Aviation Ministry yet to take action on ombudsman for timely redressal of grievances

NEW DELHI: India’s airline sector is yet to get an ombudsman even three months after the civil aviation minister moved a note pushing for it.

The issue has been hanging fire since 2001. In November last year, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju’s office had sent a note to civil aviation secretary V Somasundaram saying the institution of ombudsman is a step forward in timely redressal of grievances and for bringing about better standards by public institutions.

A senior civil aviation ministry official said there has been “no movement” on appointment. “We are receiving a lot of complaints from all quarters, including MPs, on the way airlines handle them. MPs are people, who have access to the ministry, to register their complaints but there are a lot of common people, who do not have access to the ministry,” the official, who did not want to be identified, said.

“An ombudsman will surely help in giving powers to the common man.”

Consumer-facing sectors such as banking and power have ombudsmen, but the proposal for an aviation ombudsman has so far remained on paper. It was first mooted in January 2011. After several committee meetings, the ministry met airlines last year and agreed to move ahead with the setting up of an ombudsman.

Analysts feel that several sector-related decisions need to be expedited. “Ombudsman is in the decision making process for the last few years. It is important to settle all sector-related issues with a sense of urgency,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO for Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation in India.