VIP or VVIP off, they have to write a letter to the airport director (AD) seeking permission to allow the staff and the vehicles in the apron.
They complain that if the AD allows two vehicles inside, the gateman says he has been asked by him to allow only one. Or, on reaching the front gate the gateman asks them to go through the rear gate from where again they are sent back. And this happens when the distance between the front and the rear gate is about 5 km.
A senior SWAC official said that "this kind of harassment is very nasty and in the poorest taste and we do not deserve such a treatment from the airport authorities."
But, he said even the AD is not to be blamed because the civilian system is like that.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.