There is yet no deadline for
resettlement of slums from Mumbai airport land to clear the way for the
expansion project there, confirmed Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh,
here on Monday for a review.
Singh and Maharashtra chief minister
Prithviraj Chavan reviewed the airport modernisation and other projects. His
statement shows the state is still to make a firm decision on a complex and
politically sensitive subject
There is no deadline. There are many
issues...legislation may be involved,'' Singh told reporters at a media
briefing following the meeting. He announced a panel of state and central
bureaucrats to expedite decisions pertaining to all airport projects in the
state.
The GVK group runs Mumbai
International Airport Ltd. It had signed an agreement with realty company HDIL
five years earlier for slum rehabilitation. About 85,000 families were to be
shifted in seven years. Till now 11,000 tenements have been constructed and
18,000 more are under construction to house those shifted. However, the
government is still to finalise an eligibility criterion; a survey to identify
“eligible” slum dwellers has also not been completed. Of the airport land, 276
acres has been encroached by slums. Once cleared, the airport operator wants to
use the land for aeronautical and commercial use. HDIL officials were not
available for comment.
Singh and Chavan also discussed
issues concerning the airport projects at Navi Mumbai, Juhu, Chakan (near Pune)
and Nagpur. Chavan said the government was negotiating to acquire land and
preparing a rehabilitation plan for affected villages.
AI pilots
Singh has asked the management of government-owned Air India, currently weathering a strike by pilots on its international routes, to study how the current number of pilots would mesh with its new business plan, which is under preparation. AI will be inducting Boeing 787 Dreamliners and will prepare the new plan in the next few months. Managing director Rohit Nandan said he was taking inputs from all their offices abroad in this regard. AI is rationalising routes and plans to cancel loss-making ones. It has 720 pilots, including 450 union members on strike for the past 40 days.
Singh has asked the management of government-owned Air India, currently weathering a strike by pilots on its international routes, to study how the current number of pilots would mesh with its new business plan, which is under preparation. AI will be inducting Boeing 787 Dreamliners and will prepare the new plan in the next few months. Managing director Rohit Nandan said he was taking inputs from all their offices abroad in this regard. AI is rationalising routes and plans to cancel loss-making ones. It has 720 pilots, including 450 union members on strike for the past 40 days.
Singh continued his firm stance
against the striking pilots, stating they had to first return to work
unconditionally. Singh also made it clear the government's and the AI
management's negotiations with the erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots following
their strike last May could not be used as a precedent this time.
"Today's situation is
different. The (Union) cabinet has approved a Rs 30,000 crore revival plan.
There was no reason for pilots to go on strike in the peak season. Air India's
performance had shown improvement. Revenue were up 30 per cent. Aircraft
utilisation had improved (when the strike began),'' he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment