The Civil Aviation Minister Mr Praful Patel has urged the agitating pilots to join duty by tomorrow failing which the management will take appropriate action. Talking to reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday evening he assured the pilots that no cost cutting measure will be taken without taking their views into considerations. He said there is no pay cut as of now for the executive pilots as the decision will not be implemented without consulting them. Mr Patel said that the government is working on a turn around plan for Air-India and it is committed to see the national carrier's flag flying high.<br/><br/> Mr Praful Patel expressed the confidence that the loss-making Air India would make a turnaround in two to three years due to various measures initated by the government including equity infusion of Rs 5,000 crore in a phased manner. He told reporters that the government would do everything possible to bring about the turnaround and in this regard referred to the setting up of a Committee of Secretaries by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh three months back. He said that the government not only decided to support the various turnaround measures but also agreed in principle that infusion of equity will be raised from a meagre Rs 145 crore presently to around Rs 5,000 crore in a phased manner.<br/><br/> <br/>The BJP has asked the Prime Minister to come out with a white paper on what it called the mess created in Air India in particular and the civil aviation sector at large. The party spokesman Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy today alleged in New Delhi there is a major financial scam which is being camouflaged in the back drop of global recession.
News On AIR | September 29, 2009 11:51 PM
Agitating Air India pilots asked to join duty by Wednesday or face action