AAI chalks out Rs 15,000-crore plan for upgradation of airports over 4 years
In its biggest-ever investment outlay, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has chalked out a plan to invest Rs 15,000 crore over the next four years in the development and upgradation of airports. The outlay will include cost for installing solar capacities at several airports dotting the country. The plan was approved last month by the civil aviation ministry, which has also created a four-member team to monitor the targets set in the plan. “The ministry has ordered formation of a committee with representation from the finance ministry to monitor it,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified. The panel will have AAI’s chairman and member (finance) and one joint secretary each from aviation and finance ministries as its members. Last time, Airports Authority of India had spent so much was on upgrading 35 non-metro airports at an estimated investment of Rs 12,500 crore. Of the Rs 15,000 crore, a whoppingRs 13,000 crore would be invested on upgrade, expansion and extension of 39 airports and about Rs 2,000 crore is to be spent over revival and upgrade of airports in smaller cities. The rest is to be spent over installation of solar power capacity at various airports. s part of the plan, airports, including Chennai, Guwahati, Patna, Srinagar, Jammu, Lucknow and others, will get new terminals and airports like Jaipur, Amritsar, Raipur, Ahmedabad among others will see runway upgrades. The official added that aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju convened the meeting where the plan was approved. “The minister’s (Raju) biggest concern was completion of upgrade and expansion projects of airports, as he wants Airports Authority of India to be ready to cater to the needs of the rising number of passengers in the country,” said the official. He added that the minister wants the committee to ensure that the airport upgrade projects adhere to the timelines. Meanwhile, the government is also working on a proposal to investRs 6,000 crore this fiscal year to revive and develop 75 regional airports, which currently see little activity. Warren Sapp Jersey
Tell us in 2 days how you plan to phase out diesel taxis: SC to Delhi government
The Supreme Court today gave a two- day deadline to AAP government for filing a detailed plan on phasing out diesel run taxis from the national capital, which faced protests and blockades by diesel cab operators causing hardship to regular commuters for the second consecutive day. A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice F M I Kalifulla granted the time after the counsel appearing for Delhi government said that meetings with the representatives of stake holders will be held today and tomorrow after which it can submit a plan as directed by the court. Earlier in the day, the government had moved the apex court seeking time to phase out diesel taxis from the national capital after which the court had directed it to submit a plan, as how it propose to do so by 4 pm. The bench has said that whenever such decisions are taken, inconvenience is bound to be caused to the people and asked the Delhi government to submit a suitable detailed and workable plan. During the brief hearing, senior advocate Chander Uday Singh, appearing for the Delhi Government, had said that in the wake of Supreme Court’s order around 30,000 diesel taxis have stopped plying in the national capital which is causing inconvenience to the common people and creating a law and order situation. He sought some time for phasing out the vehicle in a time -bound manner saying the government is committed to tackle the problem of pollution. The bench also asked the Delhi Government to specify as to whether it stop the registration of diesel vehicles saying that it was the order given in December and the deadline was extended everytime. The counsel said that due to the apex court’s order, a human problem has been created and the government needs time to tackle the problem by phasing out the vehicles in phased manner or for making some alternate arrangement. The Supreme Court had on April 30 refused to extend the deadline fixed for conversion of diesel taxis into less- polluting CNG mode. The court had on December 16 last year considered the contention of senior advocate Harish Salve, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, that all diesel taxis be moved to CNG fuel within a reasonable time but not later than March 1, 2016. “We, therefore, direct that all taxis including those operating under aggregators like OLA and UBER in the NCT of Delhi, plying under city permits shall move to CNG not later than March, 1,” it had said and later extended it to April 30. William Carrier Jersey
India Oilfield Services Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020
