Newly-appointed
chief of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation Prashant Sukul on Friday
asked all airlines to strictly adhere to prescribed safety standards.
Mr. Sukul
reviewed safety issues in civil aviation at a meeting here with the CEOs and
representatives of the airlines. Some of the key areas which came up for review
included 15-point surveillance, operational issues and the recently-conducted
audit that included financial matters.
The airlines
were asked to take action on the deficiencies pointed out and asked to properly
conduct the internal audit in the prescribed manner, official sources said.
Among the
operational issues, the airlines were apprised of passenger complaints received
by the DGCA and were asked to prominently display and include in their tariff
sheets the convenience charges or charges for printing second ticket, if levied
by them.
“We have asked
the airlines to address any deficiencies or passenger complaints,” Mr. Sukul
later told reporters. He said progress made by the carriers to correct the
deficiencies found in the audit was also reviewed.
Meanwhile, E.K.
Bharat Bhushan, who was abruptly removed as the DGCA earlier this week, is
being posted as Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Steel
Ministry, official sources said.
Mr. Bhushan, a
Kerala cadre IAS officer of the 1979 batch, will be swapping positions with S.
Machendranathan, who will join the Civil Aviation Ministry in his position as
Additional Secretary. Mr. Machendranathan is also from the 1979 batch of the
IAS. He belongs to the Tamil Nadu cadre.
On Tuesday, Mr.
Sukul, a joint secretary in Civil Aviation, was given additional charge as
chief of the DGCA, replacing Mr. Bhushan who reportedly earned the wrath of Civil
Aviation Minister Ajit Singh for taking a tough stand against private carrier
Kingfisher Airlines. The government and the private carrier have both denied
such charges.
Mr. Bhushan’s
extension till December-end had been approved by the Prime-Minister-Manmohan-Singh-led
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet only a week ago.
The Aviation
Ministry has recommended Arun Mishra, now with the Montreal-based International
Civil Aviation Organisation, for appointment as a full-time DGCA chief.
· E.K. Bharat Bhushan will be Financial Adviser
in Steel Ministry
· Progress made by carriers to correct
deficiencies also reviewed, said Sukul
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