Condemning government`s decision to hand over Kolkata and Chennai airports in private hands, CPI(M) on Monday said it would "jeopardise" the employees` future and demanded immediate scrapping of the privatisation plans.
|Last Updated: Oct 07, 2013, 03:29 PM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: Condemning government`s decision to hand over Kolkata and Chennai airports in private hands, CPI(M) on Monday said it would "jeopardise" the employees` future and demanded immediate scrapping of the privatisation plans.
"The central government should immediately scrap this privatisation plan," the CPI(M) Politburo, which met here for two days, said in a statement, criticising the decision to hand over the running of the two metro airports in Chennai and Kolkata owned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to private parties.
The government has decided to hand over the functioning of six airports -- Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur and Guwahati -- to private operators to run them under public-private partnership on a revenue-share model.
Strongly opposing the plan, the CPI(M) said that AAI had built the new terminals at both the airports and public funded airports were now to be handed over to private companies.
The AAI had recently modernised Kolkata and Chennai airports at a cost of Rs 2,325 crore and Rs 2,015 crore, respectively.
It has also upgraded both the passenger terminal and operational facilities at the other four airports, which were now being sought to be privatised.
"Apart from handing over public assets, the future of the employees of the AAI will be jeopardised," the party said, adding along with these, 12 other airports were to be similarly outsourced to private companies.
Opposition parties including the BJP and the Left had yesterday slammed Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh over his statements regarding privatisation of Air India and accused him of selling public asset without bringing a civil aviation policy.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.