People's Democracy

Invoking 'Security Reasons' Selectively

CPI(M) MP Seeks Clarification

The following is the text of the letter written by CPI(M) MP Tapan Sen to the prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh on supply of aero-bridges and the issues involved in it May 25, 2006. A copy of it has been sent to the chairman of the standing committee on transport, tourism & culture.

I INVITE your immediate attention to the observation of Delhi High Court in its order dated May 09, 2006 regarding supply, installation and commissioning of 42 units of Passenger Boarding Bridges (PBB) at an estimated cost of Rs 79 crore by Airports Authority of India (AAI) through a global tender. I understand that the lowest offer of Rs 79.10 crore by a Chinese Company M/s Shenzhen Cimac-Tianda Airport Support Ltd. has been rejected because of security reasons, thus leaving only one bidder in the field (a Spanish company M/s Thyssenkrupp) which has quoted Rs 189 crore for the same job.

The High Court after going through the files submitted by the government has observed “If it is really security perception then this Court will be reluctant to interfere in the matter but under the garb of security reasons it is also not open for the respondent to create a monopoly”. Incidentally the same Chinese company had been supplying PBBs to AAI since 1997 and have installed them at Kochi, Hyderabad and Bangalore airports.

The affidavit submitted on behalf AAI before the High Court states that after 9/11-2001 incident, security threat perception have changed globally and a fresh categorisation of sensitive, hyper-sensitive airports in border areas has been done by Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCA) and AAI is within its rights to reject any tender for security reason.

I request you to kindly clarify how China is being perceived as a security threat working in a part of the airport area while sensitive/hyper-sensitive airports like Delhi, Mumbai as a whole including their operation and maintenance are being handed over to private operators in collaboration with German and Singapore companies. You will agree security reasons, if any, should hold good for the whole airport, rather than only for aerobridges and security perception should be clear vis-à-vis our relation with other countries. This cannot be left to the sweet will of BCA and ministry of civil aviation.