New Delhi: Even as the debate over the VIP culture of Parliamentarians raises more heat, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Wednesday clarified that neither the Ministry nor the Directorate General of Civil Aviations has issued any order directing private airlines to provide special privileges to MPs.
"No guidelines have been issued by Civil Aviation Ministry or DGCA and there is no such plan too," Singh told IBN7. He rebuffed reports of DGCA issuing guidelines calling them baseless.
Congress leader Rajeev Shukla echoed Singh's reactions. He said, "No government directive has been issued. It is upto the airlines. For the last ten years a lot of demands have been made. Only a few of them have been accepted."
However, the DGCA letter issued to private airlines dated December 16, 2013 tell a different story. CNN-IBN accessed the letter that reads, "The committee on violation of protocol norms & contemptuous behaviour of government officers with member of Lok Sabha has raised the issue with Ministry of Civil Aviation where aiports & airlines are not adhering to guidelines on protocol norms and courtesy to be extended to MPs. It was decided in the meeting the list of nodal officers/protocol officers of all scheduled domestic airlines is to be provided to the Ministry. In compliance to the decision you are requested to submit the list of nodal/protocol officers in respect of your airlines positively by today. The matter is to be treated on urgent basis."
Shukla, however, added, "Lot of MPs come from rural areas. What's wrong if they are being helped out. Lot of them don't understand civil aviation rules."
Communist Party of India leader Sitaram Yechury strongly condemned the move saying that no more privileges should be provided to the MPs.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve, too, tweeted against the proposed move. "The irony is that there are a lot of MPs who live a life of simplicity. Travel by bus to Parliament. Use trains. Work for their constituents," he tweeted.
Shukla hit out at Yechury over his reactions to providing extra perks to MPs by private airlines. He said, "Issue of austerity doesn't fit in here. MPs travel in business class. Same courtesies are extended to MPs as other business class passengers. I must tell you Mr Sitaram Yechury has himself got a lot many facilities extended to MPs."
Former Air India executive director Jitender Bhargava reacted to the entire incident saying that the private airlines must gather enough guts to protest against DGCA guidelines. He also noted that the DGCA did not have the power to direct such orders.
He added that the facilities being enjoyed by MPs in Air India too must be withdrawn. "Let Air India be also allowed to function as a commercial airline," he said.
DGCA has reportedly asked private airlines to offer special privileges to MPs including advance notice of flight delays, escorts, priority check-in, security, immigration clearances, lounge access and complimentary refreshments. All airports and airlines in the country have been asked to put in place the protocols.
Currently, only Air India is following these guidelines.
The directive came after the MPs complained that they should be treated like VIPs at all airports and by all airlines. The DGCA held a meeting to discuss the issue and sent a letter to all on the protocol to be followed.
All airlines are also expected to give a list of nodal/protocol officers for the same.
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