New Delhi, Sept 23:Employees of the Airports Authority of India on Tuesday called off their nationwide agitation to ensure job security following the decision to privatise two metro airports, after the government set up a committee to look into the issues, union leaders said.
Employees in batches were holding relay hunger strike at the domestic terminal as part of the countrywide agitation.
The relay hunger strike was to continue till midnight of September 25 followed by one-day mass casual leave on September 26.
Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy had in Patna, last week, sought to allay fears of retrenchment among the staff of Airports Authority of India.


The staff of the two airports would be sent on deputation to the proposed company to be set up as a joint venture with 26 per cent central government participation for three years, the minister had said.


On September 11, the Union Cabinet cleared the privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports. The Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, approved the proposal to allow private investors to hold 74 per cent equity in the joint venture.


The Airports Authority of India would hold the rest of the 26 per cent.


Bureau Report