Harinarayana asks for sabbatical, govt reluctant

new delhi: kota harinarayana, a top defence scientist and project director of the light combat aircraft (lca), has asked for a sabbatical but the government is reluctant to let him go. harinarayana has written to defence minister george fernandes requesting that he be permitted to join the indian institute of science, bangalore, according to highly-placed defence ministry sources here.they said with the lca project at a crucial stage of nearing completion of trials, the government was trying to persuade the scientist to stay on till the user-trials of the indigenously-built plane. harinarayana has been with the lca project since its inception in early 1980s and was recently quoted in media as having expressed his desire to leave the project. with the country on the threshold of final trials of the kaveri engine, the lca, according to present projections, is likely to enter user-trials in 2005.