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Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma refuted media reports on Thursday of the government planning to procure a helicopter for the state, citing the substantial costs and technical expertise associated with such an acquisition.
The chief minister's refusal comes after a report published by a media outlet on the government's plan to procure a twin-engine helicopter for transporting VIPs. Issuing clarification on the report, CM Sangma said the news report is factually incorrect. "Meghalaya has not come out with any tender or shown any intention to procure any chopper because it is very expensive. We will only be giving out a tender for leasing, a short-term lease, on a service basis and we pay on an hourly basis to the concerned company, that is the most efficient way in which we can serve the purpose and at the same time not incur too much of heavy financial burden," the Chief Minister said. He further justified the need for a dedicated chopper for official and VIP movement, as the state currently uses helicopter services meant for tourists and civil purposes. "Hence, when the government is using the chopper, the tourist services are hit. This is also being done because most of the time, the chopper that is there is meant for tourists and normal sorties are meant for Shillong, Tura and Guwahati, they normally get disturbed when there is some VIP movement. Hence, as and when we require the chopper, atleast, by following a procedure, we'll be leasing it out and using the chopper as and when we require," he informed. He further clarified that the chopper will belong to the service provider, the pilot and the fuel will also be theirs, and the state government will only pay on an hourly basis. (ANI)
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