Agitating Air India pilots seeks PM, Sonia's intervention

Agitating pilots of country's national carrier Air India on Thursday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress top brass to step in to resolve the impasse over the 52-day long strike, as the condition of some of them on protest fast worsened.

The Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG), which is spearheading the agitation and the five-day-old hunger strike, shot off letters to Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi, seeking their "urgent intervention to resolve the prolonged agitation".

With three pilots, who were on hunger strike since Sunday, being hospitalised on Wednesday following deterioration in their health, the condition of a few more in Delhi and Mumbai worsened.

Over 400 IPG pilots, who are on strike since May 7, launched an indefinite hunger strike from Sunday to demand withdrawal of sack orders against 101 pilots and better career progression prospects. Air India is estimated to have lost about Rs 530 crore due to the agitation.

While the agitators have accused the management of not being keen to resolve the impasse by "steadfastly refusing" to talk to them, the government has made it clear that they should return to work unconditionally.

With their indefinite hunger strike in Delhi and Mumbai continuing since Sunday, two among 12 pilots in Mumbai and one of the 15 in Delhi were hospitalised yesterday, with pilots saying that the physical condition of a few more had worsened.

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