Travellers%20from%20abroad%20beware%20Lucknow%20airport%21

If%20you%20are%20travelling%20during%20this%20pandemic%20from%20any%20other%20part%20of%20the%20globe%2C%20be%20really%20wary%20of%20landing%20at%20the%20Lucknow%20airport.%20Far%20from%20expecting%20any%20courtesy%20at%20the%20gateway%20to%20a%20city%20that%20has%20been%20known%20for%20its%20hospitability%2C%20what%20one%20is%20likely%20to%20encounter%20is%20a%20hostile%20health%20department%20team%20with%20equally%20intimidating%20local%20policemen%20in%20tow.

%u201CShell%20out%20cash%2C%20or%20be%20prepared%20to%20go%20for%20institutional%20quarantine%2C%u201D%20is%20the%20open%20threat%20to%20passengers%2C%20who%20are%20told%2C%20%u201Cit%20would%20be%20cheaper%20for%20you%20to%20get%20away%20here%20rather%20than%20foot%20a%20heavy%20bill%20of%20a%20private%20hospital%20besides%20getting%20socially%20cut%20off%20for%20at%20least%20a%20week.%u201D%20Sure%20enough%2C%20that%20leaves%20little%20option%20before%20anyone%20who%20is%20desperate%20to%20reach%20his%20near%20and%20dear%20ones%20after%20arriving%20in%20his%20homeland.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/centre-extends-suspension-of-international-flights-till-january-31%22%3E%3Cstrong%3ECentre%20extends%20suspension%20of%20international%20flights%20till%20January%2031%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

A%20couple%20of%20passengers%20arriving%20from%20different%20countries%20over%20the%20past%20few%20weeks%20gave%20a%20shocking%20account%20of%20their%20harrowing%20experience%20at%20the%20international%20terminal%20of%20the%20Lucknow%20airport.

%u201CAfter%20getting%20a%20clearance%20from%20the%20overbearing%20customs%20officials%20who%20seemed%20to%20be%20looking%20for%20some%20excuse%20to%20exploit%20hapless%20travellers%2C%20when%20I%20was%20about%20to%20step%20out%20of%20the%20final%20exit%20gate%2C%20I%20was%20literally%20accosted%20by%20half%20a%20dozen%20men%20%28not%20in%20uniform%29%20who%20ordered%20me%20to%20follow%20them%20to%20a%20corner%2C%20where%20a%20few%20other%20passengers%20were%20already%20huddled%20up%u201D%2C%20a%20well-to-do%20software%20engineer%20from%20Hong%20Kong%20told%20this%20scribe.%20He%20was%20travelling%20via%20Dubai%20to%20Lucknow%20and%20had%20no%20reason%20to%20suspect%20that%20health%20officials%20and%20cops%20on%20duty%20at%20the%20airport%20would%20blatantly%20ask%20for%20%u201Cprotection%20money%u201D%20to%20save%20himself%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3Bfrom%20the%20ordeal%20of%20being%20packed%20off%20to%20an%20institutional%20quarantine%20for%20at%20least%20a%20week.

He%20said%2C%20%u201CI%20flatly%20refused%20to%20oblige%20them%20as%20I%20was%20armed%20with%20a%20valid%20RT%20PCR%20Test%20Report%20Certificate%20issued%20to%20me%20by%20the%20Government%20of%20India%u2019s%20%u2018Air%20Suvidha%u2019%20in%20China%2C%20but%20the%20men%20on%20duty%20were%20not%20amused.%20And%20one%20of%20them%20went%20to%20the%20extent%20of%20retorting%20that%20he%20did%20not%20care%20about%20such%20certificates%2C%20while%20adding%20that%20I%20was%20free%20to%20speak%20with%26nbsp%3Banybody%20but%20I%20would%20not%20get%20any%20reprieve%20without%20satisfying%20their%20demand%20of%20a%20few%20thousand%20rupees.%u201D%26nbsp%3B

According%20to%20the%20young%20engineer%2C%20%u201Ceven%20my%20threat%20to%20call%20up%20the%20district%20magistrate%20did%20not%20seem%20to%20deter%20them%20from%20echoing%20their%20demand%3B%20and%20what%20was%20worse%20that%20one%20of%20the%20officials%20did%20not%20hesitate%20to%20write%20it%20out%20on%20my%20certificate%20that%20he%20does%20not%20recognise%20this%20certificate%20%28%u201Cmain%20is%20form%20ko%20nahi%20manta%3B%20Mujhe%20sirf%20Hindi%20form%20chahiye%20%u2013%20signed%20Rajesh%20%u2026..%u201D%29

