In separate reactions to the Cabinet decision taken earlier this week to corporatise the Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore airports, both the CPI(M) and the CPI have opposed the move saying it was unwarranted and would prove detrimental to the national security interest.

The decision has also angered the Andhra Pradesh Government as it has excluded Hyderabad from the purview of the corporatisation move. Describing the move as `unwarranted and harmful', the CPI(M) demanded that the proposal be placed before Parliament for a larger debate on the issue of privatising major private assets.

The CPI(M) alleges that in the name of attracting fresh investment for modernisation, major public assets running into thousands of crores of rupees are being handed over toprivate parties.

The BJP-led Government's decision to allow 100 per cent foreign equity in certain critical areas of airport infrastructure, would not serve the purpose of garnering fresh investment, the party said.

The proposal also has dangerous portents since private companies would be controlling the major airports of the country, raising questions about national security as well, the CPI(M)'s Politburo felt.

The CPI too has voiced similar fears about the Government's spree of dismantling public sector undertakings. The five major airports, the party's Central Secretariat observed, are profit-making enterprises which currently handle 74 per cent of passenger traffic in the country.

The move to corporatise the airports is bound to have serious implications, the CPI observes. The party also raised the issue of national security interests being jeopardised by the move to corporatise the airports which would then be in the hands of private operators.

Since it lacked a transparent policy on civilaviation, the Government should not ``rush to implement its scheme of things letting down the national interests''. Instead, there should be a debate in Parliament on the issue.

The experience of privatisation of the airlines showed that private companies were unwilling to operate on the so-called unprofitable routes, and large parts of the country would then go uncovered, the CPI said.

Meanwhile in Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has taken serious note of the Centre excluding Hyderabad from the major airports to be corporatised.

The Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet, which met here today, adopted a resolution urging the Centre to include the international airport coming up at Shamshabad on the city outskirts for corporatisation.

Naidu, who was in Chennai yesterday, took strong exception to the exclusion of Hyderabad and said he would take up the matter with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Briefing newsmen after the Cabinet meeting, Ministers B Gopalakrishna Reddy and T Sitaram recalled thatUnion Civil Aviation Minister Ananth Kumar had assured the state government that Hyderabad airport too would be corporatised. The state government had appointed a consultant to prepare the project report for the international airport.