BTW, to avoid suspense the self appointed special panel of ministers have declared that airports will be privatized and they will select a bidder in the next two days. Hallelujah the system does work!
Now for the background fundaas,
So, since new airlines are springing up and the aviation sector is booming like there is no tomorrow (Air India ordered 68 brand new Boeing planes, and this is an airline that had no new plane till last year! other airlines went crazy too, it was almost ludicrous at a point, my German friends were asking me if I was going to set up an Airline too, hmmm maybe.......). The airlines and the investors were obviously not happy with the current pathetic (ill)condition of our airports and the government decided to pull up its sleeves and modernize the airports.
Manmohan Singh's government and Praful Patel decided that airports had to be privatized to allow for foreign investment and some efficiency. So bids were invited from eligible investors. However, the leftist supporting wing in the coalition started crying about privatization, and were supported by airport baabus who were afraid of loosing their cushy jobs and the "incentives" that they would get in it, slowing down the process and at a point even threatening to grind it to a halt, staging strikes and everything. It was while following the news that I was so frustrated, the decision was delayed twice, big players like Singapore Changi airport commission withdrew, Sridharan and his gang of bureaucrats advised a re-bidding while the communist wing and airport employees association were staging dharanas and strikes all the time. It looked like the end of the tunnel was leading to a darker pit. And hence the frustrated blog entry......
Well anyway, it is all good now, a decision will be made, airports will be privatized and efficiency will restore. For once I am sure that atleast after a couple of years I won't have to bear sneering remarks from foreigners about the shanty condition of Indian airports while I am abroad, and a bright shiny revamped terminal will welcome me home......
Dream on I say!
ps. for the interested reader this news link covers the whole issue quiet concisely:
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Wednesday/Corporate/BT546313.txt/Article/
Errata, or correction to post:
The plans to privatize airports were actually kicked off by the BJP (NDA) goverment early last year, the UPA goverment is doing a great job in navigating them though...
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