Centre not sure who will head National Aviation Co

New Delhi: Even as the civil aviation ministry is racing ahead to complete the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, the government seems to be divided on who will occupy the top post in the merged entity.
While a section of the government prefers a single post of chairman and managing director (CMD) for National Aviation Company Ltd, the merged entity, some others like the department of personnel are of the view the post can be bifurcated. If the latter view prevails, the new entity will have two posts: that of a chairman and the second of a managing director. Sources also said that a section of the government also wants to appoint a career manager at the top of the post. Government officials said given the diverse views, a final decision has been left to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Sources said ministries and government departments supporting single top post, point out that such a move would be best suited for the operational ease for the airline as two top posts can lead to clash of interests. It has also been pointed out that other public sector companies do not have dual top posts as most are managed by a single top manager.
Another difficulty will be to decide between Air India CMD V Thulasidas or Indian Airlines’ CMD Vishwapathi Trivedi, if the government decides for a single post.
27/05/07 Bipin Chandran/Financial Express

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