Don't hand over airports to private players: Yechury

A parliamentary panel has adopted a report that opposes privatisation of airports "as it does not make any economic sense", its chairman Sitaram Yechury said here Friday.

While refusing to disclose details of the report as it is yet to be submitted to the Rajya Sabha chairman, Yechury said: "We are totally against handing over public assets to private companies as it does not make any economic sense".

Yechury, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, said rather than privatisation, the Airports Authority of India should be allowed to offer long-term management contracts to private companies for running the airports.

He said after its privatisation, the Delhi Airport has become the most expensive in the world. "There is even a cess on landing, which is not there anywhere in the world," the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member said.

Yehury demanded that the civil aviation ministry roll back its move to undertake a second wave of privatisation for six airports, including Kolkata and Chennai.

Yechuri said he had learned that the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport authorities have finalised a contract with the Changi Airport (of Singapore), though they "have not been allowed to sign a contract".