Remark on ‘fake wheelchair need’ at airport sparks debate

New Delhi, November 2

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra in a tweet on Saturday wondered if many Indian travellers fake the need of wheelchairs at airports, sparking a heated debate.

“Only flights to and from India at most airports have so many wheelchairs pre-ordered. Trying to figure out why? 

1) Do elderly Indians travel more than others? 2) Do we have more infirm/unfit people? 3) Are we just jugaadus who order wheelchairs to get faster access through queues?” Mahindra tweeted.

In response, some users termed the use by wheelchairs by many Indians a “scam”, others pointed out that the wheelchair assistance is a boon to the parents of children who are settled outside the country. “Most of these are parents of folks settled in the West and many times are not well versed with navigating airports, their children hence ask for wheelchair assistance...”said one user.

Suggestions on how the misuse of wheelchair assistance can be cut were the point of focus for some tweets. — IANS