Protests Across The Country Over Privatisation Of Airports

The Central government is handing over various airports in the country to private players one-by-one. Recently, the government has handed over half-a-dozen airports, including Delhi and Mumbai airports, to private companies. These include airports that measure up to international standards and airports that have proved to be profitable. However, employees of the Airports Authority of India have begun a hunger strike in protest against the move.

They say that unless it is stopped, the Central government will privatise all the airports in the country. They are asking if the Modi government is handing over the country’s airports to one particular company? 

In this hunger strike are included employees ranging from the cleaning staff to the engineering staff of the Airport Authority. They say that if it has to, it should hand over new and under-construction airports of the country to private companies. Why are those airports that have been made profitable by the employees’ hard work being privatised? 

Included in this strike are Airport Authorities Employees’ Union, Indian Airports Kamgar Union, Airport Authority Employees’ Union and Engineers’ Guild, among several other unions. They say that the central government is, one-by-one, handing over companies in the government sector to private entities. Therefore, talks are underway with organisations in the banking, coal, insurance, mining and steel sectors, so that a campaign against privatisation could be accelerated.

Demonstrators also said that if the government wants aviation growth, then it should stay away from privatisation. Air travel will get more expensive on being privatised, which will have an impact on its growth.

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Airports Authority of India (#AAI) employees have begun a #hungerstrike across the country against the #privatisations of the airports@ShahnawazMalik_ pic.twitter.com/ypq5cnJla2

— GoNewsIndia (@GoNews_India) September 25, 2019