An illegal car-rental kiosk masquerading as a “Prepaid Cab – City & Outstation” counter outside Kolkata airport has finally been shut down, nearly nine months after airport authorities ordered it to cease operations. The closure marks the end of a prolonged standoff that had allowed the outlet to function despite repeated allegations of overcharging passengers and misleading travellers into believing it was an authorised prepaid taxi service.The kiosk, located opposite Gate 2A of the airport, had continued operating despite an Oct 2025 directive by Airports Authority of India (AAI) declaring it illegal. Run by the Helpline Transport and Car Parking Co-operative Society, the outlet allegedly enjoyed the backing of a Trinamool Congress-controlled union, which had helped it resist eviction until recent changes in the political landscape weakened its influence around the airport.A team of airport officials, accompanied by police, sealed the kiosk on June 23. The TOI had reported on May 24 that the unauthorised counter was finally headed for closure after the cooperative agreed to vacate the premises.“It was an illegal set-up and it had to go sooner or later. We will welcome a fresh tender so that the space can be allotted to a legitimate operator,” a senior airport official said.A visit to the site on Monday found the glass-fronted kiosk locked, with cardboard sheets placed across the counters. Computers and booking equipment remained inside, indicating the outlet had been vacated only recently.Airport officials said the kiosk had become a persistent source of passenger complaints. Travellers, particularly those unfamiliar with Kolkata, were often led to believe they were booking govt-approved prepaid taxis, only to be charged fares significantly higher than those offered by app-based cab services. Multiple reports also pointed to taxi touts operating under the banner of the private agency.Sources said efforts to enforce the closure had long been caught in a political and administrative deadlock. Despite the AAI’s shutdown order, the matter reportedly reached the Centre following intervention by local MP Sougata Roy, allowing the outlet to continue operations.The closure comes amid a wider enforcement drive at Kolkata airport over the past six weeks. Authorities have removed unauthorised hawkers and food vendors from the old domestic terminal and initiated action against housekeeping staff employed by a private agency over alleged lapses in duty.The cooperative, which claims to have operated from the airport for four decades, said it had no choice but to vacate after repeated eviction notices.“We still have over 100 drivers registered with our cooperative whose livelihoods depend on airport operations. We have relinquished the kiosk but will approach the authorities for a fresh allotment through the proper process,” a society official said.There has been no pre paid facility at the airport for the past few years. Passengers can instead book taxis through police-assisted Yatri Sathi kiosks or use dedicated counters and representatives of app-based services such as Uber, Ola, Rapido and SnapE.
