CPI MP Binoy Viswam on Saturday said that any enquiry into the Air India Express plane crash at Kozhikode airport should take into account maintenance issues caused by pay cuts and certain other policy changes introduced by the national carrier.
The Air India Express flight from Dubai with 190 on board overshot the tabletop runway at Kozhikode airport on Friday night while landing in heavy rains and fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two, killing at least 18 passengers, including the two pilots of the aircraft.
"While the preliminary investigation is underway and circumstances of the crash are being unearthed, it is clear that the staff and the crew of Air India have displayed exemplary courage in the face of such adversity. Over the past two years, the entire Air India organisation has been severely affected by the government's decision to privatise the airline," Viswam, who is also the president of the Alliance Air Employees Union, said.
He said the uncertainty over the future as well as the government's decision to cut wages and introduce a leave without pay policy has caused "great mental stress" to all employees.
"In such circumstances, it is possible that the maintenance and safety of aircrafts is also jeopardised and it is important that the enquiry looks into these aspects as well," the CPI's Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala said.
He also hailed the crew of Air India who he said continued to provide their services even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and brought thousands of Indians stranded abroad back home.
"I hope the central government makes note of the sacrifices and hardships being faced by employees of Air India and work towards improving their employment conditions and providing them with job security amidst the impending privatisation. I once again extend my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and wish a speedy recovery to all those injured," he said.
The CPI(M) too offered its condolences to the kin of the those who died in the tragedy and demanded a speedy investigation to unearth the cause of the accident.
Comments
0 comment