The Hindu : Minister rules out AI, IA disinvestment 'now'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 19, 2002

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Minister rules out AI, IA disinvestment 'now'

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL APRIL 18. The Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, today ruled out disinvestment of Air India and Indian Airlines at the present juncture, saying that the immediate priority is to put them on a firm footing — especially at a time when many big airlines in different parts of the world are getting grounded.

Mr. Hussain was addressing a press conference at the State BJP headquarters here shortly before attending a special function at Bhopal airport to rename it "Raja Bhoj Airport".

He told journalists that two other airports in the country have similarly been renamed "keeping in view the wishes of the masses".

The airport at Gwalior has been renamed Vijayaraje Scindia Airport and the one at Port Blair has been named after Veer Savarkar — the freedom fighter.

He agreed that an important city like Bhopal should have a morning flight from New Delhi and direct airlink with southern parts of the country and an important tourist destination like Khajuraho.

The Minister said the demand for better connectivity would be largely met once the process of acquiring 43 small aircraft at an investment of over Rs.10000 crores was completed.

Mr. Hussain announced that the length of the runway at Bhopal airport would be extended to enable Airbus-320 aircraft to land. He announced that the arrival lounge at the airport would now be fully air-conditioned.

The Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Uma Bharti, who also addressed the press, underlined the Union Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, Ananth Kumar's announcement here on Wednesday that the State capital would also have a Habitat Centre on the same lines as the India Habitat Centre in Delhi.

The State Government would only have to provide about 10 acres of land for this project, which would be funded by the Centre and built on the most modern lines, she added.

Mr. Hussain had earlier announced that 10,000 houses would be built in Madhya Pradesh — half of them in the State capital — for slum dwellers under the Balmiki-Ambedkar Awas Yojna.

Throwing light on this announcement, Ms. Bharti said the Centre would provide 50 per cent subsidy and fifty per cent soft loan for this housing scheme for the economically weaker sections.

For ensuring the speedy completion of the Indira Sagar project on the Narmada, she said that it is neither a joint venture nor a Centre-sponsored project. Instead it should be viewed as a "Central sectored" project and treated as a gift to the State.

Ms. Bharti said that the Group of Ministers, formed specially for taking up issues linked with the Union Carbide gas disaster of 1984, would be meeting on April 26 in Delhi after a gap of one-and-half years.

The agenda for this meeting, which would also be attended by her, would include the issue of including the remaining 26 municipal wards of the State capital in the gas-affected area.

Ms. Bharti described the situation in Gujarat as "almost normal" but at the same time said, "Gujarat has frightened me too."

To a query, she said removing the Gujarat Chief Minister would not be a solution.

"Mutual faith can be restored in that State only by the people at the grassroots level."

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