Oilfield Services involve a wide range of services that facilitate oil and gas exploration and production (E&P). These services are provided to smoothen the drilling process, thereby eliminating the waste produced during drilling and enhancing the oil recovery process by providing repair and maintenance of bore wells. In India, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Assam account for maximum demand for oilfield services due to large scale oil and gas exploration and production activities being undertaken in these states. Government’s decision of auctioning 69 idle oil and gas fields of state-owned ONGC and Oil India to private companies on new revenue sharing model is expected to boost oil and gas E&P over the next five years, which in turn would fuel growth in the country’s oilfield services market through 2020. According to TechSci Research report, “India Oilfield Services Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2020”, the country’s oilfield services market is projected to surpass US $ 7.8 billion by 2020, on account of anticipated increase in oil and gas E&P activities. Onshore oilfield services segment holds majority share in India’s oilfield services market; however, the offshore oilfield services is forecast to exhibit higher growth during 2015 – 2020. Comprising three vital type of services i.e. cementing, direction drilling, hydro fracturing services, drilling services segment accounts for the largest share in the oilfield services market, followed by drilling & completion fluids services, wireline services, pressure pumping services and coiled tubing services. “India Oilfield Services Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2020” discusses the following aspects of oilfield services in India: – India Oilfield Services Market Size, Share & Forecast – Segmental Analysis – By Application (Onshore & Offshore); By Type (Oilfield Drilling, Oilfield Drilling & Completion Fluids, Oilfield Wireline, Oilfield Pressure Pumping Services, Oilfield Coiled Tubing, Oilfield OTGS, etc.) – Policy & Regulatory Landscape – Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities – Competitive Landscape & Strategic Recommendations Brett Hundley Jersey
India: LNG shipbuilding plans cross a milestone
One of the biggest elements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative crossed a milestone recently when state-run natural gas company GAIL (India) Ltd received initial bids from two consortiums for hiring at least nine liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers on a long-term basis for transporting gas from the US. The supply of 2.3 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG from the Cove Point terminal in the US will begin in December 2017. The delivery of 3.5 mtpa LNG from the Sabine Pass terminal, also in the US, will start in March 2018. While two bids may look a tad disappointing for a tender worth $7 billion, the fact remains that the consortium partners comprise most of the world’s top LNG shipowners. A consortium of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL)-Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha Ltd (NYK Line) and Mitsui and Co. Ltd and another group comprising Mitsubishi Corp.-Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd (K Line)-GasLog Ltd and Foresight Ltd have applied for one of the most keenly watched shipping tenders globally. That makes it a total of seven fleet owners that have participated in the tender in two separate consortiums. Given the huge investments involved in constructing nine LNG carriers, with an option for an additional two, and the risks inherent in building three of the nine tankers on firm order locally for the first time, it is not a small number at all. That it took GAIL a second attempt to receive the two bids (the first tender issued in August 2014 had to be scrapped in February 2015 because nobody showed up) speaks volumes of the complexity involved in the auction. GAIL will not order the ships directly at shipyards—both overseas and Indian. It plans to charter the carriers from global fleet owners who will have to construct three of the nine LNG tankers in India as part of the Make in India plan, aimed at attracting foreign investment and turn India into a manufacturing hub. Prospective bidders were required to quote for lots of three vessels (one lot consisting of three carriers) with a provision that under each lot, one of the vessels has to be built in an Indian yard. Bidders could quote for one or more lots of three ships each. GAIL may hire one or two extra tankers to fulfil its capacity requirement. Hence, in addition to the quote for lot(s), it was mandatory for bidders to quote for at least one additional ship from an Indian shipyard. A bidder offering two additional ships has to necessarily quote for one additional vessel from an Indian shipyard and the other from an overseas shipyard. In case one additional vessel is required, it will be built at an Indian shipyard. If two additional vessels are required, the first vessel has to be from an Indian shipyard and the second vessel from an overseas yard. Both the bidding groups have applied for one lot each of three LNG carriers. Besides, the MOL-NYK-Mitsui consortium has submitted techno-commercial bids for two additional ships (taking the total offer to five ships). Plus, it has expressed willingness to offer a sixth ship (this is not in line with the tender conditions). The Mitsubishi-K Line-GasLog-Foresight consortium has applied for one lot of three tankers and an additional ship to comply with the tender requirements. The five ships offered by the first consortium (excluding the sixth one on offer that may not fit the tender rules) and the four quoted by the second will take the total tankers on offer to nine. This clearly shows none of the two consortia were keen on making an investment for nine ships. It also means that there will be more than one successful bidder. Critics who still harbour doubts over India’s capability to build LNG ships should recall what China did to enter the LNG shipbuilding/LNG ship owning business during the early years of the past decade. When none of the global yards were willing to part with the technology to build LNG carriers, Shanghai-based Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd, a unit of state-run China State Shipbuilding Corp., was directed to start constructing LNG ships