BOMBAY: Emphasising the importance of civil aviation to India in the post-war period in a speech here today [Aug 24], Mr. Walchand Hirachand said: “While the Government have accepted the principle of ‘sabotage’ and will consequently reserve the air traffic in India to Indians it is essential to ensure that for the purpose of promoting national economy and national prosperity, the firms or companies carrying on such traffic must be owned, controlled and managed by the nationals of this country.”

Mr. Walchand said that “India should never forget her experience in the field of Indian commerce and industry that Indian interests were ignored and non-Indian interests were allowed to dominate”. He therefore warned national India “to prevent such a catastrophe in the future” and asked the country to make it clear to the Government that the country will not allow non-national interests to establish themselves either in the field of Indian industrial development.

Mr. Walchand concluded that unless non-official Indians enjoying the confidence of the country were allowed to voice the feelings, aspirations and demands of national India at international conferences, history was bound to repeat itself and India was bound to remain as before “the Cinderella of aviation amongst the nations of the world”. — Dawn Delhi

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2019