The Descent of Air India (52 page)
Read The Descent of Air India Online
Authors: Jitender Bhargava
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, THE WEAK LINK—MANAGED BY HEADS WITH NO HR BACKGROUND
In a service industry, employees have a key role to play. Human Resources Department therefore has to perform a major role in motivating employees, introducing innovative work practices and ensuring teamwork in a challenging situation that Air India faces today. The HR department has been virtually destroyed in the past two years. Whilst the airline had Anup Srivastava as Director-Personnel, selected by the Public Enterprises Selection Board, till a few weeks ago, he had been sidelined with no work entrusted to him. The Personnel work was first given as an additional charge to the Head of Medical Services Department, an MBBS doctor—yes, MBBS doctor—and later to Mr V. Srikrishnan, who belonged to the Materials Management cadre. The incumbent, having no managerial accomplishments to boast, has only strictures from Chief Vigilance Commission on record for flagrant violation of tendering procedures and causing loss to Air India.
Why such experimentation unless of course the objective is to hasten the pace of Air India’s demise? With no proper thinking on HR policies how does one get the best out of the employees, most of whom are as it is a demoralized lot? There is no dearth of similar examples involving other departments; they are also in a state of total disarray as a consequence of which the aircraft utilization is much below industry standards, passengers are being lured through ‘attractive’ (please read ‘low’) fares with no marketing schemes or efforts to get passengers to patronize Air India. The softer option of seeking more and more financial aid to tide over the current crisis can’t be the ultimate solution. Air India has to work towards generating higher revenues.
IS ANYONE ACCOUNTABLE FOR SINKING AIR INDIA?
With this kind of a shoddy performance on all fronts being allowed to go unchecked, even though the airline’s performance is said to be being monitored by the Committee of Secretaries, how else can one infer but to state that Air India’s existence is being sabotaged with the government, as its owner, unfortunately being a mute spectator?
It is therefore my earnest plea that lest Air India becomes a further disgrace for the nation and the blame for the same is placed at your doorsteps, there is a need to act with a sense of extreme urgency and getting the Chairman of Air India to perform for Air India’s survival and not otherwise; and to also hold those responsible for wayward decisions affecting Air India’s fortunes accountable.
I would while looking forward to your response like to reiterate for your satisfaction that I stand by every word that I have stated in this earnest plea to you for your urgent intervention.
acknowledgements
WRITING A BOOK is always a challenge. For me, it was doubly so, since I had stepped away from the world of writing several decades ago when I turned in my journalistic career for a corporate job. But disillusioned as I was with the manner in which an airline such as Air India had been run into the ground by a group of individuals, I felt that this was a story waiting to be told.
This book, however, would never have been possible without the help of my friends, the support of my family and the encouragement of my former colleagues in the airline. To all of them, I offer my deepest gratitude and thanks.
The book is the fruit of my experiences, which would never have been as rich and diverse if I had not been given the opportunity by Chairmen Y. C. Deveshwar and Managing Directors, M. P. Mascarenhas and Sunil Arora—to contribute on a larger canvas.
My secretarial staff at Air India, Marina Paul and Prema Chandrasekhar, who assisted me with my numerous letters, and knew that I would write a book one day.
My former colleagues, who helped me with my research for the book—I know that it could not have been easy to find the time and to dig up material from days long gone. Kapil Kaul, CEO-South Asia, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA)—your help with data and figures was invaluable.
My friends, who were very enthusiastic about my efforts from the very beginning, and asked me to ‘go ahead’ when I went to you with my idea for the book—you have been unflinching in your banking, and your advice has been invaluable.
My family, who greeted my decision to write the book with mixed emotions, but was never a hurdle in the completion of the book—I owe all of you a lot of credit for your patience. Some of you felt that it was the right thing to do, but some others were not so sure. You were worried that I would be hounded by those I was writing about, and for the rest, your faith is what has seen me finish the book.
To write, I retreated to the Sivananda ashram in Rishikesh on the banks of the river Ganga where there was no access to television or newspaper. Without the peace and isolation that the environment provided, I would never have been able to conceptualize the characters of the book.
Finally, my editors were extremely helpful and provided valuable feedback, which has helped create a book that I hope brings out the real story behind the descent of India’s national carrier.
Table of Contents
7. A Tale of Lost Opportunities
9. A Saga of Financial Mismanagement