Govt struggles to find replacement for DGCA chief

These are hard times at India's safety regulator DGCA's offices in Jor Bagh. The incumbent Director General is leaving in a fortnight, a suitable replacement is yet to be found for him and it is possible that the office will remain headless for some time. Just when there is a change of guard, the DGCA is so short on qualified personnel that it has now agreed to hire some from private airlines at unprecedented salaries. And all this is happening when a dreaded safety audit of Indian aviation by US authorities is scheduled for later this week. The current Director General, Arun Mishra, has decided to take up a much coveted assignment: he will be taking over as the Regional Director (Asia Pacific) of Internatinal Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). This is a four year assignment where Mishra will be based in Bangkok. A suitable replacement for Mishra is needed soon since his last day in office is December 31. The names of several candidates, including a joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation and a top Air India functinary have been doing the rounds as his successors but no decision has been taken as yet.
Read News In full 09/12/13 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post