Government may decide on airport modernisation in a month

NEW DELHI: The government is likely to take a decision on launching a major modernisation project for the four metro airports of the country within a month.
"The Cabinet has asked Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and me to chalk out the modalities so that these airports are developed to international standards on a fast-track basis," Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain said after inspecting facilities for Hajis at the specially-built Haj terminal of Delhi airport.
"We will soon revert to the Cabinet after fine-tuning the proposal," he said, adding the entire Cabinet was unanimous on the development of airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai at the earliest.
He said all options of leasing, creation of joint ventures and government funding of the modernisation plans were open and the major thrust was to ensure that the airports were developed soon enough.
The Cabinet on January three had deferred the decision on airport privatisation and had asked the Finance Minister and Hussain to chalk out modalities within a month.
The issue has been hanging fire since Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced it in 1999. The Cabinet had earlier proposed leasing of the airports but later changed the option to setting up of joint ventures. But now it could even consider granting budgetary support for the purpose.