CPI(M) slams decision to hand over 2 airports to fgn players

The CPI(M) has said the Centre's decision to handover management and operation of Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports to Singapore's Changi Airport group was against a Parliamentary panel's recommendations.
It has demanded that the details of an MoU signed between the AAI and Singapore Corporation Enterprise (SCE) be made public.
Earlier, the Congress had described as "surpising and shocking" the decision to open up the two government-run airports to the foreign player.
"I was the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, which submitted a report that was accepted by Parliament.....That except for joint venture in completely Greenfield airports, no management of the airports or even joint venture with foreign airport authorities or foreign players in the aviation field should be permitted. This was the opposition then and it's the opposition now," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told PTI.

State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) and SCE had, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore last month, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in a number of mutually agreed areas of civil aviation services and airport management beginning with Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports.
As part of the agreement, Changi will be managing the terminal operations and parking at the Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports.

AAI Chairman R K Srivastava had said the modalities with regard to Changi taking over the operation of the two airports were being worked out. He had said the official agreement for the proposed partnership was awaited from the government.

"We would like the details to be made public. Parliament should be told immediately how did they do it against the opinion of the standing committee which was accepted by the Parliament," Yechury said.
"This is a way of not backdoor, but front door privatisation," he added.
The government had earlier planned to privatize Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, where it had invested over Rs 5,000 crore. It had invited Request for Qualification (RFQ), following which both domestic and international players including Tata and Adani groups, existing airport operators GMR and GVK, besides some foreign players had shown interest.

Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, in a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju last week, had said, "India's policy on airport infrastructure has encouraged an open, consultative and competitive model of public-private partnership which protects the interests of the AAI and, at the same time, promotes private participation," and questioned the abrupt decision to drop the competitive bidding process for the four airports.
"Hence, I find it surprising that without any explicit change in policy, the government has bypassed due process and has abruptly selected an operator to manage two of India's most important airports," he said.

In 2014-15, Ahmedabad airport handled 5.05 million passengers, including 1.22 million international travellers. During the corresponding period, Jaipur airport handled 2.20 million passengers, of them 0.33 million overseas people.
By 2023-24, the volume of passengers at Ahmedabad is expected to go up to 6.77 million, and Jaipur 3.75 million.