New Delhi: Nearly 850 pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airline (IA), who are on a strike, have left thousands of air travellers stranded across the country for the past three days. As a result, they have rightly earned the collective ire of travellers; a censure from the Delhi high court for violating their order to resume work, and now, sources say, the government is planning to sack them or go for a partial lockdown.
"We are very sorry for the problems caused to the common traveller. IA and Air India (AI) merged in August 2007, and we have since then been fighting for parity in work conditions. AI is a victim of rampant mismanagement and corruption. Instead of listening to us and trying to solve any issue the management has only humiliated us," a senior commander said.
ICPA has levelled serious allegations of corruption, which it says has led to the fall of the national airline. The erstwhile IA, now AI-domestic, has today a market share of about 15% and is Number 4 after Jet, Kingfisher and IndiGo. A crippling debt burden of over Rs 40,000 crore is making the airline's survival tough.
"All the netas and babus who took the wrong decisions, namely, the huge purchase order of 111 new planes worth Rs 50,000 crore; merger of AI and IA and grant of huge flying rights to foreign carriers have been promoted to higher positions. The employees have been left to bleed to death," a pilot said.
The ICPA has sought a CBI probe into the following charges levelled by them in a letter to the Prime Minister, Congress chief and aviation minister:
30/04/11 Times of India
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