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Airsick
Starved
of resources and bogged down by mismanagement, pilferage and irregularities,
Punjab's civil aviation is in an utter mess. INDIA TODAY's Special Correspondent
Ramesh Vinayak reports.
In
a state where the chief minister logs a monthly average of 50 hours flying,
one would expect civil aviation to be in full throttle. But no where is
the paradox more stark than in the Punjab of Parkash Singh Badal, whose
annual flying bill has now touched an all-time high of Rs 3 crore. The
230-acre civil airfield at Patiala that also houses the VIP aviation wing
is enough evidence of that.
The place resembles a huge junk yard. While an air-conditioned helicopter,
on wet lease, is Badal's favourite, the state-owned six-seater King Air
aircraft (C-90) has been grounded since April due to a radar snag. Delay
in the repair has meant an additional flying bill of over Rs 1 crore for
the chopper. Despite a limited utility of its fixed wing aircraft —
never more than 30 hours a month — the state has been incurring an
annual establishment cost of Rs 55 lakh, while keeping a spares inventory
of Rs 70 lakh. The current market value of the 20 year-old aircraft is
pegged at Rs 3 crore. Another state government-owned, four-seater aircraft,
Bonanza VT-DAH, has been grounded since 1990 for want to repairs. Spares
worth lakhs of rupees for its repairs were allegedly pilfered. And of
a fleet of two dozen training aircraft, all of them outdated, only five
are air worthy.
Starved of resources and bogged down by mismanagement, pilferage and irregularities,
Punjab's civil aviation is in a mess. Things have nosedived sharply in
the past two years, compelling the state government to initiate recently
the first moves to privatise aircraft operations and reduce the baggage
of liability. "It (civil aviation) has become a dead horse,"
admits Punjab Civil Aviation Minister Raja Narinder Singh. "As there
is no money, privatisation is the only way out".
Even as the state Government put an advertisement for hiring pilots on
King Air from the private sector, there are signs of a simmering row over
the issue. Officials in the operations and maintenance wing allege that
a Delhi-based private aviation company owned by S.S. Majithia, a relative
of Badal's, was being unduly favoured. "The Government is throttling
civil aviation for making the case for privatisation," says a senior
technocrat with the department. Majithia, the father-in-law of Badal's
son and former Union minister Sukhbir Singh, owns Saraya Industries, which
runs an air taxi service and aircraft maintenance facilities at the IGI,
Delhi.
Charges of favouritism apart, Finance Minister Kanwaljit Singh, whose
running duel with Raja is an open secret, alleges that the civil aviation
department "stinks with a major scandal". Counters Raja: "By
not releasing the budgeted grant of Rs 1 crore, Singh himself has been
killing civil aviation." Last year, a proposal was mooted to sanction
Rs 1 crore as a one-time grant-in-aid to revive the departments and its
four flying clubs which are in the doldrums.
However, a tug of war between the ministers has only exacerbated the civil
aviation's descent. Singh justifies the withholding of grants, saying
that the department never forwarded any proposal on the purchase of training
aircraft for the flying clubs. Raja denies this accusing the Finance Department
of sitting over the proposals. Little wonder, the flying clubs are now
on the verge of closure, unable to even pay salaries of its employees.
Saddled with an ageing King Air, now a costly liability, the state Government
has plans to lease out the operations and maintenance of VIP aircraft.
It is also toying with the option of privatising maintenance along with
the existing infrastructure. Lack of resources for even repairs has been
only one of the reasons for King Air remaining grounded. Last year, it
could not take to the skies for eight months for the want of a pilot,
after the state Government's appointee, peeved at being denied promotion
despite being qualified, got himself medically relieved.
Another chief pilot selected in March this year is yet to join, although
the condition of the minimum 150 hours flying on King Air was relaxed
in his case. "Getting an experienced pilot at the government salary
is a major problem," says an aviation official. But those opposed
to privatisation believe that not hiring a regular pilot is part of the
Government's move to lease out VIP flying, even at the risk of overlooking
the security aspect.
Much of all this is said to do with Majithia whose interest in Punjab's
civil aviation has increased since the Badal Government came to power
in 1997. Besides being nominated on the Punjab Civil Aviation Authority
as a member, Majithia figured in the pilot selection panel as well. The
Majithia connection is also seen in the appointment of Lakhbir Singh,
a retired chief engineer with Punjab civil aviation, and now employed
with Saraya Industries, as manager of two flying clubs and the Aircraft
Maintenance College at Patiala by the state Government despite objections
by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The other two flying
clubs at Amritsar and Ludhiana are headed by the deputy commissioners.
Official documents reveal that Saraya Industries has since 1999 been asking
the Punjab Government for allotment of hangars and one acre land on lease
at the Patiala airfield for setting up a private aircraft overhauling
facility. In response to a flurry of letters written by Majithia, the
Punjab Government has been contemplating framing a policy on his proposal.
Incidentally, Saraya Industries has so far been the only private company
seeking official land and hangars at Patiala "Saraya is the main
contender," says Raja. " But it is asking for the government
aero-engine overhauling workshop which does not suit us."
With civil aviation officials dithering over leasing out the aviation
land, Majithia even sought sanction to make use of the NCC air squadron's
hangar and a part of building belonging to the aircraft maintenance college
at the Patiala airfield. However, NCC authorities and the college refuse
to part with their infrastructure. Majithia had even suggested the shifting
of the King Air maintenance to Chandigarh - a move that the Government
is now keen to put in the place, raising several eyebrows.
Last month, the Government set up a technical appraisal committee to evaluate
the performance of the Patiala workshop. This is seen as a precursor to
making a case for shifting the workshop and its chief engineer to Chandigarh.
Officials allege that the move is aimed at enabling Saraya Industries
to get a foothold in the Patiala airfield with 236-acres of prime land,
an airstrip, five hangars and a technical workshop. Lakhbir Singh is said
to be Saraya Industries' pointman in the bid.
Unlike the Delhi airport where private maintenance operators have to pay
an exorbitant ground rent, the Patiala airfield and the VIP hangars have
been a free port for those with VIP connections . In July 1999, Saraya
were accorded a one-month permission to use a hangar at the Patiala airfield
for a nominal rent of Rs 1,000.
The Punjab Civil Aviation Authority, set up in 1998 to rejuvenate the
defunct flying clubs and augment the civil aviation infrastructure through
private investment, has come a cropper. While plans for the merger of
flying clubs have run into rough weather, the proposal to buy new training
aircraft is still on paper as the Finance Department is chary of releasing
Rs 1.75 crore without proposals from the civil aviation department which
is burdened with a liability of Rs 3.50 crore and is not a position to
retrench idle manpower.
But Badal has done precious little to make amends. He is being accused
of taking the the easy way out by increasing the use of helicopter on
wet lease. His average helicopter flying — 35 hours a month before
the King Air was grounded — has now almost doubled. Result: his soaring
flying bill is burning a big hole in the state exchequer. King Air's repeated
grounding in the past four years has meant an extra burden of Rs 4 crore
for the state. Given the Government's neglect and controversial privatisation
plans, civil aviation in Punjab continues to be on a wing and a prayer.
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