State to buy new chopper

After Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's narrow escape in a helicopter mishap at Latur, the State will now purchase a new chopper for VIPs.

The High-Power Committee (HPC) under Chief Secretary Sumit Mullick on Wednesday also approved the disposal of the State government's two mothballed aircrafts — a Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphin and a Beechcraft Super King Air 350.Crew will also be recruited on a contract basis for state's only operational plane, an eight-seater Cessna Citation 560 XLS bought in 2008.

The official said they would soon float a global tender to purchase the helicopter, which would be "more secure and advanced" with state-of-the art safety features and added that they expected the new aircraft, which will cost around Rs 100 crore, to be in service within a year.

The new helicopter will be partly financed from the insurance compensation payout for the Sikorsky S-76C++ chopper, which met with an accident in Latur. This will be cheaper than hiring choppers from private agencies.