Setting an example!

Sometimes, even the smallest of gestures, be it of gratitude or austerity, needs to be applauded. The CMD of Air India, Ashwani Lohani, who took charge last year August, is surely leaving no stone unturned to turnaround the behemoth Govt owned airline company. Every small trickle forms an ocean and that is probably how Mr.Lohani also wants to set an example.

On 8th August, he wrote to his employees (it has 30,000 employees) to get over petty courtesies, saying, “I have also noticed a large number of staff waiting at the airports to receive me or see me off. This culture has to end. Emphasis in the organization has to be on work and work alone and not on petty courtesies. While bouquets shall be a big no from now on, only minimal officials should receive or see me at the airports.” Prior to that, he had had told employees to not use taxis from luxury service providers during travel and only use hotels that the airline crew does, so that costs are minimized.

Its good to see a Govt CMD shunning such courtesies and surely can set a good example, only if he manages to turnaround Air India, which in FY16 had a loss of almost Rs.6000 crore and is sitting on debt of Rs.50,000 crore.

Wish the other employees also learn and stop using the airline like its own homegrown and owned, personal transport service.