with design developed locally and financed by Chinese lenders. The LNG containment system used on the ships was licensed from French firm Gaztransport et Technigaz SA (GTT). China LNG Shipping (Holdings) Co. Ltd (CLNG) was set up in Hong Kong, as an equal joint venture between two state-owned firms, China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company and China Merchants Group, for planning, coordinating and arranging all the investments and management works related to LNG transportation projects in China. The JV has invested around $1 billion in six LNG carriers so far. China later brought in BP Shipping Ltd, a unit of London-based oil and gas firm BP Plc, as a 40% shareholder in China LNG Shipping (International) Co. Ltd (CLSICO), a Hong Kong-based JV 60% owned by CLNG, to manage the six LNG tankers. BP is one of the partners in the North West Shelf project in Australia that supplies 3.7 mt LNG a year to Guangdong Dapeng LNG Co. Ltd, China’s first LNG import project, for 25 years beginning May 2006. BP Shipping exited the ship management JV in August 2013 by selling its 40% stake to China’s national oil firm China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC). Hudong now has an order book for 13 LNG tankers and two more Chinese yards have started constructing LNG carriers. In India, Shipping Corp. of India Ltd (SCI) and GAIL, both state-owned, have a step-in right to take at least 26% and 10% stakes, respectively, in each of the nine LNG carriers. Besides, the local shipbuilder winning the contract to build the three LNG tankers has the option of acquiring another 5-13% stake in each of the three carriers. This means Indian entities can hold as much as a 49% stake in the three locally built LNG tankers to spread financial risks. Unlike China, India has been lucky in getting a global shipyard to
Indian firms to hold stakes in Middle-East oilfields & Gulf companies to invest here: Dharmendra Pradhan
Indian energy firms will hold stakes in oil and gas fields in the Middle-East while companies from the Gulf will invest in oil and gas infrastructure, refineries and petrochemicals at home, as commercial ties with the world’s biggest oil-exporting region evolve into a strategic relationship, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. He said the Gulf countries are enthusiastic about strengthening ties with India and have stopped levying the ‘Asian Premium’, a controversial practice of charging a higher rate for crude oil sold to Asia, compared with other buyers in more prosperous regions. “Today we are talking to (Middle East countries) that we don’t just want prices, but on the basis of strategic relationship we should also get equity in exploration and production projects. Their investment if it comes in the oil industry infrastructure, petrochemicals, refinery, downstream, then our country’s consumers and oil companies will develop. There will be more competition. Who will gain? Our consumers,” Pradhan told ET in an interview. “This kind of discussion is going on under the leadership of our prime minister. This is at a very advanced stage in many verticals,” the minister said. He said countries in the Middle East had responded positively to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiatives and given certain assurances. On the domestic front, Pradhan said initiatives to resolve exploration issues along with steps to promote biofuels will reduce India’s import dependence by 10% compared with earlier projections. He said the country would meet its target of 5% ethanol blending in petrol for the first time since the measure was introduced. “The prime minister has given us the target to reduce import dependency by 10%. First we found it challenging, but now we find it achievable.” He said ONGC and Gujarat State Petroleum Corp were holding commercial talks to use common facilities in the KG Basin, the region where the two companies, apart from Reliance Industries, have discovered gas in challenging fields. The minister said his advice is that companies should follow the best practices of oil majors, which share infrastructure to cut costs even if they compete with each other in the market. Pradhan said India’s overhaul of its exploration policy had evoked a positive response globally. He said the International Energy Agency’s director general had written to the government appreciating the policy changes. He said global majors look at the oil price situation before investing, and tend to cut expenditure when prices fall, unlike state firms like ONGC and Saudi Aramco, which have not cut capex. He said the changes in gas price policy for difficult fields will lead to higher production. “These fields will start production in three to four years.” “In challenging fields, ultra-deep water fields, there are three primary stakeholders: ONGC, GSPC and RIL-BP joint venture. All have said publicly that they will increase investment as the price makes it viable. It’s a big statement,” the minister said. He said the government was keen to create an environment that supports investments instead of creating disputes. “We want to take all stakeholders in confidence. Arbitration is a legal right. Arbitration situation shouldn’t come. We want to undertake reforms to ensure that. We don’t want disputes and arbitration, but we’ve got legacy issues. How to sort these out, we are working towards that.” He said the way to resolve such issues was to undertake reforms. Greg Maddux Authentic Jersey
Hyderabad: L&T, Telangana stare at fresh tussle over execution of metro rail project
