80-year-old dies after walking 1.5 km at Mumbai airport due to non-availability of wheelchair; NHRC asks report from DGCA

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) seeking a report on the death of an 80-year-old man who collapsed after walking about 1.5 kilometres due to the non-availability of a wheelchair at Mumbai airport.

The NHRC asked the DGCA to submit a detailed report on the matter within 4 weeks. It should include the status of compensation, if any, provided to the Next of Kin of the deceased, the NHRC said in a statement.

Reportedly, the man of Indian origin having a US Passport had to walk alongside his wife in another wheelchair but collapsed after walking about 1.5 kilometres on the way to the immigration area.

The Commission would also like to know the steps taken and proposed to be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur, the NHRC said.

The Commission has also observed that there has been a significant increase in the number of air passengers as well as airfare. Still, the standard of facilities doesn't seem to have improved proportionately, resulting in several complaints reported in the media and posted on social media, the statement added.

According to some media reports, there were 32 wheelchair passengers on the particular flight, but only 15 were available with accompanying staff on the ground to assist them. The wife sat in the wheelchair while the husband followed her on foot and collapsed after some time. The elderly couple was travelling from New York to India.