Dear Sunil, Good but are you writing on behalf of Vijay Mallya's Kingfischer Airlines. Good that you are writing on business page as well. Regards Ashok kapoor Varanasi
For all the breast-beating about India being a democracy and a free society, it is as plain as daylight that the citizens of India lack the most basic and important of freedoms - Economic freedom. One is free to call for bandhs, hartals, strikes, protests, dharnas etc. without having to fear any repressions. But what is the use with such Political freedom when one does not have the basic right of choice in the economic realm?
The author's point about the consumer having the right to choose which airline to fly is valid in any sane and truly free society but unfortunately not in India. We had the ridiculous statement from the Govt. that budget and private airlines will not be allowed to fly to the Gulf sector because that is where Air Inida and Indian Airlines make the highest profit!!! In other words, to sustain the profitability of these public sector behemoths, the vast majority of poor NRIs - construction workers, carpenters, technicians - who make up the Gulf NRI population, is penalised with the highest airfares anywhere in the world. So much for Reforms with a "Human" Face!
We won political independence in 1947 from the British but not true Freedom from the "rulers".