Engineering giant Larsen and Toubro and the Telangana government could be headed for another faceoff over execution of the Rs 16,375-crore metro rail project in Hyderabad. L&T Metro Rail, which has suffered time and cost overruns, both before and after the formation of Telangana, has a July 2017 deadline for completing the 72-km metro rail project which will crisscross Hyderabad in three corridors. Top officials in the Telangana government and L&T executives confirmed that the infrastructure firm has sent a fresh request to the state government seeking extension of construction deadline by at least 18 months and compensation for various impediments. The project, for which a concession agreement was signed in July 2012, has seen a cost overrun of Rs 3,000 crore, taking the projected cost to nearly Rs 20,000 crore. L&T has reportedly raised these concerns with the state government in the past. Confirming submission of a fresh request to the Telangana government on measures to make the project financially viable, L&T Metro Rail’s chief executive officer VB Gadgil told ET “the government is currently looking into our request and the discussions are going on”. A spokesperson for L&T said delays in finalisation of alignment issues and providing continuous right of way in prime areas, coupled with many other reasons beyond the control of major stakeholders have forced the company to seek more time. However, a senior Telangana official, who did not want to be named, said, “The state government has given the right of way for most portions of the metro rail project except a stretch of 4-km in the old city and hence L&T’s request for compensating for time and cost overruns was rejected. We have asked them to expedite the works and complete the project on schedule.” Another bureaucrat said the state government is against accepting L&T’s request for compensation as it could potentially culminate in complications on penalties, which in turn could lead to modifications to viability gap funding, among other problems. A person close to the development said an independent engineering agency has now been asked to examine the technical and commercial factors and advise both parties on the way forward. “Approaching the independent engineer on any dispute between the partners is just a step before moving towards a prolonged arbitration process,” he said. Claiming that the Telangana government did not refuse L&T’s request, a spokesperson for the state government said, “It (Telangana government) has asked the independent engineer, Louis Berger, to review the request and give them the detailed report.” L&T, which is building the public-private-partnership project with viability gap funding from the central government, was asked by Telangana’s first chief minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao, in 2014 to stall work at certain key locations and consider changing alignments. L&T Metro Rail, which in September 2014 had threatened to pull out of the project expressing concerns over the project’s financial viability, was recently asked to resume work at the locations without any change in alignment. David Mayo Authentic Jersey
Rehab plan for Mumbai’s Girgaum in place for Metro-III
Another hurdle on the Metro-III corridor is expected to be resolved as its consultants have worked out in situ rehabilitation plan for the project-affected persons (PAPs) of Girgaum and Kalbadevi llocalities. The report, which was submitted by the consultants to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), has been forwarded to the state government to seek concessions under the cluster redevelopment policy. A senior official said, “We want the project to be developed under the cluster policy to make a rehabilitation plan for these tenants viable.” Currently, projects on plots measuring 4,000 square metres and above are eligible for approval under the cluster policy. In case of Metro-III, though, consultants have asked the government to relax the guidelines as the affected area would measure 2,000 sq m. The official said, “We have requested the state government to consider our proposal under the cluster policy as a special case.” The MMRC has also reduced the area of the stations by 20-25m to ensure that the least number of structures get affected in these two areas. A total of 26 buildingsin all, 737 familiesin the Kalbadevi and Girgaum areas would be affected by Metro-III. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised in situ rehabilitation for the PAPs and provision for larger homes. All the PAPs will get a minimum of 405 sq ft homes. Currently, those who have 100 or 150 sq ft tenements will get 405 sq ft. But if someone has a 250 sq ft tenement, then the person would get a 500 sq ft one, and for 300 sq ft, a 600 sq ft one. The usual rules of rehabilitation will apply to those who have tenements measuring over 300 sq ft where the occupant will get up to 700 sq ft free and for more, he or she will have to pay the construction cost. The first-ever underground Metro in the city will cover Colaba-Bandra-Seepz. Work is expected to begin this month. The government has decided to allot 30 hectares inside Aarey Colony for construction of a depot, for which a final sanction is likely to come soon. The MMRC has claimed that environmentalists should not have a problem as the number of trees to be hacked in Aarey have also been reduced and changing the location will mean an increase in project cost. The MMRC had set a deadline to appoint a civil works contractor in October 2015 but escalation in cost has delayed awarding of the contract. Bruce Matthews Jersey
Proposal to ensure air ticket for Rs 2,500 for 1-hour journeys: Government
