The Goan Network
What will happen to public-sector-undertakings (PSUs) in another ten years if no lessons are learnt from Air India’s failure? Why should the employees of public-sector expect salary standards of private sector, if they don’t change their work-attitude? Why were the problems identified in Air-India way back in 1989 not resolved till now by Air-India’s management, employees and the central government?
These were some pertinent questions raised by Jitender Bhargava- a former executive director of Air India “ in a talk in Panaji. Bhargava has worked in Air India for more than two decades and is known as an aviation expert in the country. He has also authored a book called ‘The Descent of Air India’.
Bhargava said: “One of the reasons behind Air India’s downfall is that often bureaucrats are appointed by the central government as the carrier’s chief executive. These bureaucrats have no experience in civil aviation sector. Moreover, the central government frequently transfers them thereby not letting them even finish their tenure, and as a result, they aren’t able to find solutions to the fundamental problems”
Bhargava continued, “As of today, Air India has Rs 80,000 crore of losses. With such kinds of losses, it is very difficult to find a private investor, who would buy the airline. But, as early as 1988, Air India was referred as a case for disinvestment to the Central government. However, in 2009, the then Prime Minister announced that the government will not allow Air India to die.”
Bhargava also claimed that there is always a blame-game between the politicians and the employees of Air-India, with each party blaming the other for the fall of the airline. The political classes and the bureaucracy haven’t made the airline professional and the employees don’t take enough initiative to make sure that the airline meets the standards of private sector.
When asked a solution for the crisis, Air India finds itself in, Bhargava replied, “One must fix accountability, fix responsibility, which will bring professionalism within the organisation. Bringing professionalism is the solution and not necessarily privatisation, as several private players also are suffering from huge losses”
But, as of now, the central government doesn’t seem to have learnt any lesson from Air India’s failure. Bhargava said: “There is a serious threat to even other PSUs if no lessons are learnt from Air India’s case”
