After a series of deliberations and contemplating several proposals, the Haryana Government has decided to hire a helicopter and an aircraft on rental basis for providing air travel facility to its VVIPs.
The State Government had been contemplating several proposals, including hiring an aircraft from the Rajasthan Government or buying a new aircraft for VVIPs but after much deliberation, the Haryana Civil Aviation Department has now floated tenders to hire a helicopter and an aircraft on adhoc rental basis for atleast for next one year.
As per the information, the State Government would now hire a two engine helicopter and two engine aircraft on rental basis with passenger seating capacity of five people apart from two flying crew.
With no aircraft of its own, the BJP-led State Government after coming to the power has already spent more than Rs 3 crore in past one year to fly its VVIPs, including the Chief Minister and the State Governor.
Recently, the Haryana Civil Aviation Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had directed the Department to start the process for purchasing a new aircraft for the State Government but things could not materialise in the wake of Government’s
austerity measures. Besides, the Haryana Government had also approached Rajasthan Government to hire one of their two State aircrafts.
The need for purchasing the new aircraft was felt after the State Government’s 10-seater aircraft — Beech Super King Air B-200 — was damaged in a crash at Chandigarh airport on March 27 last year. The then Governor Jagannath Pahadia, his wife, and eight others on board had a miraculous escape in the crash.
Notably, Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar after coming to the power last year had turned down the proposal to buy a new State aircraft for VVIPs. The proposal could have cost the State exchequer more than Rs 50 crore and was rejected as part of government’s austerity drive. later, the services of their pilots too were terminated.
In absence of its own aircraft from past more than a year, Haryana Government has spent around Rs 2.70 crore to fly its VVIPs till July this year, as per the information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) by an SAS Nagar resident.
The RTI information stated, Haryana Government hired helicopters or aircraft from four private aviation companies — ArrowAircraft Sales and Charters Pvt ltd, Air Charter Services Pvt ltd, Shaurya Aeronautics Pvt ltd and Silverline Aviation Pvt ltd 57 times — and has so far paid them Rs 1.29 crore.