There is a proposal to ensure that only Rs 2,500 is charged per ticket for one-hour flights, government told the Lok Sabha today amid concerns expressed by members over exorbitant airfares. The government also said it will hold consultations with the airlines to explore the possibility of curbing the menace of charging exorbitant airfares during emergency situations. “The Ministry will commence the process of consultations with stakeholders, including airlines, to explore possibilities … of containing fares,” Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said while replying to a debate on Demand for Grants for the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Tourism which was approved by the House later. During the debate, members voiced concern over exorbitant airfares during emergency situations like unprecedented floods in Chennai and Srinagar and the recent Jat agitation. Raju said that during the Chennai floods, the airlines did help the government to evacuate stranded people by operating flights from Arakonam air base to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. He said airlines also came forward to operate additional flights during floods in Srinagar, earthquake in Nepal and the Jat agitation in Haryana. When a member from Kerala complained of exorbitant fares on the Gulf route, the Minister remarked, “we can control only things in India”. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said the government is working on strengthening regional air connectivity and in this regard, there is a proposal to ensure that only Rs 2,500 per ticket is charged for one-hour flights. Raju said a comparative study undertaken by the Ministry for January-March 2013 and the same period during 2016 showed a reduction of 18.10 per cent in airfares. This shows that the airlines are passing the benefits from lower ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) costs to the passengers, he added. In recent times, concerns have been expressed in various quarters about rising airfares despite fall in fuel prices, which account for over 40 per cent of a carrier’s total operating costs. Raju denied knowledge of any proposal from Kerala government for starting an airline by the state government. “There has not been even an application…Imaginary questions are being asked,” the Civil Aviation Minister said, adding “We have not denied any airline that has applied… Four airlines have got permission (in the last two years)… No such Kerala airline has applied.” During the debate, Congress member KC Venugopal had said the Kerala government had proposed to launch an airlines Air Kerala that would mainly cater to people from the state living in Gulf countries. He asked the Centre to expedite the proposal. On the purchase of 68 aircraft by Air India during the UPA regime, Raju said the matter is before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which has taken oral evidence and the matter is going to come up before the panel this month. The Minister said that Air India has reported operating profit of Rs 8 crore in the last financial year (2015-16) as against the loss of Rs 2,686 crore in 2014-15. Raju said there has been robust growth in the civil aviation sector which has grown by 21 per cent and at present, India is ninth in the world in terms of passenger traffic. The aim is to become the third largest civil aviation economy by 2022, he added. The last two years have witnessed substantial growth in the civil aviation sector where the seats in flights have grown from 66,758 to 74,499 on daily basis, which is a 12 per cent rise, he said. The Minister said civil aviation regulator DGCA will soon provide as many as 166 services online and the first set in this regard will be launched this month. According to Raju, all airlines are strictly adhering to the route dispersal guidelines and performace of all of them was in “excess of target”. The national civil aviation policy is being formulated in consultation with all stakeholders. With regard to problems faced by Air India in its Boeing 787 fleet, Raju said some bottlenecks have been sorted out as spares were available. He also said the Ministry is working on setting up no-frills airports. Sharma said despite the country’s huge potential, it is getting only around 0.68 per cent of the world’s overall tourist arrivals. India received about Rs 1.35 lakh crore from foreing tourist arrivals last year, the Tourism Minister said, while noting that the sector provides about 12 per cent of the employment in the country. To promote medical tourism, Sharma said the government is looking to provide electronic visa (e-visa) for medical purposes. “This is our effort,” he noted. According to him, e-visa is being extended to people from 150 countries and the facility has helped in increasing the number of tourist arrivals. He also said that e-visa systems need reforms such as extending the validity and providing multiple entries. “India is a safe country. India is not an unsafe country,” Sharma said even as observed that safety is a matter of concern for everyone and a single incident can have multiple effects. “Safety, security and hospitality are the pillars of tourism… We have tried to address all of them,” the Tourism Minister noted. On the Tourism Ministry not able to spend its budgetary allocation in the last fiscal, Sharma said that was due to introduction of new schemes for which there was delay from state governments in giving their detailed project reports. As a result, the funds could not be fully utilised, he added. Rashod Hill Authentic Jersey
GMR reluctant to share info with AAI on DIAL accounts?
