Chopper still grounded,Himachal to dump Jagson

Highly placed sources said the company sent its reply on Wednesday to the notice served on it,seeking more time to provide the helicopter,which was grounded by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after it was sent for maintenance two and a half months ago.

General Administration Department Secretary Ajay Bhandari said: “We have received the reply from the company. The government is not convinced with the reasons given by the company. No further time can be given/or wasted as the state government is in urgent need of a helicopter. In fact,the company has taken a very long time to respond to the state’s demands.”

The government had taken the 26-seater twin engine helicopter on ‘wet lease’ from Jagson last year. With its grounding,not only the VVIP flights have taken a hit,but all emergency flights and winter operations in the tribal belt have suffered too.

GAD officials said the company kept the government in the dark about the availability of the helicopter after it was grounded by the DGCA. “We cannot wait endlessly. We have initiated the process for terminating the lease agreement and moving with the proposal to get an alternative helicopter,” said an officer.

The company,however,blamed the DGCA for grounding of the helicopter. A top Jagson official said the company had run into troubles due to the DGCA and efforts were on to ensure that the helicopter returned to work.