VASCO
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday evening hailed the efforts at Dabolim airport led by Airport Director Gagan Malik for a steady increase in business, which had boosted tourism activity in the State.
Sawant was speaking to reporters after inaugurating the Automated Tray Retriever System (ATRS) at Dabolim airport in the presence of Airport Director Gagan Malik and other officials.
"I congratulate the airport director and staff at Dabolim Airport for inaugurating the new ATRS here and amid the Covid situation, such machines which offer foolproof security and help in social distancing, which are the need of the hour.”
“Dabolim airport is picking up business every passing day and as of now, the airport is handling 21 flights a day and this number will also rise in the next eight days. It shows that tourists have begun coming back to Goa in large numbers. We must welcome these tourists while maintaining precautions because tourism is important to revive the economic situation of the State," said Sawant.
Airport Director Gagan Malik said each ATRS was priced at about Rs 2 crore and a total of 5 such systems, 4 for the domestic terminal and one for the international terminal would be installed.
"We are also going to spend around Rs 1 crore per annum as annual maintenance for these 5 machines over the next 5 years. Overall, these machines will cost us around Rs 15 crore in the next 5 years.”
“The basic purpose of the system is that the output of the passenger movement and security will be enhanced three times and while the present system can handle a maximum of around 100 passengers per hour, with these systems it can go up to 400-600 passengers per hour.”
“We may have more such machines if there is demand and these machines also offer minimum contacts. These machines will play a major role in maintaining social distance and while the staff required will be comparatively less, the entire process will be automated and foolproof," said Malik.
