Even as the cash-strapped national carrier Air India (AI) struggles to pay salaries to its employees, it had no problem whatsoever doling out a ‘reward’ of Rs25 lakh each to two ineligible employees.
Even as the cash-strapped national carrier Air India (AI) struggles to pay salaries to its employees, it had no problem whatsoever doling out a ‘reward’ of Rs25 lakh each to two ineligible employees under its Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) in 2007.
What’s more, the application of a deserving candidate Pradeep Khanna under the scheme was not entertained. The airline, however, maintains that no such thing has happened.
Since the last two years Pradeep Khanna, 55, an ex-employee of Indian Airlines (now AI) has been running from pillar to post to find out why he was not chosen for VRS 2007. “I have written to the airline, the central vigilance commission (CVC), even to the prime minister’s office. But nothing has come out of it,” he said.
In August 2007, National Aviation Company of India Limited, a joint company of AI and Indian, came up with a VRS scheme for its cabin crew. Only those candidates who were medically fit (includes not being overweight) and did not have any disciplinary action against them could apply. Khanna who then worked as chief cabin crew applied for VRS in October 2007 as the scheme closed in November 2007. “But they rejected my application without giving me any explanation. In 2008, I retired under normal VRS,” he said.
Khanna then applied under the Right to Information (RTI) act to know who the beneficiaries were under the scheme and was stunned to know that two women– Chitra Mainkar and Aditi Walawalkar–who were not eligible were granted VRS under the scheme.
Khanna sent a letter to the CVC and on January 11, 2010, the airlines chief vigilance officer (CVO) admitted to financial irregularity in the case. An investigation by the CVO found that Mainkar was absent for 102 days in 2006 and should have undergone disciplinary action, and Walawalkar was grounded for being overweight since 1997, yet was not declared unfit.
Spokesperson for AI said, “In Khanna’s case, even before a decision on his application under the VRS could be taken, he applied for VRS in May 2008. Khanna’s request for VRS was cleared at the regional level.”
He added that it was incorrect to allege misappropriation by the vigilance department. “A report from the department in this case is being looked into by the region,” he said.
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