The Chennai airport is frequently in the news for all the wrong reasons. One wonders why successive state governments have shown zero interest in fixing the Chennai airport for the last 15 years. Perhaps this could be due to the perception that only the “educated/elite” use the airports and those people seldom vote ! Airports are the gateway to any city and this is where visitors (including foreign tourists) form their first impression about the city. Our leaders only care about ensuring the prosperity of their children and looting the country. The tragedy is that all big cities in India have had swanky airports for several years now. Even by Indian standards, Chennai airport is only slightly better than a railway station. Thousands of crores have been spent on Mumbai and Delhi airports. However, when it comes to the Chennai airport, suddenly problems like funds/manpower shortage come up. Even Bangalore and Hyderabad airports could be considered world-class. Chennai and Tamilnadu are always given a step-motherly treatment by the central government. It is the curse of Tamilnadu that we have to endure the rule of one Kazhagam or the other, who care little about the development/image of the state. The only solution is to ignore the AAI union and privatize this airport. As a frequent user of the airport, I am willing to pay a fee, if that would ensure a clean airport.