Wednesday, September 19, 2001
The Cooperation Minister, Mr. M.V. Raghavan, today did not mince words in criticising the customs officials' attitude towards passengers arriving at the international airport and at the air cargo terminal in the State capital. He was speaking after commissioning the Rs.36-lakh X-ray screening unit and the Rs. 22-lakh cold storage and chilled room installed by the Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE) at the Thiruvananthapuram Air Cargo terminal.
"There are widespread allegations that customs officials take away costly things, cigarettes and perfumes from the baggage of passengers, especially from those who arrive from the Gulf. This attitude of the customs officials will only result in the drastic shift of passengers to other airports and spoil the name of the premier international airport,'' the Minister said. Mr. Raghavan, who also represents the Thiruvananthapuram West constituency in the Assembly, hoped that the customs authorities would take steps to ensure that their officials are courteous to passengers.
