Court orders: Entry fees to resume at Benazir Bhutto airport

LHC Rawalpindi Bench allowed the contractor to collect Rs20 per person as entry fee to the airport.

RAWALPINDI:

Collection of entry fees at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) will resume.

Justice Ijaz Ahmed of Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench here on Tuesday allowed the contractor to collect Rs20 per person as entry fee to the airport.

Responding to a petition filed last year, the contractor informed the court that he had obtained the contract from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under the relevant rules and regulations and that he was facing financial difficulties following a stay order of LHC prohibiting the collection of fees.

The contractor said he is required to pay Rs85,000 daily to the CAA and the ban on fees is severely affecting his business.

The high court withheld its earlier order on February 2, disallowing the contractor from collecting entry fees, and directed the Competition Commission of Pakistan to file the written comments in the petition till next date of hearing.

The entry fee is being collected from visitors other than travellers and the driver to discourage the rush at the airport and to ensure better security, according to the CAA. Some airports in other countries also have a similar practice.

The public interest petition was filed in the LHC by Barrister Sajjad Ahmed. On February 2, in addition to barring the collection of fees, the court issued notices to the defence secretary, CAA director general and BBIA managers to file their written comments within two weeks.

The case will be next heard on February 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2012.