Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi, April 25: A move by the DMK government in Tamil Nadu to seek revenue share from privatised airports and equity against land donated by the state for the construction of new airports is resonating in other Opposition-ruled states, notwithstanding the escalating Centre-state conflict over economic concerns.
Chhattisgarh’s Congress administration and Jharkhand’s JMM-led government have now endorsed Tamil Nadu’s plan.
The Centre has not formally commented on the proposals being set up by states, but central bureaucrats have indicated a reluctance to give in to the states’ demands, claiming that doing so would likely stifle “privatisation inclinations.”
Tamil Nadu’s proposal is said in its new industrial coverage. “That is very logical. If you give it (land) to a Authorities of India enterprise, you’re turning into a companion and that’s your asset. When that asset is being transferred to a different get together, and particularly when that get together is a personal get together — just one companion can’t get the share,” T S Singh Deo, Chhattisgarh’s Minister of Panchayat and Rural Growth, Well being and Household Welfare and Business Tax, informed The Indian Categorical.
“The land belongs to the state and the exercise additionally takes place within the state…so in such a state of affairs, if we get the income share, our revenue may even rise. We’ll assist such a requirement. All land belongs to the federal government, it belongs to the state, we now have given it to the federal government…they need to share income with the state authorities in case it’s privatized,” talking to The Indian Categorical, Jharkhand’s Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon said.
The Centre, on the other hand, believes that if a new airport is built or an existing one is refurbished, the state benefits financially from the infrastructure.
In accordance with the Nationwide Monetization Pipeline, 25 airports run by Airports Authority of India (AAI) have been earmarked for asset monetisation by 2025. This includes the Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Raipur, Kozhikode, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Surat, Ranchi, Jodhpur, Chennai, Vijayawada, Vadodara, Bhopal, Tirupati, Hubli, Imphal, Agartala, Udaipur, Dehradun and Rajahmundry airport.
The Centre has so far privatised six airports, with Adani Enterprises leased out for 50 years in Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, and Mangaluru.
When a fresh new airport is being built or an existing airport is enlarged by AAI, state governments sometimes purchase land parcels and lease them to AAI for a 99-year period for a fee of Re 1. The land is purchased, then evacuated before being transferred to AAI.
