AIRPORT TOURIST AND TAXI DRIVERS ASSOCIATION (R ) REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY Vs. AIRPORT DIRECTOR MANGALORE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) An interlocutory application I.A.2/18 has been filed for vacating the interim order dated 10.07.2018 by Respondents 1 and 2. In the course of hearing of said application, it was made clear to the learned advocate appearing for the parties that hearing of same would be as good as hearing the writ petition on merits itself. Hence, by consent of learned advocates appearing for the parties, matter has been taken up for final disposal.

(2.) I have heard the arguments of Sri.P.P.Hegde for the petitioner and Sri.K.G.Raghavan, learned Senior counsel appearing along with Sri.Ganapathi Hegde, Advocate for Respondents 1 and Perused the records.

(3.) Petitioner is an association of 150 cab drivers as its members and they are said to be persons who have been displaced with their lands and were given permission to operate as cab drivers in the premises of Mangalore International Airport. These drivers hailing from the family of land losers formed an association and registered themselves under the name of the petitioner- Association. They claim to be providing taxi services at the Mangaluru airport for the last 40 years and their families are said to be depending on the income generated from operating and rendering taxi services. Permission has been accorded to operate at 1st respondent-Airport by 2nd respondent and it has been extended from time to time. 2nd respondent has regularized the taxi services at Mangaluru Airport by communication dated 06.07.2011-Annexure-D. Subsequently, Mangaluru Airport was upgraded to the status of International Airport with a new building wherein a separate area was ear-marked for the petitioners to operate and a licence agreement came to be entered into on 01.02.2018-Annexure-E for the period from 01.02.2018 to 31.01.2019. There is no dispute to the fact that petitioners have been operating at 1st respondent-Airport by providing taxi services to the traveling public as on date.