Mumbai: The state government is in the process of selling its 13-year-old chopper after the home department refused to use it for operation in the Naxal-affected areas. The general administration department has decided to issue tender to sell the helicopter at a price of `10 crore. The officials are claiming that the chopper is in good condition and its flying hours are also less.
The government had bought Dauphin N-3 helicopter in 1999 for VIP services, but decommissioned it after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revised its norms for helicopters and aircraft being used for VIPs, sources said.
In 2009, Andra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajshekara Reddy got killed in a helicoper crash. After such accidents, the DGCA last year amended its norms and compelled upgradation of all choppers and aircraft, which used to carry VIPs, said a senior official from GAD department.
12/02/13 Faisal Malik/Asian Age
