JAIPUR: The state government has shelved the plan to acquire a swanky jet for the use of VVIPs in the state as
Covid has hit the health of state finances hard.
Officials privy to the development said the plan has been put on hold, at least for now. At present, the directorate of civil aviation hires planes for the service of VVIPs as the two state planes with the state government are very old.
The government of Rajasthan on October 15, 2019, had invited
global expression of interest (EoI) to purchase a luxury plane with 10 executive club seats, excluding flight crew.
The airplane was being bought to fly senior dignitaries and government officials to promote tourism and carry out other administrative requirements, according to the expression of interest released last year.
In January this year, a high-power committee chaired by chief secretary had shortlisted two aviation firms for buying a multi-engine turbo jet engine plane.
The committee meeting held in January this year had recommended to the government to go for a
Dassault Falcon jet for the use of VVIPs in the state. The plane was expected to cost about Rs 214 crore.
Bombardier and Dassault were the two contenders. What went in favour of Dassault was its suitability to operate in extreme weather conditions and its ability to operate in shorter air strips.
The Rajasthan government owns two aircraft and an
Augusta helicopter. The state owns two aircraft - Super King Air B200 and King Air C 90A, while one is 30 years old, the other is over 15 years old.
The Augusta helicopter was grounded after it suffered a technical glitch in November 2011. The government has been hiring jet planes for VVIP movement ever since the Augusta helicopter was grounded, which according to officials, cost around Rs 4 lakh per hour. The acquisition of another state plane has been long overdue. The previous Raje government had also planned to buy a plane, but it did not take off. It was during Raje’s tenure that the controversial Augusta helicopter was acquired.