CPI(M) seeks clarification on airport revamp again

New Delhi: CPI(M) on Monday has sought a clarification from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Centre’s decision of reducing the criteria of technical eligibility for the modernisation of the Delhi and Mumbai airports.
Alleging that the empowered group of ministers on airport privatisation had gone beyond its terms of reference by bringing down the technical pre-qualification benchmark from 80% to 50%, CPI(M) politburo member and MP Brinda Karat in a letter to the prime minister has written, “It is quite unfortunate that accountability of the executive to Parliament is being undermined to an extent that one has to wait for judicial intervention for acts of omission or commission by the executive.”
She has also asked the government to refrain from handing over the airports to private parties before the issue is clarified in Parliament and until Supreme Court approves the deal. Earlier, civil aviation minister Praful Patel had set up a tripartite committee, comprising representatives from the civil aviation ministry, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and AAI’s Employees Joint Forum, giving them the right to look into proposals of modernising the airports and job security issues.
09/05/06 Financial Express

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