Misuse of helicopters incurs loss of Rs50.98 crore in Jharkhand

Jharkhand helicopters were misused for 2,236 flying hours incurring a loss of Rs 50.98 crore in about three years, the Jharkhand High Court was informed today.

Advocate General RK Verma placed a report before a bench headed by Chief Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra saying that the flights took off between April 1, 2005 and November 1, 2008, a period which witnessed three governments in the state.

While hearing a PIL, a bench headed by Chief Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra had on May 26 directed the government to submit the exact amount spent into the misuse of state helicopters.

A PIL was filed by Bindu Bhusan Dubey demanding a CBI probe into the alleged misuse of choppers for "unofficial trips" allegedly by former chief ministers, ministers and their relatives during that period.

On May 19, the High Court directed the state to ensure submission of civil aviation documents to the accountant general to enable him making an assessment on the number of flights made by state helicopters during the period. The next date of hearing was fixed on September 10.