Stop airport privatisation: Left

Opposing the privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports, the Left MPs have asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "stall" the move and consider the "alternative proposal" for the purpose submitted by airport employees.

"Such a move, in our position, is in violation of the CMP," which stipulated that generally profit-making companies would not be privatised, the MPs, led by CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, said in a letter to Singh.

Asserting that the Airports Authority of India was consistently making profits and had a reserve of over Rs 2,300 crore (Rs 23 billion), they said "lack of transparency of purpose, as evident from contradictory statements of the civil aviation ministry on the issue, has shrouded the whole process with mystery and suspicion."

Urging the prime minister to start discussion on the "alternate proposal" submitted to him by AAI employees, they said: "The sudden decision" to involve private domestic airlines as equity participants in the proposed joint venture "is a glaring instance of such non-transparency."

The other signatories were Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc), Manoj Bhattacharya and Abani Roy (RSP), and Dipankar Mukherjee (CPM).

Meanwhile, the AAI Employees Joint Forum has submitted an "alternate plan" to the prime minister stating that AAI had in 1996 presented a feasibility report for development of Delhi and Mumbai airports to the Vajpayee government, which decided to privatise them instead.