Thiruvananthapuram ,20 September (H.S.):

The contract for the helicopter hired by the Kerala Police has expired, prompting its operator, Chipsan Aviation, to submit a fresh proposal offering the aircraft on a pay-per-use basis.

Under the new proposal, the police can deploy the helicopter whenever required by paying Rs 4 lakh for every hour of flying. The earlier agreement allowed the police to use the aircraft for up to 25 flying hours for a monthly payment of Rs 80 lakh.

The proposal is expected to be examined by the state government before a decision is taken on whether to continue using the helicopter under the revised arrangement. The pay-per-use option could help the government avoid a fixed monthly expenditure when the aircraft is not required for regular operations.

The Kerala Police began hiring a helicopter during the first Pinarayi Vijayan government when Loknath Behera was the State Police Chief. The initial agreement was signed with Pawan Hans, a central public-sector helicopter service provider. A subsequent contract was awarded to Chipsan Aviation.

The aircraft was intended to support police operations, disaster management, emergency evacuations, surveillance and the transportation of senior officials. However, the decision to hire the helicopter repeatedly attracted criticism over its cost and actual operational use.

The Congress, which was then in the Opposition, had accused the previous government of wasting public money by maintaining an expensive helicopter service. It questioned whether the benefits of the arrangement justified the substantial expenditure incurred by the state exchequer.

With the Congress now in power and the existing contract having ended, attention has turned to how the government will respond to the aviation company's latest offer. The government must decide whether to accept the hourly payment model, negotiate a different arrangement or discontinue the service entirely.

A final decision is expected after the police and the government assess operational requirements, financial implications and the helicopter's usefulness during emergencies.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman