The Hindu : National : Airports: Centre sticks to stand

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 04, 2006

National

National

Airports: Centre sticks to stand

Special Correspondent

Grievances will be addressed: Praful Patel

New Delhi: Speaking to reporters after the AAI employees' meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said the Government would stick to its decision on modernisation of the Delhi and Mumbai Airports through private ventures but would address doubts raised by the employees on the future of the Airports Authority of India.

"The Prime Minister assured the workers that there would be no privatisation of the AAI and that the Government would talk to the two companies on increasing the percentage of employees to be absorbed from 60 per cent to near total. About 8-10 per cent employees would retire next year and another 10 per cent would look after air traffic control. We will ensure that every employee is taken care of, particularly Grade `C' and `D' employees," Mr. Patel said.

Hoping that an amicable solution could be arrived at between the Government and the employees' union, Mr. Patel said job losses, if any, and displacement would be minor. "There is no reason for apprehension. We can always sit and talk," he added. However, he made it clear that the Government was committed to the smooth functioning of the airports and would ensure that passengers were not put to hardship. He, however, parried a question on whether the Centre would invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) if the AAI employees did not resume their duties.

According to Mr. Ghoshal, the AAI Employees' Joint Forum asked Dr. Singh to review the Government's decision to privatise the two airports as the AAI was a profitable public sector having both the financial support and technical expertise to upgrade the airports.

Left leaders meet PM

Earlier in the day, Left leaders met the Prime Minister on the issue and asked him to meet the leaders of the striking union. Briefing correspondents after the meeting, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary, Prakash Karat, said the Left parties asked the Government to call the unions who had gone on strike. The Left parties have extended their full support to the striking employees. He reiterated that modernisation of the two airports in Delhi and Mumbai could be done by the AAI.

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