PATNA: With the Airports Authority of India ( AAI ) barring the entry of air passengers to the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport (JPNI) two hours before their flights from Sunday, the airport premises presented a fair-like scene with hundreds of flyers wandering in front of the airport's terminal building on Monday.The worst-hit were those who had come from places other than Patna to catch flights. One of them was Jiyaood Haque from Biharsharif, who had arrived at the airport around 2pm to catch an Air India flight to Delhi at 9pm."I did not know about the new arrangement... As a precaution against missing my flight, I came early as usual, but instead of being allowed to wait inside the terminal building, I had to roam outside in the open for nearly five hours," said Haque, who had to take a flight from Delhi to Riyadh where he works as a mechanic.Mrityunjay Mahto of Sitalpur in Saran district, who was on way to Muscat, had to wait for two hours outside the terminal building. "My Air India flight to Delhi was at 4pm whereas I reached the airport around 12 noon," said Mrityunjay, unaware of the newly-imposed ban.Many flyers complained about lack of basic amenities outside the terminal building. "There is not even drinking water facility, and we had to buy packaged water bottles. The AAI should have taken care of such issues while implementing the ban," said Siwan's Sanatan Choudhary who works with a shipping firm in Doha.Several Sikh pilgrims, returning home after visiting Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara at Patna City, also complained about what they said "the chaos".CM Nitish Kumar, they recalled, visited the gurdwara on Sunday and said the state government would provide all facilities to the devotees coming to Patna to attend the concluding ceremony of Prakashotsava. "However, there are neither adequate chairs nor fans in the portico. Is this the kind of hospitality the CM was talking about?" asked Prakat Singh of Jalandhar, who had reached the airport at 1pm to catch a GoAir flight to Delhi at 5.10pm.Talking to TOI, airport director Rajendra Singh Lahauria said they were at work to provide more chairs and drinking water facility outside the terminal building."We have restricted the flow of passengers to ease congestion inside the terminal building. The design for a temporary prefabricated structure in the parking area for the stay of flyers has been sent to our Delhi HQ for approval. It will be in place in another 15 days," said Lahauria.Flyers are also not allowed to enter the security hold area an hour before their flight. Besides, visitors' entry to the terminal building will be banned for three months starting Tuesday.These decisions were taken by the AAI in consultation with the various airlines on Saturday, a day after the terminal building was chock-a-block on Friday owing to delayed flights due to inclement weather.

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