GOVT. SHOULD REMAIN IN AVIATION BUSINESS

In the editorial ‘Air pocket again’ (DNA 30-09-09) the reason for the present day status of our premier air line has been rightly analyzed. Decades of mis/inefficient management of the airline has brought the Maharaja to what it is today. Ill-advised merger, unplanned expansion and bad financial management have put the Air India in ICU and not the competition. SBI and other public sector banks have set an excellent example that in spite of severe competition from new generation private banks and aggressive foreign banks, they can do business better than the competitors, if you know how to manage. The government should revamp the board and undertake a major surgery on its internal functioning. The employees in their own interest should cooperate with the management and agree for some sacrifice during this turbulent period, until such time the Maharaja starts making profit. When it comes to taking the commuters for a ride, the private airlines are no better, as we have witnessed recently. If the only public sector player in the aviation business ceases to be the player, in the very first day itself the private airlines will form a cartel and exploit the situation to the disadvantages to the commuters.