New Delhi: Indian Airlines suffered losses amounting to Rs 250.65 crore during 2001-02, Lok Sabha was told on April 29.

Government is considering the request of IA to categorise aviation turbine fuel as "declared goods" so as to cap maximum rate of sales tax to four per cent, Civil Aviation Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said in a written answer.

An amount of Rs 148.36 crore was spent by government in 2001 as subsidy for 71,215 Haj passengers on chartered Air India flights, he said.

Planning Commission has allocated Rs 102.42 crore for conservation of Dal Lake as additional Central assistance to Jammu and Kashmir during 1997-98 to 2001-02 for which Rs 71.70 crore was spent till February 2002, Environment and Forests Minister T R Baalu said.

Demurrage charges of Rs 8.56 crore have been paid to the Railways by the coal companies of Coal India during 2001-02, Coal Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said.

As many as 219 cases of illegal mining were reported during 2000-01, he said.

A total of 1043 of the 1714 newspaper establishments in the country have not implemented the recommendations of the Bachawat Wage Board due to financial constraints, contract employment and small size units, Minister of State for Labour Muni Lal said, adding that in the meantime, the award of the new Manisana Wage Board has also been notified.

PTI