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Decision on aircraft acquistion won't be delayed, says new aviation minister

Sharad Yadav today took over as the civil aviation minister promising speedy decisions and transparency in the ministry and efforts to make air travel possible for a larger section of the public.

Yadav, who had the new Minister of State for Civil Aviation Chaman Lal Gupta and Civil Aviation Secretary P V Jayakrishnan on his side at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, said he would first have to understand the working of his ministry before he could give any views on his plans for the sector.

On the privatisation moves initiated by his predecessor, Yadav said he would go as per the government policy. ''But you all know my background,'' he told newspersons after taking over.

He said decisions regarding all pending matters in the ministry, including acquisition of aircraft, would be taken without delay after he had full knowledge of his task. The assets of the ministry and its ills would have to be understood.

The minister, a qualified engineer, said his immediate attention was on going back to Bihar where elections were to be held for four Lok Sabha seats. He would be paying attention to his ministry after that, he added.

Yadav said he had not asked for any ministry and it was the prime minister's decision to give him civil aviation. He would see to it that there was transparency and no secrecy in the working of the ministry.

Chaman Lal Gupta, elected from Jammu, has been a member of two parliamentary consultative committees in the past. He also said that air travel should be brought to the level where more people were able to use it to save time.

UNI

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