Chennai: Disability rights activist Rajiv Rajan was stunned when US-Bangla Airlines charged him Rs 2,500 for the wheelchair service at Chennai airport on Sunday.
Mr Rajan, who was dismayed by the treatment meted out to him by the air carrier, had sought wheelchair assistance at Chennai airport to board the flight to Dhaka.
After he protested, the airlines agreed to refund the money, but allowed him to board the flight only after he signed an indemnity.
Mr Rajan told NDTV "This is like charging for my legs. This is illegal and violates the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disability". "It's not only about money. It's about how you treat a person with disabilities," he added.
Calling it a blatant violation of basic human rights, he is now planning to take up the matter with the relevant authorities.
His wife Meenakshi Rajan, who is also a rights activist, has urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to look into the matter.
"We cannot start all over again. This issue - Airlines charging additional for ground services and taking indemnity (we thought got sorted in 2007). This shall not be the case in 2022 with RPDA 2016 and UNCRPD," she tweeted.
On being asked about the incident, an official at the US Bangla Airlines' Chennai office told NDTV that Mr Rajan was charged Rs 2,500 to pay a local airline for its ground support.
"We are an international airline and the charge is nothing but a collection of what we pay a local airline for ground support. This is not a revenue stream for us. For wheelchair services we pay 35 USD actually," the official said.
Notably, the Civil Aviation Ministry in October last year had issued draft guidelines for aviation sector stakeholders such as airlines and airports to ensure disabled people can travel at ease.
The guidelines state that airport operators must make "special arrangements" to facilitate the screening of persons with special needs.
The air carrier should make necessary arrangements if the disabled passengers inform them about their requirements 48 hours before the scheduled departure, the guidelines add.