Male/New Delhi:Tightening the noose around GMR, the Maldives’ Immigration department announced on Thursday that no further visa renewal requests from employees of the Bangalore-based infrastructure giant would be entertained from now till further notice. A seven-day ‘ultimatum’ was also given to the foreign employees of GMR to leave the island nation.
In a separate notification, CAA(Civil Aviation Authority), the country’s aviation regulator has also decided to cancel the aerodrome certificate of GMIAL by December 7, a date coinciding with the seven-day deadline given by the immigration department.
While the original contract signed with former president Nasheed gave GMR a 30-day notice period, Immigration department announced that GMR should pack its bags within seven days as older contract stood no good now.
The moves come a day after the Indian government threatened to terminate the generous aid package, which include the defense aid as well, to President’s Waheed regime if it didn’t take back its decision to cancel the contract awarded to GMR.
In another strikingly related development, the government-owned Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) issued a circular on Thursday “opening opportunities for GMIAL staff who were keen to join the MACL team.” But ,there was no unequivocal reply from the Maldivian authorities on the fate of those workers who were not interested in joining MACL, or those whose visa would not expire in near future.
30/11/12 Dailybhaskar.com
