Air India asks staff to vacate government-owned housing colonies by July 26

Tata Group-owned Air India has asked its staff to vacate the government-owned housing colonies by July 26, according to an official document. The Tata Group won the bid for Air India on October 8 last year. However, as per the terms of disinvestment, the airline’s non-core assets such as housing colonies remain with the government.

Air India has two major housing colonies — one in Delhi and the other in Mumbai. “We are now in receipt of an e-mail dated May 17, 2022, from AI Assets Holding Limited (AIAHL) advising us to send reminder to the residents to vacate the company accommodation latest by July 26 in line with the decision of Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM), which has already been conveyed to them,” said an Order issued by Air India on May 18.

“In line with the above directions of AIAHL, a draft of the notice to be issued to the occupants of the company accommodation, is attached,” it added. AIAHL was set up in 2019 by the Centre for handling debt by selling non-core assets of the Air India group after its disinvestment.

A group of Ministers called AISAM — headed by Home Minister Amit Shah and including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Civil Aviation Minster Jyotiraditya Scindia — handled the disinvestment of Air India. Air India did not respond to PTI’s request for a statement on this matter.