Ministry, AI pilots spar over RTIs

Senior aviation ministry officials are apparently upset over a deluge of Right to Information (RTI) applications filed by the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) — an association of former Indian Airlines pilots, Tushar Srivastava reports,

Senior aviation ministry officials are apparently upset over a deluge of Right to Information (RTI) applications filed by the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) — an association of former Indian Airlines pilots.

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“These cases indicate frivolous use of RTI. This week an RTI was filed by ICPA asking who was responsible for stopping the pilots’ privilege of travelling free as an additional crew member (ACM),” a senior ministry official said.

“Interestingly, ICPA, in a letter addressed to the aviation minister on September 5, stated that the privilege was stopped on his instructions. Their RTI contradicts their own letter. If they want to know through the RTI application who was responsible for stopping their ACM travel then why did they allege the minister was responsible?”

“We get information only via media reports. The management has not officially issued a circular. As a union of employees, the only way out is to file an RTI,” an ICPA official said.

AI officials, however, denied ICPA’s claims.

“On getting instructions from the ministry on ACM, instructions were issued to the pilots. Whoever says it has not been done is misleading,” an AI official said.