Odisha Govt seeks clarifications from Raj Bhavan on Governor’s Rs 46 lakh chopper ride bills

Odisha

Bhubaneswar, July 5, 2018: The State Government has written a letter to Raj Bhavan seeking clarification from the Special Secretary to Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal on Rs 46 lakh air craft and chopper bills incurred during the Governor’s visit from Bhubaneswar to New Delhi and New Delhi to Haryana on June 10.  

In a letter to the Special Secretary to the Governor on July 4, General Administration Deputy Secretary Indira Behera has sought clarifications from the latter and asked him to intimate the department the reason and circumstances for hiring a helicopter for use of Governor.

“It may kindly intimated the reason and circumstances for hiring of a helicopter for use of Hon’ble Governor and deviation in the approved schedule of the flight and whether approval of the competent authority has been taken for the purpose or not,” the letter read.

The Government also sought user’s certificate from the Governor’s Special Secretary.

Notably, a twin engine Het Aircraft Legacy 650 (VT-AOK) was hired for the Governor to fly from Bhubaneswar to New Delhi on June 10 and back from New Delhi to Bhubaneswar on June 13. A total of Rs 41,18,000 was incurred for the purpose.

On June 10 a chopper was also hired for the Governor from New Delhi to Sisra (the village of the Governor) in Haryana and Rs 5 lakh was incurred for the purpose. So a total of Rs 45,18,000 was incurred for the purpose.

However, the letter of the Government to the Raj Bhavan has raised many eyebrows as such incidents have never happed earlier.

Relationship between Raj Bhavan and the State Government is always a delicate one.

Now question arises whether this letter written by the GA Dept of Odisha Government seeking clarifications from the Special Secretary to the Governor on Rs 46 lakh aircraft and chopper bill sour the relations.

On May 29, Prof Lal was sworn in as the new Governor of Odisha at the Raj Bhavan here.

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