The first Pinarayi government awarded the contract for the rental helicopter to a company called Pawan Hansen without a tender. One crore and forty lakhs and taxes were paid for flying every month. The government paid Rs 22.21 crore to Pawan Hans on a one-year contract.
Kovid rented a helicopter in April 2020 during the first wave of a police emergency. The 11-seater twin-engine helicopter was leased from Pawan Hans, a public sector undertaking in Delhi, with three employees, including the pilot. The rent for a 20-hour flight was estimated at Rs 1.44 crore and above Rs 67,000 per hour.
The urgent need was for Maoist surveillance and use in disasters such as floods. However, the helicopter was not used in any of these situations. Helicopters were not used for anything other than a few trips for the travels and organ donations of the Chief Minister and his officials. The helicopter was not used at the time of the catastrophe due to bad weather. The Maoist check did not take place as it could not fly down.
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The government had to pay Rs 22.21 crore a year for the rental of an 11-seater twin-engine helicopter. 56.72 lakh was spent on parking fees alone. Companies, including Chipson, approached the government asking for a helicopter and a tender, but all refused. Raman Srivastava, a former police adviser to the Chief Minister, also intervened on behalf of Pawan Hans. The Chhattisgarh government paid only Rs 85 lakh for a helicopter with the same facilities that Kerala rents at Rs 1.44 crore per month. The contract expires in April 2021. The recommendation of the DGP to call for a new tender was not followed up by Kovid. The proceedings began in October.
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