New Aviation Minister on the cards?

Sources reveal Vayalar Ravi, who is fed up with the incessant infighting in Air India, may give up the ministry

New Aviation Minister on the cards?

Sources reveal Vayalar Ravi, who is fed up with the incessant infighting in Air India, may give up the ministry

THE second Cabinet reshuffle of the UPA-II is on the cards. While many heavyweight politicians of the ruling alliance may be spending sleepless nights, anxious about the berths, there are a few ministers who would be happy to relinquish their "jinxed" portfolios.

If highly-placed sources in the aviation ministry are to be believed, Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi is pushing hard for a change of portfolio apparently owing to the ongoing proxy war between the Air India management and its employees, which was earning his office a bad name.

Determined
Hours after the civil aviation portfolio was handed over to him on January 19, Ravi had told MiD DAY, "I will restore Air India to its former glory and position of pride and am committed to making it a profitable venture."
But all his efforts went in vain due to the ongoing infighting in Air India.

"Since Ravi is in additional charge of the civil aviation ministry, he is not able to give enough time to the Ministry for Overseas and Indian affairs.

As he is not comfortable with the aviation portfolio, he won't mind if he loses the ministry to someone else. He will continue to be in the cabinet anyway. He is likely to retain his overseas and Indian affairs portfolio," said a senior official from the ministry on condition of anonymity.

A civil aviation ministry officialu00a0 said Ravi, who used to participate in all meetings of Air India initially, hardly attends any these days.

"When he had taken over, he used to participate in all the meetings of Air India, but now everything is being handled by the CMD," he added.

Five months have passed since Ravi took charge, but nothing has changed on the ground. The situation has become rather bleak for the embattled Maharaja and seeing no respite in sight, the Commander has decided to hang up his boots.

It's not that Ravi did not try to revive the sinking national carrier, but all his efforts boomeranged. He held meetings with all the existing trade unions of Air India to solve the disputes between the management and them.

Despite all his honest and desperate efforts to revive Air India, the minister could not keep pilots from going on a strike a few months ago. Worse, the airline is in the defaulters lists of oil companies and airports.

And to top it all, Air India's inability to pay its employees due to lack of funds dented its image as a credible employer.

"Initially, he talked to employees' unions and kept himself abreast of their problems.

But now he seems to have given up on his dream of reviving Air India, maybe because he has already made up his mind to quit this portfolio," said a senior leader of an employee union. The minister could not be reached for comment.