Punjab sharing chopper with other states without policy: RTI
RTI activist Manik Goyal said he had sought details of Punjab government’s agreement with other states for chopper sharing and rent paid by other states. State government is not taking rent from other states for using it
The Punjab government is sharing its helicopter with other states without any policy, revealed an RTI reply.
Besides, the state government is also not taking any rent from other states for using it, said officials of the civil aviation department, Punjab.
The state government was embroiled in controversy two months ago when the videos of the deputy chief minister of Haryana, Dushyant Chautala while using the helicopter went viral on social media. The state government faced sharp criticism from opposition parties after the video surfaced on social media.
RTI activist Manik Goyal said he had sought details of the state government’s agreement with other states for chopper sharing and rent paid by other states.
“Senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and officials of the civil aviation department were lying about the helicopter-sharing policy with other states. They had claimed that the state government has an agreement with the Haryana government for sharing helicopters with them, which is nothing but a lie. And my RTI query has exposed that lie,” he added.
Abhey Chandra, adviser, civil aviation, Punjab, said, “Neither we have any policy for sharing helicopters with other states nor we take rent from other states. It is just a need-based give-and-take exercise. We also use other state’s helicopters when we need them.”
