Airport staff's interest to be protected

The government on Monday said in the Rajya Sabha that the Request for Proposal document for modernisation and restructuring of Delhi and Mumbai airports empowered it to make changes in conditions of the bid process at any stage.

"The RFP gave powers to government to vary conditions at any stage. The changes are the subject matter of a case in the Delhi High Court," Praful Patel, Minister of State for Civil Aviation said.

He said the bid process was transacted in such a manner so as to protect the interest of employees of the Airports Authority of India.

The selected bidders, GMR consortium for Delhi airport and GVK consortium for Mumbai airport, are required to absorb 60 per cent of employees at these airports.

Those who do not get absorbed would remain as employees of AAI till their superannuation, he said. Patel said some of the mandatory projects to be completed in Delhi within two years include a new parallel runway, parallel taxiways and upgraded international and domestic terminals.

In Mumbai, he said the works include new high-speed exit taxiways, a new domestic terminal and an international cargo terminal.