Bihar Cabinet gives nod to buy new plane, chopper; BJP calls it waste of taxpayers’ money
The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday approved the proposal to purchase a new plane and a chopper for the movement of VIPs and VVIPs. A proposal in this regard was prepared by the Directorate of Civil Aviation (Cabinet Secretariat Department, Bihar government) which was approved at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
S Siddharth, additional chief secretary ( Cabinet Secretariat), informed that a decision was taken in the Cabinet meeting to constitute high level committee headed by chief secretary to decide on the modalities of purchasing a new plane (10+2-seater) and a chopper, which includes the pricing for the purchase of both. The committee has been entrusted the task to submit a detailed report in this regard within 3 months.
S Siddharth further added that the state government presently has a 6-seater propeller powered aircraft (King Air C-90 A/B-VTEBG) and a Daulphin make chopper (Daulphin SA365N, VT-ENU), but both are under repair due to mechanical defect.
After the Bihar Cabinet gave its nod to purchase new plane and chopper, the BJP alleged that the Nitish Kumar-led government approved the proposal to “facilitate his movement during Lok Sabha elections in 2024”.
The BJP slammed Nitish Kumar-led government for spending crores to buy plane and helicopter and ignoring the families who lost their loved one in the Chapra hooch tragedy.
BJP spokesperson Arvind Kumar Singh said that Nitish Kumar was wasting taxpayers’ money to buy plane and helicopter to facilitate his movement during Lok Sabha elections.
“Nitish Kumar has decided to purchase plane and helicopter at govt expense to facilitate his movement during Lok Sabha elections in 2024. This is complete wastage of taxpayers’ money. The government was not providing compensation to families of those who died in the Chapra hooch tragedy but was spending money to buy plane and helicopter”, BJP leader Arvind Kumar Singh said.
