New Delhi: The government in a sudden move — removed Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman R.K. Srivastava from his post, nearly 15 months after he was brought at the helm for a five-year term. A 1984-batch Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer, 58-year-old R.K. Srivastava had taken charge in January last year. According to news agency reports from Hyderabad — where top civil aviation ministry officials are attending the India Aviation Exhibition — minister of State for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma confirmed the move to replace AAI chairman.
Mr. Srivastava is likely to be sent back to his parent cadre. The government’s move stunned aviation ministry officials in Hyderabad. Apparently, Mr. Srivastava too had travelled to Hyderabad for the event and was taken by surprise when he heard about his removal. Mr. Sharma told news agency PTI from Gorakhpur that the government will find a suitable replacement for Srivastava soon but did not give the reason for the decision.
Speculations are rife that there may have been complaints about delayed file clearances and the overall functioning of the AAI. But according to agency reports, the move comes at a time when AAI has sought documents from its joint venture partners — GMR and GVK — for a CAG audit of the books of accounts of the Delhi and Mumbai airports. Arun Kumar, who is presently joint secretary for airports in the civil aviation ministry, is likely to be given additional charge of the post of AAI chairman.
