Saturday, January 14 2006 17:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Observing that Civil Aviation Ministry had said the eligibility criteria of the bid process for modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports would not bealtered, a Communist Party of India (CPI) Marxist (M) MP today (Jan 14,2006) sought the Prime Minister's intervention to maintain this stand saying any change in it could put a question mark on government's credibility.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member Dipankar Mukherjee said the Ministry had, in reply to his letter, stated that the restructuring process was at a 'very crucial and stage' and 'no relaxation or change in any of the eligibility criteria' was being contemplated.

"I am therefore shocked that within a fortnight, Government has changed its stand and the empowered Group of Ministers (eGoM) is reportedly trying to pressurise even Sreedharan Committee to re-examine all bids and to tap top three bids for each airports with an ostensible aim to dilute the eligibility criteria," he said.

"This clearly shows that reason other than urgency ofmodernisation of airports is dictating the so-called transparent bidding process", Mukherjee said.

He referred to 'disquieting' media reports especially in a daily 'which appears to be the government spokesman' on the airport issue about 'a directive from you that the current bidding process should not be scrapped at any cost'.

"Needless to add, if this is true, all discussions and consultations on the subject in different fora, would appear to be mere eye-wash", the CPI(M) leader said.

Urging the Prime Minister to intervene for ensuring that there was no change in the evaluation process 'at the last stage for facilitating privatisation at any cost', Mukherjee said in view of the urgency, the modernisation work at the two airports be given to Airports Authority of India.

The AAI should undertake this corporate mission of making world-class airports on its own and, if required, with theexpert opinion of E Sreedharan, the chief architect of Delhi Metro and Konkan Railway, 'without resorting to a blind search for private enterprises', the CPI(M) MP said.