Keeping in view the threats faced by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the State government has decided to lease two twin-engine helicopters for his tours.
While one helicopter will be stationed at Vijayawada the other one will be located at Visakhapatnam. The State government has to pay a fixed lease amount of ₹1.91 crore per month for the choppers besides actuals towards ground handling charges, accommodation charges for pilots in star hotels, logistics charges for pilots and technical staff, fuel and transportation charges, medicals and the ATC charges (watch hour extensions).
According to a G.O. issued on February 22, the State government, citing the report of the DGP, Intelligence, and other reasons, stated that the Chief Minister is in the ‘Z plus’ security category and faces specific threats from Left Wing Extremists (LWE), terrorists, fundamentalist elements, and general threats from organised criminal gangs and anti-social elements. It was felt that the security arrangements for the Chief Minister needed to be handled sensitively, said Special Chief Secretary N. Yuva Raj in the G.O.
It was suggested to replace the current aircraft with a new/alternative aircraft of better airworthiness in view of their increased usage in various tour programmes. Subsequently, a proposal was made to go for a new or alternative aircraft considering the safety requirements of the Chief Minister.
Accordingly, an e-tender notification was issued and technical and financial bids were invited in August last year. The government approved the bid of Global Vectra Helicopters which quoted ₹1.91 crore per month as charges, the G.O. added.
