Sharad faces flak on choice of retd official to head A-I

Yadav’s decision has sent shock waves through the aviation ministry since Civil Aviation Secretary A H Jung is now holding the office of Chairman, A-I. Said a senior official: “Just what kind of a precedent are we setting by appointing a retired official as Chairman just when disinvestment is to take place.”. Even Managing Director, A-I, Michael Mascarenhas is believed to be opposed to the move on the eve of disinvestment. A-I has had no full-time Chairman since IAS official Brijesh Kumar’s tenure as Chairman-Managing Director ended.

Sources said if the Minister felt the need to appoint a full-time Chairman, a professional could have been chosen. “This would have sent the right signal to the strategic partner; instead we have followed the time-tested method of picking a retired official,” said a senior aviation ministry official.

In a related development Yadav’s nominees for board membership of A-I, which include liquor baron Vijay Mallya, dancer Sonal Mansingh and film director Subhash Ghai, are also expected to be cleared by the ACC at its next meeting. An irate Yadav had been sending repeated reminders to the Prime Minister’s Office to clear these appointments.

Sources say some of Yadav’s choices have been opposed but the Minister has been insisting that the names be cleared by the ACC, arguing that deciding on board members was his prerogative.