ITANAGAR, Aug 23: Taking strong exception to the privatization of the airports in Guwahati (Assam), Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), NECC general secretary Padi Richo in a press statement on Sunday questioned why “valuable infrastructures created by the Congress government” were being privatized by the BJP-led union government.
As per the Centre’s decision, the three airports have been mortgaged to the Adani Enterprise Ltd, the flagship entity of the Adani Group, for 50 years, to help the airports become self-reliant.
Richo claimed that the move proved the government’s incapability to manage even profitably running public sector undertakings like these three airports, which were under the Airports Authority of India.
“If such moves continued that too privatizing lone international airport of Northeast India, who knows our country could be mortgaged in the name of self-reliance too,” Richo said, adding that mortgaging the airports “is humiliating for this vast nation.”
He also said that the central government “has been totally incapable of managing finance, for which Arunachal Pradesh lost Rs 2,600 crore in 2019-20 fiscal year, Rs 850 crore during first quarter of 2020-21 (April, May and June) and another Rs 950 crore loss is expected in second quarter (July to September).”
“This type of financial bungling had never taken place during the Congress-led UPA regime,” he claimed.