Also%20Read%20%7C%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/uttar-pradesh-government-launches-massive-exercise-for-covid-19-vaccine-storage%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EUttar%20Pradesh%20government%20launches%20massive%20exercise%20for%20COVID-19%20vaccine%20storage%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

But%20this%20engineer%u2019s%20confidence%20remained%20unshaken%20and%20he%20still%20refused%20to%20grease%20the%20official%u2019s%20palm.%20%u201CAt%20that%20point%2C%20another%20official%20%28visibly%20senior%20looking%29%26nbsp%3Brose%20from%20a%20chair%20at%20a%20distance%20and%20walked%20menacingly%20towards%20me%3B%20and%20very%20rudely%20asked%20me%20to%20show%20him%20my%20passport%20and%20other%20documents%20while%20repeating%20his%20subordinate%u2019s%20threat%20to%20giving%20me%20a%20tough%20time%3B%20but%20when%20I%20made%20it%20loud%20and%20clear%20to%20him%20once%20again%20that%20I%20would%20not%20budge%20from%20my%20stand%2C%20he%20literally%20flung%20my%20documents%20at%20me%20and%20told%20me%20to%20leave.%u201D

While%20the%20engineer%20was%20set%20free%20after%20the%20long-drawn%20stand%20off%2C%20there%20were%20other%20passengers%20whom%20the%20engineer%20could%20clearly%20see%20succumbing%20to%20the%20extortion%20by%20the%20men%20on%20duty%20%u2013%20officially%20referred%20to%20as%26nbsp%3Bpart%20of%20the%20%u2018Corona%20Warriors%u2019.%26nbsp%3B

At%20least%20two%20other%20passengers%20coming%20in%20from%20Dubai%20had%20a%20similar%20tale%20of%20woe%20to%20narrate%2C%20but%20working%20as%20skilled%20labourers%20in%20a%20construction%20company%20they%20did%20not%20dare%20to%20take%20on%20the%20men%20on%20duty.%20It%20was%20clearly%20evident%20that%20most%20passengers%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3Bchose%20the%20easy%20way%20out%20by%20passing%20off%20a%20few%20hundred%20dirhams%20to%20save%20their%20skin.%26nbsp%3B

Scared%20of%20harassment%20on%20his%20return%20trip%2C%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20based%20software%20engineer%20could%20not%20muster%20up%20courage%20to%20lodge%20a%20formal%20complaint%20with%20higher%20authorities.%20%u201CI%20have%20to%20travel%20back%20with%20my%20family%2C%20therefore%20I%20have%20avoided%20making%20a%20formal%20complaint%20but%20let%20me%20tell%20you%20I%20had%20never%20imagined%20in%20my%20wildest%20of%20dreams%20that%20I%20would%20face%20such%20intimidation%20in%20my%20own%20hometown%20by%20none%20other%20than%20so-called%20corona%20warriors%20and%20the%20guardians%20of%20law%2C%u201D%20he%20lamented.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B

Interestingly%2C%20when%20contacted%2C%20a%20senior%20police%20official%20of%20Sarojini%20Nagar%20police%20station%20%28under%20which%20the%20airport%20falls%29%20claimed%2C%20%u201Cno%20local%20policemen%20are%20posted%20inside%20the%20international%20airport%20terminal%22.%20Meanwhile%20a%20top%20bureaucrat%20of%20the%20state%20health%20department%20assured%20to%20have%20the%20matter%20investigated.%20%u201CIf%20this%20is%20true%20and%20any%20of%20our%20officials%20are%20involved%20in%20this%20illegal%20business%2C%20we%20will%20see%20to%20it%20that%20they%20are%20punished%2C%u201D%20he%20asserted.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Lucknow%22%20data-user-id%3D%22S6jvseddGyo9%22%20href%3D%22/topic/lucknow%22%3E%23Lucknow%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23UttarPradesh%22%20data-user-id%3D%228fpxFfZw7Hfa%22%20href%3D%22/topic/uttar-pradesh%22%3E%23UttarPradesh%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Airport%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Z5FK3sEbSkIs%22%20href%3D%22/topic/airport%22%3E%23Airport%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Harassment%22%20data-user-id%3D%228e2QozAPqUno%22%20href%3D%22/topic/harassment%22%3E%23Harassment%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Coronavirus%22%20data-user-id%3D%22ZAlCyskRZCe9%22%20href%3D%22/topic/coronavirus%22%3E%23Coronavirus%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23COVID-19%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Uu1ktMOuUSoh%22%20href%3D%22/topic/covid-19%22%3E%23COVID-19%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B