Mangaluru: Members of Dakshina Kannada Taxi Men’s and Maxi Cab Association on Tuesday threatened an indefinite protest if Mangaluru International Airport does not stop collecting what they termed exorbitant fees from taxis within 10 days.Former MLA and association’s Udupi district president K Raghupathi Bhat said tourist vehicles were being treated unfairly. Taxis picking up passengers were charged Rs 180 even if they did not enter the parking area, he said.Bhat said the association had earlier held a peaceful protest at Kavoor Junction and submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner and airport officials, but no action had followed. Since Oct 1, tourist vehicles had also been charged Rs 50 after dropping off passengers, while private vehicles were exempt, he said.MIA said an airport access charge had been introduced for commercial vehicles. In a release, it said the revised tariff was in line with practices at some airports across the country and was intended to support the management and upkeep of landside facilities while improving passenger experience.The airport operator incurs expenditure on security, electricity, infrastructure maintenance, traffic-management personnel and facilities, besides providing sanitation facilities for drivers and visitors, the release said. This was the first time the airport had introduced the charge, which taxi drivers were likely to collect from passengers, it added.Bhat demanded free drop-offs for up to 10 minutes, after which operators were willing to pay Rs 100. He urged the district administration and central govt to intervene.The association has 6,500 registered tourist taxi operators, including 4,000 in Udupi and 2,500 in Dakshina Kannada, besides operators from Kasaragod, Madikeri and Bhatkal. Dakshina Kannada association president Ananda K and other office-bearers attended the news conference.
