Coimbatore: While mandatory quarantine is only implemented for the international passenger, the passengers complain that some private travel agents with the help of some health department officials stress passengers who come in domestic flights also to go for compulsory quarantine.
Coimbatore: While mandatory quarantine is only implemented for the international passenger, the passengers complain that some private travel agents with the help of some health department officials stress passengers who come in domestic flights also to go for compulsory quarantine.
Following the 'Covid-19' virus outbreak, the state government has taken steps in establishing screening centres at Coimbatore international airport. Health department staff are on duty for the screening process.
A complaint is being raised that the passengers who travel in the domestic flights have also been asked to go for compulsory quarantine by paying rents in private hotels. Affected passengers Poonam Shah and Manish Kankaria from Coimbatore said to SimpliCity that “they both travelled to Mumbai and returned to Coimbatore on August 24 on a business trip for six days.
During the checkout, a person posing to be representing the airport authority of India(AAI) but actually from Express Holidays travel agency asked us that passengers from Mumbai, Chennai, Gujarat must go for compulsory quarantine till the test results are out. We were asked to check in hotel Fairfield Marriot. The operational manager at the reception also said quarantine is compulsory and raised the check in form in the name of Express Holidays."
He said, "We struck the travel agency name and put my business name along with GST number. At last they raised the check in form in my name. Today morning I called up to check for the test results. The response from control room was the test results may take some more days and they said quarantine is not mandatory for domestic sector passengers."
They then called Ranjith from Express holidays and asked for clarification. He said that he was doing voluntary service at Airport and he is unaware why that hotel raised the check in form in their company name and ensured to check out. The affected passengers added that they wanted to raise this issue not to get our money back but to bring to light the scam by Express holiday and Fairfield Marriot who are fooling people and making money.
He added that the Express holiday volunteers inside the airport are not wearing uniform of their company and posing as if they are airport staff and asking passengers to go for compulsory quarantine and had request the concerned authorities to take strict action.
Coimbatore International Airport Director R. Mahalingam said,"All the 'Covid-19' screening works and quarantine works are done by the state government. Airport Authority of India is not playing any role." Sources from the Airport informed that quarantine is not mandatory for passengers from domestic flights.
They also agreed that such incidents are taking place and their ultimate target was the innocent passengers who do not have awareness. They also added saying that some hotel staffs had informed them that Rs 500 commission is given to some heath department staffs who are in duty at the screening centres in the airport took advantage on the passengers who lack awareness and who were seen with fear to compulsory quarantine in these private hotels.