Coronavirus scare: Rush at Patna airport after lockdown

PATNA: Even as the announcement came on Monday halting domestic flight operations from March 24 midnight at all airports in the country, the Patna airport continued to see heavy rush as trains and long-distance buses have already stopped operating due to the lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 virus.
According to the civil aviation ministry order, all airlines will have to plan their operations to ensure that the last flight lands before 11.59pm on Tuesday.The restrictions, however, will not apply to cargo flights.
CM Nitish Kumar had on Sunday appealed to the Centre to suspend the Patna-bound flights till March 31.
Flyers who landed in Patna on Monday faced a tough time trying to reach their destination due to the state government-mandated curbs on public transport in view of the first to Covid-19 death reported in the state on Sunday.
Several passengers said they had to pay exorbitant prices, often more than three times the average fare, to book pre-paid autos at Patna airport. Others were forced to walk carrying their luggage to get e-rickshaws.
Mayank Jha, an entrepreneur based in Delhi, paid Rs 550 to reach Rajiv Nagar. “There were only a few auto-rickshaws and all of them were charging very high rates. I usually pay Rs 200 to Rs 240 from Patna airport to Rajiv Nagar. I was forced to pay Rs 550, since there was no other public transport available,” he said.
Visheshwar Singh travelled all the way from Darbhanga in north Bihar to Patna on Monday morning to pick up his son from the airport due to the lockdown. “It took me three hours to reach the airport from Darbhanga. My son studies in a school in Hyderabad and he returned today. Though I had to come all the way here, but I am fine with it as the lockdown is for the safety of all of us,” Singh said.
Rishabh Kumar, who works in a private firm in Hyderabad, was also seen waiting at Patna airport for his father, who was coming from Mirganj in Gopalganj district, which is more than four hours from Patna.
Domestic flights coming from cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ranchi and Hyderabad were near packed and the spot fares skyrocketed as a result of the demand.
Patna divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal told this newspaper on Monday that a few BSRTC buses will run from the airport on Tuesday for flyers within the city. “The airport express bus service will remain suspended from Wednesday as domestic flight operations will not operate as per the directives from the Centre,” he said.