Bhubaneswar, June 30: The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) is set to welcome the 700-odd athletes from 44 nations for the Asian Athletics Championship (AAC2017) here beginning July 5.
A designated parking spot for 30 or more buses and an equal number of official vehicles has been earmarked close to the airport by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
“We have decided to open a dedicated lane for entry and exit of AAC vehicles. All vehicles entering and exiting through this lane need not pay parking fees. A nodal officer at the airport will facilitate the service,” said BPIA director SC Hota.
The airport which does not have a mechanism to accept or process e-Visas has been trying to introduce this facility for over two years. Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi has addressed the issue to the Union Home Ministry and urged secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to instruct the bureau of immigration to set up e-Visas mechanism at BPIA.
“Though, we have asked Athletics Federation of India to issue an advisory to all visiting teams, we apprehend that some participants may land in Bhubaneswar with e-Visas,” Padhi in his letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
A section of immigration officials consider such a step will not be feasible immediately. “It needs at least two months to introduce such facility at an airport. The officials also have to undergo training to use the facility. Soon after installing the machines, specialised manpower from other airports are required,” said an official.
Significantly, AAI officials are of the view that there might be no issues as most of athletes are reaching the airport as domestic passengers.
“The athletes are coming via Delhi or Kolkata. We have also communicated this to the Asian Athletics Association (AAA),” said an official. PNN
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