The task force has also dropped Bangalore from the list of five airports which were earlier approved by the cabinet for privatisation. The four airports for which the leasing arrangement has been recommended are Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai airpots.

Talking to media persons after the eighth meeting of the task force, Planning Commission deputy chairman KC Pant said, "Corporatisation would require Parliamentary approval which will cause delay. International experience also shows that leasing out is a better route than corporatisation."

The task force expects to obtain cabinet approval for the long-term lease of the four airports shortly, said Pant, who also heads the task force.

NK Singh, secretary in the Prime Minister's Office and member-secretary of the task force, said that leasing out isa "better option." The lease period will be of 30 years with an option of 20-year extension, he added.

It is to be noted that the cabinet had given a nod for the corporatisation plan for the five airports just three months ago. Corporatisation was considered as an innovative method to hand over control of the airports to private investors. "Expansion of the airports is not ruled out," Singh said.

The financial, technical and legal experts will be appointed by August to fix the milestones for the implementation of airport modernisation, Pant said.

Incidentally, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already invited bids from global consultants for the corporatisation process. Seventy consultants have responded. The AAI is currently evaluating the bids.

The picture is not very clear regarding the exact role of the consultants. Singh told newspersons that it would not a "management consultant type" of arrangement. However, Planning Commission member-secretary NC Saxena said that their role would besimilar to that of management consultants.

The route map for engagement of consultants and the consulting package comprising the drafts of terms of reference, documents detailing bidding, evaluation methodology was agreed upon in the meeting. It was also decided that the time-frame for the award of assignment to the consultants may be advanced to the earliest, Pant said.

The task force emphasised on the need for ensuring that customer services get a better focus in the entire exercise, Pant added. The task force has also recommended the setting up of a regulatory framework.

The task force expects that the entire process of modernisation of the airports in the country will get accelerated with its decision.

The Task Force on Infrastructure was set up on October 30, 1998. Apart from improving roads and building highways, it was supposed to identify and recommend the modernisation of airports, establish benchmarks and criteria for them, recommend financing options, suggest criteria for competitivebidding and selection of contractors, recommend measures for timely completion of projects including governmental clearances, and oversee and monitor timely implementation of the projects. The members of the task force included civil aviation minister Ananth Kumar.