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Journalism of Courage
The anger against out-of-turn bulk promotions issued by former Air India CMD V Thulasidas on his last day in office is gathering steam.
Another lot of senior officials from Air India has made a presentation to the new CMD of the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL), Raghu Menon, expressing their resentment.
The officials, it is learnt, may be considering taking the issue to court as well, claiming “total disregard for government propriety and process”.
On the last day in office as CMD of National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) — which he headed for a year — Thulasidas signed promotion orders of over 45 people in the organisation. It is alleged that many of them were promoted without proper protocol.
Pointing out that officers junior to them had been given promotions despite not having served their probation period, senior officials have sought that Thulasidas’s orders be stayed immediately.
While the Ministry of Civil Aviation has ordered a review of the promotion orders, there is widespread resentment among officials over the disturbing of the “chain of command”.
Incidentally, in 2006, Thulasidas had kept in abeyance some 38 requests for voluntary retirement sanctioned by a senior official of A-I subsidiary, Hotel Corporation of India, on the grounds that the step was taken in the last few days of the official’s tenure.
Thulasidas had signed promotion orders for 30 people to operate as officiating general managers and promoted another 25 to the deputy general manager (DGM) level. Some others were promoted to the executive director level.
An official who was due to retire on March 31 was re-appointed as a senior official at Air India Express with a monthly salary of above Rs 1 lakh and additional benefits like a house and car, according to sources.
