By IANS
New Delhi : MPs in the parliamentary consultative committee on civil aviation have criticised government for going slow in allowing state-owned Pawan Hans to augment its meagre helicopter fleet.
“Ministry officials informed us that the government will acquire 20 helicopters in the coming years, But we feel that it is less considering the increasing demand and market potential,” said an MP who is a member of the committee.
At a meeting Wednesday, the members also pointed out that the government had not even done a proper study to gauge the potential of the company, even though some private players in the industry were making huge profits.
Madhu Goud Yaskhi, a member of the consultative committee, specifically asked the ministry about its plans to acquire more helicopters for the state-owned company in the wake of an increased demand for them, officials said.
“The MPs pointed out that even though more several companies today are hiring helicopters, especially major oil firms like ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corp) and Reliance for their offshore explorations, the government was not allowing Pawan Hans to acquiring the helicopters, the official said.
As a result, oil companies rely on private companies for the choppers and so do political parties that use them for election campaigns.
Pawan Hans provides helicopter support services to the oil sector for offshore exploration and operates in hilly and inaccessible areas and makes available charter flights for the promotion of travel and tourism.
Its fleet comprises some 30 helicopters, mainly from Dauphin and Bell.