NEW DELHI, FEB 5: In a surprise move, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Sharad Yadav has decided to reinstate sacked chief of the Hotel Corporation of India (HCI) Kamal Sharma. The decision to bring back Sharma, who interestingly has just a week left of his original term (it ends on February 8), has created a storm in Air India which is in the process of selling off HCI. Currently, the HCI charge is being held by AI Deputy Managing Director J N Gogoi. Sharma has already joined work.Sharma had been removed as chairman cum managing director HCI by Yadav's predecessor Ananth Kumar in February 1998. He was removed for allegedly showing undue favours to an official of the Scheduled Caste Commission who was conducting an inquiry into HCI. AI officials are perplexed since the Ministry is still to tell them whether Gogoi is expected to hand over charge to Sharma and what the future is of the disinvestment plan which is at an advanced stage. Says an AI director: ``This is how the Ministry operates. We are sellingoff HCI by April and then they do this and do not even bother to inform us.''Official sources say that now Yadav has directed that the original decision to sack Sharma be reversed and instead of facing removal as part of the major penalty chargesheet against him, he should only face a ``reduction in salary'', as is being done now. Even this, officials say, is in violation of norms as in the case of heads of PSUs who are appointed by the PE SB, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has to be consulted. Nor is it clear if Sharma will have to demit office on February 8 or whether he continues till the sale of HCI is finalised.
