'Air India paid ineligible staff Rs25 lakh each'

Mumbai: 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.
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.
An investigation by the chief vigilance officer 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.
29/04/10 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: NACIL Apr 2010