Petroleum Minister Murli Deora delivered a damning criticism on Thursday of Jet Airways' [Get Quote] decision to sack employees, saying the timing of the decision was in bad taste.

"This is not the right time to retrench people, particularly before Diwali. . . I do not approve of such a move and you cannot just do such a thing," Petroleum Minister Murli Deora told reporters.

Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey separately pointed out that the airline had defaulted on payment of fuel bills to oil companies and owed them Rs 259 crore (Rs 2.59 billion). 

The airline, which is battling to survive the downturn in the industry, has handed out the pink slip to 1,900 employees, mostly cabin crew - which it expected to result in savings of $1 million a month.

The airline has also struck an operational alliance with competitor Kingfisher Airlines.

Deora said he would 'appeal to (Jet chief Naresh) Goyal to please not resort to such extreme steps.'

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