The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has decided to step up the agitation against the Centre’s decision to hand over the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to a private player. An indefinite stir will be launched in front of the airport on Thursday.
The stir, to be organised in front of the domestic terminal of the airport on the Shanghumughom side, will be inaugurated by the LDF convener A. Vijayaraghavan. All elected representatives of the LDF from the district will participate in the agitation.
The agitation is in continuation of the observance of ‘Black Day’ in the district on December 10 last, demanding scrapping of the decision to hand over the operation, maintenance, and development of the airport for the next 50 years to a private player.
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The LDF district committee convener, in a statement here on Wednesday, said the move to hand over the premier airport from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode along with five other airports of the country that were making profits was to help the corporates. “Through this move, the BJP is aiming at fund collection for the Lok Sabha polls,” he said.
The privatisation move was at a time when the government was finalising the plan to hand over eight hectares of land in the Vallakkadavu area for the integrated terminal. The attempt was to corner the 635.08 acres of land with the airport that was generating a profit in view of the AAI’s development initiatives, he said.
The LDF district committee convener pointed out that the 20,000-odd employees working at the airport directly and indirectly would be rendered jobless if the airport was privatised.
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Meanwhile, the Airports Authority Employees Union (AAEU) that is agitating against the privatisation move organised a candlelight vigil on Wednesday in front of the international terminal on the city side to drum up support against the privatisation move.
Former Minister and action council chairperson M. Vijayakumar inaugurated the vigil. Former KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran, Communist Party of India district secretary G.R. Anil, Jaymohan of Transport Workers Forum, Airport Authority Employees Union (AAEU) branch secretary S. Ajith Kumar, former councillor Xavier Lopez, and AAI employees attended. Since December 4, the AAEU has been organising a dharna every afternoon at the AAI administrative office in airport.