As Navi Mumbai gears up for the opening of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) with final checks, trial runs, and security drills underway, another reality sits quietly in its shadow, said our report. At Kharkopar railway station, the final stop for a few NMMT bus routes, which pass along the airport stretch, conductors are still waiting for something far more basic than an aerobridge: a simple shelter.
There is a contrasting scenario. Sleek airport buses glide past and Ulwe’s roads buzz with construction. At the same time, conductors at the last stop huddle under the narrow shade of a private hotel in Sector 16. This unofficial “rest area” doubles as their waiting point between trips, as it has for years together.
There is no official place for the staffers. They sit wherever they find some shade outside the hotel. The one chair NMMT gave them also stays inside the hotel because there’s no proper space.
This spot is gaining importance with the NMIA coming up. We talk about infrastructure around stations, airports and how scant importance is paid to that. This is one more example. That an airport comes up in the vicinity and staffers have nowhere to sit is shameful and pathetic.
There should have been a designated spot for these staffers to rest and unwind between trips. Conductors do a demanding job. Dealing with passengers, tickets, and ensuring smooth intra-bus conduct are mentally and physically taxing; they need somewhere to sit and relax between trips.
It is totally undignified that they need to find some shade in a hotel and recoup there. The rest area/waiting point needs to offer real rest and basic amenities. Here it is non-existent, which is shocking and callous to say the least. Wake up, authorities. Swanky infra claims fly in the face of this negligence.