Rajkot: A leaked video depicting severe water seepage inside the basement of the terminal building at Rajkot International Airport has sparked fresh controversy, with cargo handlers claiming routine disruptions to freight operations, even as airport management dismissed the footage as old.Airport authorities, however, contested the claims. Rajkot airport director Dhananjay Kumar Singh claimed the video does not reflect present conditions and that operations remain entirely unaffected.“The video of the water leakage is three months old, and cargo movement at the airport is normal,” Singh said.The dispute comes against the backdrop of significant logistical constraints at the newly operational airport, where commercial passenger services and air cargo share the single terminal facility.Due to the shared footprint, cargo clearances are restricted to a narrow nocturnal window between midnight and 3am, ensuring shipments are cleared and loaded ahead of early morning outbound flights.Despite the airport administration’s denial, local operators argued that water accumulation is far from an isolated or historical issue.Ashutosh Pande, who operates air cargo services at the terminal, said, “Water leakage in the basement is a regular problem. We cannot use the elevator for heavy cargo. We have limited time to move cargo because it operates from the passenger building. We cannot do proper weighing of the cargo, the CISF personnel deputed in the cargo terminals are not properly trained, and we don’t have sufficient trolleys for cargo movement.”Freight operators reiterated that recurrent moisture issues and out-of-service elevators continue to bottleneck loading windows, leaving handlers scrambling to move precious freight before the facility switches back to passenger operations each morning.The new greenfield airport started operations at Hirasar in Sept 2023. It was expected that the new airport would bring a modern facility both for the passengers and air cargo, but to date both services are facing problems.Rajkot serves as a premier manufacturing hub for silver jewellery, making air transport critical for moving precious consignments swiftly and securely across the country. On average, the airport handles 10 tons of air cargo daily, comprising roughly six tons of high-value silver and gold ornaments alongside four tons of automotive and engineering components. Handlers noted that ground-level disruptions carry elevated financial risks given the nature of the freight.
About The Author
