New Delhi :Hunger strike has been started by thousands of employees of Airports Authority of India (AAI) across the country to protest against the governments move to privatize six airports on Tuesday.

The employees associated with various unions of AAI have formed a joint forum and started the three-day-long strike in front of the civil aviation ministry at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan here and at AAI offices across the country.

“We are protesting against the civil aviation ministrys move to privatise six airports of Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. These were being after the AAI invested crores into modernization of these airports,” said BS Ahlawat, general secretary of Airports Authority Employees Union, which is leading the agitation.

The government in early September had decided to allow private parties to pick up 100 per cent equity stake in operation and management of the six airports through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.The successful bidder is supposed to enter into partnership with the state-run airport operator AAI on a 30-year lease to operate, manage and develop facilities at these airports.