The Hindu : New Delhi News : CPI(M) `disturbed' over Centre's move on airports

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 03, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

CPI(M) `disturbed' over Centre's move on airports

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday said it was "disturbed'' by the decision of the Centre to go ahead with the bidding process to facilitate privatisation of the Mumbai and Delhi Airports and demanded it be stopped pending resolution of critical issues.

In a statement, the Polit Bureau said the Central Government overlooked several key concerns such as sustainability of the other airports which were till now being largely financed by the major profit earned by these two airports, inadequacy of the modernisation programme under private ownership in tackling airport infrastructure, inadequacies in these projects and the uncertainty over the future of the employees of Airports Authority of India who are currently engaged in these two airports.

It said the Government should pay attention to the 90th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on Development of Airports Sector and its findings to the effect that the modernisation programme for the Mumbai Airport can only enhance its technical capability by 10 to 15 per cent and in any case would become redundant in addressing the growth projections beyond 2012.

The Government has ignored the assurance given earlier by the government to examine the alternative proposal of the Airports Authority of India Employees Joint Forum and said: "in these circumstances, the Polit Bureau urges the Government to halt the present bidding process pending the resolution of these critical issues.''

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