Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: A recruitment drive by Air India for 600 airport loader positions turned chaotic yesterday at Mumbai airport, as more than 25,000 job seekers showed up, leading to a near-stampede situation. Air India staff struggled to manage the overwhelming crowd, with visuals showing applicants jostling to reach form counters. Reports indicated that many applicants had to wait for hours without food or water, and several began feeling unwell.
Airport loaders are responsible for loading and unloading luggage on aircraft, operating baggage belts, and driving ramp tractors. Each aircraft requires at least five loaders to handle luggage, cargo, and food supplies. The salary for airport loaders ranges between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, with potential earnings exceeding Rs 30,000 after overtime allowances. While educational criteria for the job are relaxed, candidates must be physically strong.
The incident at Mumbai airport follows closely on the heels of a similar event in Ankleshwar, Gujarat, where hundreds of job seekers were seen pushing and shoving each other at a walk-in interview for just 10 positions at a private firm. Nearly 1,800 aspirants had turned up, causing a railing on the ramp to collapse under their weight. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.
The viral video of the Gujarat incident led to political backlash, with the Congress party criticizing the BJP’s model of governance. Local BJP MP Mansukh Vasava blamed the private firm for not specifying the criteria properly, leading to the chaos.
In response to the Mumbai airport video, Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad highlighted the growing unemployment issue and targeted the BJP. “The unemployment situation has become so bad in the past 10 years that youngsters are ready to fight wars for Russia and Israel. Whenever they hear of jobs, they gather in thousands and there is a fear of stampede,” she said in a Hindi post on X.
As of now, Air India has not responded to the viral video or the concerns raised about the management of the recruitment drive. The incident underscores the urgent need for better job management and the pressing issue of unemployment in India.
