NEWSLINKS
Y2K BIZ FEATURES
INDIA & THE W.T.O.
NEW GOVERNMENT
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
COMMENTARY
CREDIT POLICY
BUDGET 1999-2000
USEFUL INFO
ARCHIVES
SEARCH REDIFF

Sahara Group may bid for Indian Airlines

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

The Rs 90 billion Sahara Group may be among the bidders to take over the state-owned Indian Airlines.

The group's enigmatic 'chairman cum managing worker' Subrata Roy told rediff.com, "Well, I am not averse to the idea." But he hastened to add: "It's not that simple; we'll have to think about the pros and cons of inheriting a public-/sector firm; after all our working is quite different from theirs."

Asked if he was confident of turning the loss-making national carrier around, Roy said, "Well, we have proved our mettle by running the country's most efficient and quality airline."

But he said it was too early in the day to go into the finer details of a possible takeover of the airline. "The government has just announced its decision to sell off 51 per cent equity and privatise Indian Airlines, but unless a detailed study is carried out, I cannot make any categorical statement," he said.

"But of course, given an opportunity, we would not hesitate to give it a try," he added.

Roy proposes to look at the whole thing more seriously once the weeklong Bharat Parva celebrations organised by the Sahara Group to mark the golden jubilee of the Indian Republic get over. Right now, that's his priority.

Business