Helicopter repairs

GANDHINAGAR, March 16: The Gujarat government has spent as much as Rs 1.49 crore on repair of the State helicopter from June to December ...

GANDHINAGAR, March 16: The Gujarat government has spent as much as Rs 1.49 crore on repair of the State helicopter from June to December last year, the Civil Aviation Minister informed the State Assembly on Tuesday.

In a written reply to Nareshkumar Rawal of the Congress, the Minister said the expenditure on fuel during this period was Rs 10.70 lakh. The helicopter was used on 70 occasions by the Governor, the Chief Minister, ministers and senior officers.

Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel used the helicopter on 34 occasions, former Governor Anshuman Singh on 14 occasions, chief secretary L N S Mukundan on 11 occasions and Industries Minister Suresh Mehta on three occasions, the Minister said.

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Besides, Union Home Minister L K Advani, Health Minister Ashok Bhatt and Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya, each used the helicopter twice, while Minister of State for Culture and Youth Affairs Mahendra Trivedi used it once.

The helicopter was used by State government officers for relief work in Kandla twice and in Surat and Bhavnagar on eight occasions. It was also used once for the visit of the Central relief team to Jamnagar and Khambhaliya, the Minister said.