Parliamentary panel raps Aviation Ministry for rise in land encroachment

A parliamentary committee has come down heavily on the Civil Aviation Ministry for a rise in encroachment of land under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and asked it to create an institutional mechanism to address problems relating to land acquisition.

"While deprecating the lack of responsibility being displayed by the Ministry and AAI in the matter, the Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) reiterate their earlier recommendations" of setting up the mechanism, the COPU said in a report tabled in Parliament today.

"Apparent inaction on part of the Ministry and AAI has resulted in increase of land under encroachment," it said, adding the encroached land rose from 680 acres in 2006-07 to 838.22 acres in March 2008.

The COPU, headed by senior Congress MP V Kishore Chandra S Deo, said it was "dismayed to find that the action taken reply of the Ministry is conspicuously silent about the steps contemplated by them" for creating the institutional mechanism comprising senior officials of AAI and the Ministry.

"Undoubtedly, the Ministry have tried to absolve themselves of their responsibility by confining and limiting their role to merely extending support to AAI in resolving the relevant (land-related) issues with the concerned state governments," it said.

It asked the Ministry to take all necessary steps expeditiously to establish the mechanism, which should "address the twin evils of land acquisition and encroachments in an efficacious manner as well as for appointment of nodal officer in the AAI to pursue these issues".