SHILLONG, FEB 5: Meghalaya government on Friday approved the proposal for extension of the services of the Pawan Hans helicopters for another six months in the state.
“We have approved the proposal of the Transport department for extending of the ongoing services of the Pawan Hans helicopters for another six months under the same condition and term,” Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Friday.
He said six months is in fact more like a rectification of the duration which has already been covered from last July till January.
“They (Pawan Hans) will come back again because after that we will again take a call whether we should proceed further with the operation of helicopters,” Sangma said.
According to him, this helicopter services which has enable the state to actually connect Guwahati-Shillong, Shillong-Guwahti-Tura is also supported by Government of India (GOI).
“We are entitled for 75 per cent of the total expenditure as assistance from Ministry of Home Affairs,” he said adding “Most of the north eastern states have been taking advantage of this important programme of the centre government which has been conceptualize to enable the state governments to connect the state capitals, district capitals, as respective states deems fit by availing this support of GOI.”
When asked about the safety aspect, the chief minister said, “The safety concerns have been taken care in a manner that we have ask for the helicopter which has got better safety avionics and today we are happy that Meghalaya is the only state which insisted on the few parameters made by Pawan Hans while we actually resume this operation of helicopter services.”
He further recalled that at one point of time the state government decided to suspend the operation of this Pawan Hans helicopter.
“However, subsequent to that we came up with a bidding process where we integrated those parameters which are linked to safety aspects and accordingly on this insistence we have Dauphin M3 helicopter which is operating. This helicopter is operation only in Meghalaya. It has got better safety avionics and is far ahead in its capability to somehow deal with situation which is specific to North East,” Sangma said.-By Our Reporter
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