Talks fail, airport employees to go ahead with strike

Talks between the government and the Airport Authority of India employees who threatened to go on strike from midnight tonight failed, after which the employees' union said it would go ahead with the agitation as planned.

"We are going ahead with our agitation as we have not received any response from the government's side," said MK Ghoshal, convenor of Airport Authority Employees Joint Forum, after a meeting between Civil Aviation Ministry and AAI and the Forum in New Delhi on Tuesday evening.

The government hardened its stand against the employees and invoked ESMA against them at Delhi airport and positioned 479 Air Force personnel at 21 airports across the country to deal with any contingency.

The airport employees announced they will launch an indefinite "non-cooperation movement" from midnight tonight following government's rejection of their demand not to close existing Bangalore and Hyderabad airports.