New Delhi, May 11:
With Air India pilots' agitation
affecting normal schedules, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Ajit Singh, met
the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the United Progressive Alliance
Chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi, here on Friday.
At the meeting, the Prime Minister
is believed to have asked Mr Ajit Singh to ensure that there is no surge in air
fares.
The Prime Minister expressed his
concern even as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation wrote to various
airlines asking them to ensure that there is no “upward revision” in tariff due
to ongoing industrial unrest in Air India and also surge in demand.
This follows search by the DGCA of
Web sites of airlines and media reports as well as feedback from air travellers
that fares on certain high demand sectors had registered a sudden spurt. The
fares were said to be 15-20 per cent higher on various metro routes compared to
a month ago.
Sources indicate that the Civil
Aviation Minister's meeting with Ms Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister was to
keep them abreast of the hard steps that the airline is taking to bring about
integration between Air India and Indian.
“The decision to train pilots of
both Air India and Indian on the Boeing 787 aircraft is the first hard step
that has been taken to implement the merger process. The Minister probably
wanted to keep the political leadership abreast of the latest developments in
the Air India agitation,” sources indicated.
Earlier in the day, speaking to
newspersons in Parliament, the Minister said that the Government was willing to
talk to any one as long as they returned to work. “It is not an issue of being
stubborn. If they want to talk, they should come to work and all issues can be
discussed,” the Minister said, adding that the High Court had already declared
the strike illegal.
Mr Singh ruled out imposing
provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act on Air India workers.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/article3407591.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy
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