Govt asks Tatas to deduct salary of Air India employees overstaying in its Vasant Vihar colony

The government has asked Air India – that is led by the Tatas now – to charge employees for overstaying in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar colony. The Air India management has been instructed to deduct the amount, starting from October, from their salaries.  

Some of the deductions, an Air India staffer residing in Vasant Vihar said, would amount up to Rs 95,000 per month, as mentioned in a report in The Economic Times. Some of the employees, the staffer said, would not even get a salary after this. 

The residential colonies of Air India were not part of the divestment and were moved under Air India Asset Holdings Limited, along with other real estate properties. The colonies will be sold in order to pay for the remaining Rs 60,000 crore that the government absorbed. 

Meanwhile, around 58 employees of AI Engineering Service Limited approached the Delhi High Court, challenging the vacating notices. 

Employees in the colonies said that they required more time to vacate their residences. Some cited the upcoming board examinations next year that their children are appearing for. 

The report cited a senior government official who said that the Ministry of Civil Aviation suggested a scheme for vacation of the residences to the management of Air India through Air India Asset Holdings Ltd. There is no stay on the implementation of the scheme even though the case is sub-judice, the report quoted the official saying. 

The government had earlier too asked around 2,000 Air India employees residing in its two colonies – in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar and Mumbai’s Kalina – to vacate their residences by July 26, 2022. They were asked to vacate or face penalties to the tune of Rs 10-15 lakh. In October, water supply was discontinued in a move to force the residents to vacate the colonies, people residing in these areas alleged. 

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