Biman baggage staff tohave changed uniform
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
FE Report
The state-owned Biman is going to introduce a new uniform for its baggage handling staff, aiming at curbing the increasing cases of passenger's luggage pilferage at the Zia International Airport.
"The new uniform would not have any pockets and would be clearly identifiable with colour," a top Biman official told the FE.
The decision is a response to the mounting complaints against Biman's ground handling staff, who are blamed for the missing of valuable items from passengers' luggage.
Biman employs a total of 320 baggage handling staff on contract, to load and unload passengers' baggage in four different shifts.
"In next two weeks, a specially designed uniform for the baggage handlers would be introduced," the official said adding that none would be allowed to pass even in the vicinity of the baggage area except them," the official said requesting anonymity.
He expected that the new step would be effective in reducing the incidence of baggage cutting or pilferage of valuable items.
Mishandling of passengers' baggage at Zia International Airport (ZIA) has long been an open secret, particularly targeting the Middle East- bound expatriate workers. Despite several initiatives, the Biman authorities virtually failed to restrain the pilferage. To add to the passengers' woes, a syndicate allegedly restricts victims from lodging complaints with the authorities and claiming their lost items, said a source at the airport.
Involvement of the low-paid Biman staff in the mischief was also revealed through several investigations conducted by Biman and others.
"Changing uniforms of the baggage handling staff only is likely to have little impact on the matter as they are nothing but people belonging to the bottom layer of an active syndicate," insiders claimed.
Calling the step 'nothing but an eye-wash' they said, "if the authorities are serious regarding this issue, they need to improve in-house vigilance and coordination between Biman and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on urgent basis."
The state-owned Biman is going to introduce a new uniform for its baggage handling staff, aiming at curbing the increasing cases of passenger's luggage pilferage at the Zia International Airport.
"The new uniform would not have any pockets and would be clearly identifiable with colour," a top Biman official told the FE.
The decision is a response to the mounting complaints against Biman's ground handling staff, who are blamed for the missing of valuable items from passengers' luggage.
Biman employs a total of 320 baggage handling staff on contract, to load and unload passengers' baggage in four different shifts.
"In next two weeks, a specially designed uniform for the baggage handlers would be introduced," the official said adding that none would be allowed to pass even in the vicinity of the baggage area except them," the official said requesting anonymity.
He expected that the new step would be effective in reducing the incidence of baggage cutting or pilferage of valuable items.
Mishandling of passengers' baggage at Zia International Airport (ZIA) has long been an open secret, particularly targeting the Middle East- bound expatriate workers. Despite several initiatives, the Biman authorities virtually failed to restrain the pilferage. To add to the passengers' woes, a syndicate allegedly restricts victims from lodging complaints with the authorities and claiming their lost items, said a source at the airport.
Involvement of the low-paid Biman staff in the mischief was also revealed through several investigations conducted by Biman and others.
"Changing uniforms of the baggage handling staff only is likely to have little impact on the matter as they are nothing but people belonging to the bottom layer of an active syndicate," insiders claimed.
Calling the step 'nothing but an eye-wash' they said, "if the authorities are serious regarding this issue, they need to improve in-house vigilance and coordination between Biman and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on urgent basis."