Week after extension,DGCA gets shunted out

Aviation: Ajit Singh reported to have lost confidence in Bhushan

The Director-General of Civil Aviation,E K Bharat Bhushan,was abruptly removed from his post on Tuesday and sent back to his original position in the civil aviation ministry,barely a week after the cabinets appointments committee had allowed him to continue in the job until the end of this year.

Although no reason was given,official sources said Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had lost confidence in Bhushan. Bhushan and Civil Aviation Secretary S N Zaidi had also developed serious differences,the sources said.

While Bhushan returns to his earlier position of additional secretary-cum-financial adviser,Bureau of Civil Aviation Security,Prashant N Sukul,a joint secretary,has been appointed as the new DGCA. Sukul will hold charge temporarily,and Arun Misra,a West Bengal-cadre IAS officer who is currently Indias permanent representative to the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal,is likely to take over from him.

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I am surprised as only last week I got an extension from the appointments committee headed by the Prime Minister, said Bhushan. I am not an astrologer to know the reason why I was removed. I do not want to speculate… but I wont let anyone shoot from my shoulder, he said.

Ajit Singh,the sources said,had written to PM Manmohan Singh on Monday saying he had lost confidence in Bhushan,and had sought his removal. The PMO has asked the civil aviation ministry to explain why Bhushan was removed a week after his extension was approved.

Sources close to Ajit Singh said Bhushans extension had been cleared when the minister was in London.

During his term,Bhushan had objected to the import of aircraft by some business groups and suggested shutting down the operations of Kingfisher Airlines. He had also reportedly refused waivers for foreign-registered aircraft companies.

Singh and Zaidi were unavailable for comment.

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