The sub-committee of Senate Standing Committee on Aviation, in its meeting on Friday, has directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to undergo the process of rationalisation of parking fee at all the airports across the country after the current contract expires and before awarding a new contract to any company.
The Committee was discussing the matter of illegal parking and entry fee at the New Islamabad International Airport that was raised earlier in the Senate and further referred to the Committee.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati at the Parliament House and was attended by Senator Mian Muhammad Ateeq Sheikh and senior officers of the CAA and other senators. The Committee also asked the CAA to give details and justification of why and how the contracts for parking have been awarded to the same company over the years.
The Committee also heard the complainant and the CAA in the matter of up-gradation of posts of the superintendents in BPS-17 of CAA. The Committee, after hearing both sides, observed that the CAA, being an autonomous body, cannot be asked to replicate up-gradation procedures adopted by other federal or provincial government bodies and has to make its own decisions. The Committee was also told that the CAA has also initiated a mechanism of up-gradation of the posts of superintendents so that they can be provided with a promotional hierarchy. It was also observed that the matter of complaint is sub-judice with the divisional court so the committee decided to wait until the court issues any orders in this case.
Published in Daily Times, September 8th 2018.
