Vayalar ‘goof-up’ in new ministry

New Delhi: New Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi is beginning to get a taste of handling a high-profile economic ministry. The other day, his response to a question from an international news agency on whether the government was planning to disinvest Air India had everyone on their toes. He apparently said the matter was under the Finance Ministry’s consideration. As news flashed, a nervous Civil Aviation Ministry got the PIB to move into crisis-management mode. The news was finally withdrawn despite protests from the agency concerned.
Meanwhile, officials were complaining about how the inaugural function of the aviation centenary celebrations turned out to be a damp squib. Not only was Ravi against raising the profile of the event, he did not even bother to extend a personal invitation to most guests.
As a result, his predecessor Praful Patel did not turn up. Some high-profile airline honchos and former ministers also stayed away; the BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain was the sole exception. However, the absence of many guests was more than made up by the AAI, DGCA and BCAS babus who filled up the convention hall — attendance for them was almost made compulsory.
21/02/11 Indian Express

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2011