Airport workers threaten stir from March 12

The airport operations are likely to be disrupted as the employees have threatened to start an indefinite 'non-cooperation movement' from march 12 after the government today rejected their demands for continuing operations of Bangalore and Hyderabad airports.

The existing airports in both the metros are to be closed down once the new greenfield airports launch their operations.

Talks were held between Airport Authority Employees' Joint Forum with civil aviation ministry officials, including Secretary Ashok Chawla. CITU leaders M K Pandhe, Dipankar Mukherjee and CPI-M MP Amitabha Nandi were also present during the talks.

"We have decided to resume our agitational programme as the ministry is bent upon closing down the airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore. As part of this, we will go on a non-cooperation movement at all airports across the country from the midnight of March 11-12," the forum convenor M K Ghoshal told PTI after the talks.

Airports Authority of India employees on Sunday found support from the CPI(M) and the CITU.

"The CPI(M) central committee calls upon the government to stop closure of the Hyderabad and Bangalore airports which are under the AAI," CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat had told a press conference.

Karat said a parliamentary standing committee had unanimously recommended that both the existing airports should continue to function due to the voluminous rise in traffic.

The decision to close them down was taken because of the launch of the new private airports.

M K Pandhe had also shot off a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel saying closure of these airports would be an 'unprecedented step' as major stakeholders, AAI employees and the management, had been 'bypassed.'