*J&K doesn’t have policy for use of State helicopters
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 27: Taking suo moto cognizance of reports about ‘unjustified’ use of State’s helicopters and aircraft by the Ministers of PDP-BJP Coalition Government, the Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission has issued notices to the Secretary to Chief Minister and Secretary, Civil Aviation Department seeking their response on various aspects. However, it has initially come to the notice of the Commission that J&K doesn’t have any proper policy to regulate use of flying machines by the public functionaries.
EXCELSIOR in its edition dated June 24, 2016 had exclusively highlighted that Ministers of the PDP-BJP Coalition Government have become habitual of the frequent use of flying machines for travel to different places and some of them have even used the State choppers for less than 20 kilometers of distance, which otherwise can be easily covered in the official vehicles without any interruption.
It was also revealed by EXCELSIOR on the basis of official data that a senior most Cabinet Minister used the chopper for travel from Jammu to Udhampur and back despite the fact that this 60 kilometer distance can easily be covered within one hour because of widening of the highway. Moreover, it was brought in the public domain that some Cabinet Ministers even used helicopter from Nehru Helipad to Srinagar Airport although this short distance can be covered without interruption in the official vehicles.
The Jammu Wing of the State Accountability Commission took suo moto cognizance of the EXCELSIOR report and accordingly placed the matter before the Full Commission comprising of Chairperson Justice B A Khan, Justice J P Singh (Member) and Justice B A Kirmani (Member), reliable sources told EXCELSIOR.
Accordingly, notice was issued to the Secretary Civil Aviation Department asking him to file reply to the scrutiny proceedings initiated by the Accountability Commission, sources said, adding in his reply the Secretary Civil Aviation Department informed the Commission that there is no formal policy for use of State’s helicopters and aircraft by the public functionaries and the flying machines are allowed to be used by the Ministers on the approvals obtained from the Chief Minister.
The Secretary of Civil Aviation Department, however, didn’t give any specific reply to the question as to whether the use of State’s helicopter for attending the wedding ceremony of Minister of State (MoS) Sunil Sharma, who is also sitting MLA from Kishtwar, was justified at all, sources said.
Recently, the reply of the Civil Aviation Department’s Secretary was discussed in the Full Commission comprising Chairperson Justice B A Khan and Members Justice J P Singh and Justice B A Kirmani and looking into all the aspects of the ‘unjustified’ use of flying machines by the Ministers of BJP-PDP Coalition Government, the Commission has issued notices to Secretary to the Chief Minister and Secretary Civil Aviation Department asking them to give specific reply to the query regarding use of helicopters by certain BJP Ministers including their spouses and other family members to attend the wedding ceremony of MoS Sunil Sharma at Kishtwar.
Now, this suo moto case will come up for hearing before the Accountability Commission next month and after going through the reply of Secretary to Chief Minister and Secretary to Civil Aviation Department, the Full Commission will decide future course of action, sources said.
“No doubt, use of State chopper becomes unavoidable on many occasions but frequent use of the same could have been avoided in order to lessen burden on the State exchequer”, sources said, adding “there is no justification behind making use of helicopter for a distance ranging between 17 kilometer to 55 kilometers that too when the road conditions are most favourable”.
It is pertinent to mention here that similar issue had also come up before State Information Commission (presently completely defunct) early this year and the Commission had expressed concern over the revelations that Civil Aviation Department doesn’t maintain the proper record about the people accompanying the Ministers during the travel in the State-owned flying machines.
The Information Commi-ssion had explicitly told the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to make necessary rules to regulate the request of various State authorities for use of State choppers and aircraft within a period of two months, sources said, adding the Information Commission had also directed that necessary steps be taken by the Civil Aviation Department to have such a system in place which will be fool proof and transparent so that the tax payers of the State will know under which head expenditure has been incurred for operation of flying machines.
Astonishingly, neither any specific rules nor any policy has been framed by the Civil Aviation Department till date, sources regretted.
Follow our WhatsApp channel