New Delhi: The privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports has hit yet another air pocket. It's been barely a week since the government asked a high powered panel of 'babus' to look into the matter. Now yet another committee has been asked to give its expert opinion.
Forget a smooth take off, now it's a clear case of the government trying to buy time. What else does it suggest when the government sets up yet another panel headed by Delhi metro chief to review the airport privatisation exercise.
Just last week a senior group of Cabinet ministers had forwarded the same issue to a panel of 'babus' led by the Cabinet Secretary and now government's 'Chief babu' wants another expert commitee's advice.
The three member panel will headed by the DMRC Chief E Sreedharan. He will be assisted by a senior official from the railways and the Director General of Civil Aviation, and the panel will submit its report by January 10.
Sources say it is very unlikely that the bid parameters will be changed at this point but the new panel will be asked to see whether the bid evaluations were fair.
That's exactly what the Left leaders have been saying, they have even met the Prime Minister on this raising issues of conflict of interest between the advisors and the bidders, also they say how can the deal be clean when only two players ReIiance and GMR are left in the fray for the two airports after the technical bids.
Sources say, to a political opposition there is a possibility that more bidddrs will be shortlisted for the second round where the financial bids will be opened.
But such plans may also crash land with some of the successful bidders not ruling out legal action in case of such an eventuality. What more is needed when the Attorney General himself has given a clean chit to the entire process.
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