Left takes on govt's non-metro airports move

With the civil aviation ministry planning to invite expressions of interest for city-side development of 35 non-metro airports, the Left parties have charged the UPA government with going back on its word that modernisation of these airports will be given to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Left leaders said they had reached an understanding with the government that they would not oppose privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports if the government gave the work of modernising other airports to the AAI.

"The government is going back on its word. They want to involve private parties in the modernisation of 35 other airports. We will oppose it," CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said.

Senior CPI(M) leader and former MP Dipankar Mukherjee, who was leading the agitation by the AAI employees against privatisation of Mumbai and Delhi airports, said that in reply to his letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a few months ago, the civil aviation ministry had said that funds with the AAI would be used to develop 122 airports. "It was in writing. They now want to privatise these airports," Mukherjee said.

Even as the Left is preparing to launch another round of battle over privatisation of airports, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu is reported to have told the Centre that it will not mind privatisation of the Chennai airport.

Left sources, however, said that while the DMK's support may be a "morale booster" for the UPA regime, it will have no bearing on their stand. Besides, it's not for the states to decide how airports should be modernised, they say.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was initially in favour of privatisation of the Kolkata airport, had to backtrack under pressure from the party.

A few weeks back, the state government wrote to the Centre stating its opposition to the privatisation route.