Lower rank officer to run Bagdogra

The Airports Authority of India has announced that Bagdogra will now be manned by an officer of lower rank, which has put a cloud on the status of the airport and triggered fears that there might be a clamp on funds for expansion projects.
A June 18 notice from the AAI said the airport, which has been so long run by a Grade III director (joint general manager or a deputy general manager), will now be under a Grade IV director (an assistant general manager or senior manager). Sources in Bagdogra, a civil enclave inside an IAF station, said the rank of the director reflected the status of the airport. “For example Grade I airport will always have a Grade I officer as director. Similar is the case for grades II, III, and IV,” said a source.
The Bagdogra authorities fear that a slash in the director’s status would mean that all development projects at the airport that caters for four states and three countries will be stalled, an apprehension that has been brushed aside by the AAI. “The status of the Bagdogra airport has not been downgraded,” an AAI official said over the phone from Delhi.
Explaining the notice, an AAI official from the Northeast said a decision had been taken to replace Bagdogra airport director K.K. Bhowmik, a Grade III official, with a Grade IV official because of the under-performance of the incumbent.
“However, Bhowmik had requested that he be allowed to continue till December at Bagdogra airport and it has been granted,” he said. “A decision on his posting will be taken after December.”
The Bagdogra authorities, however, have denied the charges of under-performance.
23/08/11 Telegraph

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Categories: airports aug 2011