The Hindu Business Line : Unions may raise pitch over airport issue

COME Saturday, the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, could be feeling the heat generated by the recent decision of the Government on lowering Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for airport modernisation that has left the door open for the privatisation of the Delhi and Mumbai airports.

The Government has, however, referred to the move as restructuring and modernisation of the two metro airports and not as "privatisation."

The central trade unions that would be meeting the Finance Minister for pre-budget discussions have decided to express their "anguish" over the Government's move. In line with the thinking of the Left parties on the issue, leading trade unions would be pointing out to Mr Chidambaram that the airport privatisation move runs against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government's stated policy of not privatising profit-making PSU. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which has been running the two airports, has made a net profit of Rs 288 crore during 2003-04.

"We would certainly raise the issue with the Finance Minister and express our anguish. The decision (on FDI in airports) came as a big surprise to us," Mr D.L. Sachdeva, General Secretary, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said.

He pointed out that though the FDI limit has been lowered to 49 per cent, effective control of the airports could go into private hands once the domestic private investor joins hand with the foreign investor. The private holding has been allowed to go up to 25 per of the remaining 51 per cent.

Mr Uday Patwardhan, General Secretary, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), also said that the issue would come up during the course of the meeting. "I have talked to other unions and we would take a common approach on the issue (on airports privatisation)," he said.

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