Hyderabad: In the backdrop of the bribery case engulfing the Rs 3,546 crore contract for 12 VVIP AgustaWestland helicopters, the state government has decided to go in for a wet lease of a helicopter for chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. The CM is presently without a helicopter as the AgustaWestland chopper that was bought at a cost of Rs 63 crore perished in a fire at Begumpet airport on the night of December 17 last year.
State government sources said as per the proposal that is currently awaiting clearance from the finance department, the private operator from whom the helicopter will be leased will be responsible for operations, maintenance and arranging the pilot. The operator will be assured of a minimum flying hours per month. He will be paid for the agreed flying hours irrespective of those hours getting utilised, sources said. The monthly cost of wet lease of the chopper would depend on the type and number of engine, the model and other factors including the flying hours.
19/02/13 Ganesh S Lakshman/Times of India
