The Hindu Business Line : Begumpet airport issue: Employees’ union turns to MPs for support

The present airport is ideally located, offering excelling domestic connectivity. For people going to small destinations like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, it is convenient.

K.V. Kurmanath

Hyderabad, Oct. 23 With a view to finding support to their demand that the Begumpet airport should not close down, employees of the public sector airport have sought the support of Members of Parliament (MPs) in Andhra Pradesh.

Besides the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members from the State, the Airport Authority Employees’ Union (AAEU), the majority union, has also written to prominent Opposition leaders such as Mr Prakash Karat, CPM General Secretary, relating their viewpoint.

Some of these MPs have, in turn, appealed to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to look into the issue and impressed upon him that the airport should continue at least for domestic operations.

Acting on a letter written by Mr Asaduddin Owaisi, the MIM leader who represents the Hyderabad constituency in the Lower House, the Prime Minister reportedly sought clarification from the Airport Authority of India on the issues raised by the MP.

Closure agreement

The concession agreement signed by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, the Centre and State Governments mandates closure of the Begumpet airport for commercial operations after the Rs 2,478-crore Rajiv Gandhi International Airport begins services in March next.

Mr V. Hanumantha Rao, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, told Business Line that he submitted a memorandum with signatures of some other MPs to the Prime Minister, in an appeal to reconsider the decision to close the airport.

“The present airport is ideally located, offering excelling domestic connectivity. For people going to small destinations like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, it is convenient,” he felt.

Will be handy

In a three-page letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Owaisi raised serious objections to the move to close down an airport that was earning huge revenues. He suggested that it could be allowed to operate domestic services in addition to Haj operations and VVIP movements.

Pointing out that there were several cities in the world that were home to 3-5 airports within a distance of 25 km, he said the two airports could exist simultaneously. It would be handy too in case of emergency.

Mr P. Madhu, Rajya Sabha member and CPM leader, also opposed the closure of the airport. “Closing down the airport in the heart of the city would mean a lot of inconvenience to the people,” he said.

Union contention

The AAEU, in its letters to the MPs, felt that the airlines should have a choice of landing as was the case in some foreign countries. “The business should be well distributed between the public and private sectors on a competitive business,” Mr V.S. Gupta, Local Secretary of AAEU and Convener of AAI Employees Joint Forum, said in the letter.

More Stories on : Trade & Labour Unions | Airlines | Andhra Pradesh

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