As DIAL completes ten years of operating the international airport here, majority stakeholder GMR remains reluctant to share certain financial information about the joint venture sought by the Airports Authority of India for audit purpose. Diversified GMR group holds 64 per cent stake in Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) while Mini-ratna Public Sector Undertaking AAI has 26 per cent ownership and the rest is with Germany’s airport operator Fraport. Sources in the know said GMR has been showing reluctance to share certain documents related to the accounts of DIAL with AAI even after a year of the government informing GMR of a CAG audit of the AAI revenue of DIAL. According to them, AAI has sought various documents, including those pertaining to DIAL’s internal audit, for a proposed (Comptroller and Auditor General) audit of the former’s accounts. As part of the JV agreement, the government-run airport operator is entitled to a 46 per cent share in the revenue of DIAL. A set of detailed queries sent to GMR spokesperson, Sidharath Kapur President and CFO-Airports at GMR Group and DIAL Chief Executive Officer Prabhakara Rao on April 27, on whether it has refused to share the internal audit report of DIAL remained unanswered. The query on whether GMR has refused to share with AAI documents related to the joint venture’s various subsidiaries also did not elicit any response. On April 20, a DIAL spokesperson had responded to queries related to possible audit of DIAL accounts by CAG. On whether GMR has provided all the documents as requested for the CAG audit, the spokesperson said AAI has not asked for any documents from DIAL for the audit. “However, it has sought certain documents and details from DIAL under the provisions of OMDA (Operations, Management and Development Agreement), which have already been provided to AAI within the given time,” he noted. Interestingly, on February 25, the government informed the Lok Sabha that AAI has sought documents from its joint venture partners — GMR and GVK — for a CAG audit of the books of accounts of the Delhi and Mumbai airports. “AAI has appointed CAG as its representative to scrutinise the books of accounts of Delhi International Airport (DIAL) and Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to ensure that due government share is accruing to AAI,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma had said in a written reply. When asked whether GMR is opposing a CAG audit, a DIAL spokesperson, on April 20, had said, “DIAL, in principle, is not against any audit by AAI as per the provisions of the OMDA”. “In terms of the provisions of article 149 of the constitution of India section 15-20 of the CAG Act, 1971 as well as the CAG guidelines on PPP, there does not exist authority in favour of CAG to conduct the audit of PPP projects,” the DIAL spokesperson said in an e-mailed response. However, he declined to provide clarity on whether GMR is opposed to CAG audit. The spokesperson said that the Kelkar committee on PPP projects had also categorically stated that such projects are not subjected to CAG audit. “In case of DIAL, there exist checks and balances through proper audit mechanism, such as, internal audit, statutory audit by one of the international reputed big firms, revenue audit by auditors appointed by AAI and regulatory checks and certification by Independent Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA). “Further, DIAL board and audit committee comprising AAI nominee and independent director(s) also audit books and accounts of DIAL,” he said. Brett Favre Jersey
Government bats for Air India, says ‘zero accident’ due to maintenance
Coming to the defence of the beleagured Air India, government today rejected the perception about the state carrier being the “leader in emergency landings” and asserted that there has been “zero accident” due to poor maintenance. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajpathi Raju told the Rajya Sabha that every safety proceedure is followed in the Air India as “no deficiency” would be allowed in flying Indian aircrafts. He said the performance of Air India has improved and it is making profit for the first time in 10 years. “It is unfair to say that Air India is the leader in emergency landings… I do not go into Air India bashing at all. It is unfair to say this,” Raju said while replying to questions in which opposition members voiced concern over emergency landings by the planes of the state carrier. “During the last two years and the current year, a total of 120 incidents of emergency landing due to medical emergency and technical reasons have been reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Out of the 120 incidents, 102 were due to medical emergency and 18 due to technical reasons,” the minister said. Of the 120 incidents of emergency landing, 23 are attributed to Air India and the rest to other airlines, he said. “We follow every safety procedure for all airlines including Air India. We can’t risk people’s life. No deficiency will be allowed to in flying Indian aircrafts in the sky,” he said. Replying to a question by Congress leader Ambika Soni, the Civil Aviation Minister said all incidents due to technical reasons investigated by DGCA and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and safety recommendations emanating from the investigation reports are followed up for implementation with the concerned agencies so as to prevent recurrence of similar incidents in future. He also asserted that Air India is making profit “for the first time in last 10 years” even as he stated that the aviation safety rating of India was downgraded during the UPA regime, a remark which drew sharp reaction from Congress members. “Air India’s all-time performance has increased. This year it is making profit, which is the first time in last ten years. It is making an operative profit. Air India is doing good work,” Raju asserted. Kenny Stills Jersey