Ex-IAS officer laments over Kerala missing key opportunity in aircraft engineering

Thiruvananthapuram: At a time when Kerala government agencies are using the grounded UK F-35B fighter in Thiruvananthapuram for state's promotion, an ex-IAS officer has shared the plight of how the state missed a key development initiative in the aircraft engineering sector that could have made Kerala capable of repairing aircraft engines.

Former shipping secretary K Mohandas, who was a Kerala cadre IAS officer, recollects in a social media post that a major investment opportunity by global aircraft engineering firm Pratt and Whitney in Kerala around 25 years back was turned down by the then CPM government owing to ideological issues.

"It was during the term of the E K Narayan government (1996-2001). A Malayali who was holding a top post in Pratt and Whitney came up with the offer of taking over a sick state public sector undertaking and converting it to a leading aircraft engineering firm of Asia. Since it is a huge investment they insisted on having 51 percent equity and 49 percent equity to the state government. Though then industries minister Susheela Gopalan was impressed by the offer, it required  party approval as a policy shift was involved. Later it was known that the CPM did not approve it. There is no use in lamenting over a missed opportunity by terming it as historical blunder," Mohandas, who was the then industries secretary, wrote on social media on Tuesday. 

Interestingly, Kerala government agency Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation is now using the grounded UK F-35B for the state's industrial promotion. A social media campaign featuring the F-35B is being carried out to highlight the state's industrial and aerospace infrastructure like the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Brahmos Aerospace.