Government urged to take over Madras Flying Club

CHENNAI: The Madras Flying Club Employees’ Union on Wednesday appealed to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to bring the 80-year-old aviation club under government control to curb alleged malpractice and mismanagement.Briefing reporters here, K S Narayanan, president of the union, said, “Since the management committee members, elected by the club members, are indulging in various non-compliance of terms of services, favouritism, nepotism and unfair acts, we appeal to the State government to take over the club for better management and rejuvenate it for (its) secured future.”The ‘take-over’ call comes at a juncture when the club is facing closure after the Airport Authority of India asked MFC to surrender the land allotted to them at Chennai airport by June-end.The union also appealed to Union Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi, Director General of Civil Aviation E K Bharat Bhusan and Chairman and Managing Director of Air India Arvind Jadhav to enquire and direct these erring pilot-employees on the committee of MFC to desist from their acts and allow the club to grow as an educational institution in its own sphere under the aegis of the government itself as proposed and recommended earlier by the State government 16 years ago.It may be noted that the State government in 1995 had planned to take over the management of the Madras Flying Club under its control for efficient  and smooth functioning.Strengthening the union’s case for government take-over, Narayanan said, “In states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Haryana and Assam, these types of flying institutions are run as government departments.”