Calcutta airport will host a 24-day Yatri Sewa Abhiyan from September 17 to October 10, with passenger-awareness programmes and operational measures focused on signage, cleanliness, accessibility, parking congestion and vehicle movement around the terminal.
The programme, planned at Calcutta and other government-run airports across the country, will begin on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. Airport sources said it was initially planned as a one-day Yatri Suvidha Diwas on September 17, but the Airports Authority of India later extended it to 24 days and renamed it the Yatri Sewa Abhiyan.
A meeting of senior Calcutta airport officials was held on Tuesday to discuss the schedule. An airport official said the programme was being revised frequently in line with directions from the AAI headquarters in Delhi.
The opening day is expected to be observed as Sewa and Sankalp Diwas, with a rendition of Vande Mataram, cultural programmes, roses for passengers and sandalwood tilaks. Standees featuring the Prime Minister’s picture are also expected to be installed in the departure, arrival and security hold areas, allowing passengers to take selfies, according to sources.
A key part of the programme, called Sugam Yatra, will test whether passengers can enter the airport, access facilities, complete check-in and reach the boarding gate without assistance. Officials said signage should enable passengers to complete the journey independently. Passenger movement from the airport entrance to the boarding gate will be video-recorded and sent to the AAI headquarters.
The programme will also include a Swachhata Diwas focused on airport cleanliness. The measures come against the backdrop of complaints from Calcutta airport passengers about wet and foul-smelling washrooms. Airport officials have also identified the need to improve the movement of passengers using self-operated wheelchairs, reduce parking congestion, prevent bottlenecks in vehicle lanes outside the arrival terminal and remove touts.
To address day-to-day problems, Calcutta airport officials have formed a daily maintenance group and a daily housekeeping group comprising heads of departments and senior officials. The terminal is inspected for about two hours every morning, with problems logged on an app. Officials said unresolved issues are automatically escalated to senior officers.
The inspection system is intended to create a regular mechanism for tracking faults rather than relying only on special campaigns. However, an official said several department heads did not participate in Tuesday’s inspection because they were occupied with preparations for the 24-day programme. The official also pointed to damaged chairs in the terminal that could not be replaced because the next tender date had not arrived.
A senior airport official denied that the programme was intended to celebrate the Prime Minister’s birthday, saying it was officially the Yatri Sewa Abhiyan. Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu is scheduled to visit the Calcutta airport on one of the 24 days, according to sources. The programme will continue until October 10, when the airport’s passenger-service and operational measures are expected to have been carried out under the AAI plan.
