PTI
 
New Delhi, Feb 2: : The ongoing row over the modernisation of airports in the country took another twist on Thursday with the Delhi High Court restraining the employees from disrupting in any manner the functioning of airports in the country.

Justice Swatanter Kumar ordered that the employees should not stage any form of protests within the 500 metres radius of the airports.

The judge asked the employees not to interfere with the functioning of the airports or cause inconvenience to the passengers visiting the place.

The court passed the interim orders on an urgent application moved by Airports Authority of India (AAI) senior counsel VP Singh seeking a direction to restrain the employees from causing any type of dislocation in the functioning of the airport.

The employees launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday following the AAI decision to go in for partial privatisation of airports in the country by allotting the modernisation works of the Delhi and Mumbai airports to private parties.

Meanwhile, the strike by Airports Authority of India employees against privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports entered the second day on Thursday.

However, passenger flight operations remained unaffected.

Cargo delivery operations were disrupted in Chennai while passengers had to face some difficulty with basic amenities like baggage clearance and public conveniences at the airports affected due to absence of staff.

In Delhi, scores of striking airport employees blocked the main approach road to the domestic terminal and vowed to continue their road blockade indefinitely until the government withdrew its airport privatisation plans.

CISF, CRPF and Delhi police forces were deployed in large numbers at the airport.

At Chhatrapati Shivaji airport in Mumbai, police cordoned off the entry point at the terminal building to facilitate passenger movement.

Two companies of Rapid Action Force and additional police force were deployed at the airport to prevent any untoward incidents. A ten square feet area at the entrance of the airport was completely cordoned off and the striking employees assembled a little distance away from the main gate, police officials said.

Police resorted to lathicharge on Wednesday after protesters started pelting stones and breaking police barricades at the entrance of the airport building.