Pawan Hans plan delay: Parliamentary panel pull up aviation ministry

New Delhi: With interim budget slated to be tabled on Monday, a parliamentary panel has lambasted civil aviation ministry for not finalising the lan assistance for state-run Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL) even when the second year of 12th Plan was coming to an end. “The government should get their act together and expedite the process of approval of PHHL plan as any further delay would have an adverse impact on the company’s plans and performance,” the Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) said in a latest report.[caption id=“attachment_1390595” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A Pawan Hans chopper. AFP[/caption] It regretted that “despite the lapse of more than six months after presentation of (COPU’s previous) report, the revised Plan projection of PHHL for 12th five-year plan is yet to be finalised and approved by Planning Commission, though the second year of the Plan is coming to an end.” COPU, headed by Congress member Jagdambika Pal, also asked the ministry to make “all out efforts for obtaining gross budgetary support from the government and also vigorously pursue the matter with ministries concerned and departments so that…PHHL forays into new areas of growth at the soonest”. In its latest report tabled in Parliament, it asked the ministry to ensure release of all outstanding bills of PHHL from various state governments “without any further delay” to enable the state-run chopper firm to generate resources for expansion through internal and extra-budgetary funds. The COPU also attacked the civil aviation ministry for its “casual attitude” in resolving a matter concerning waiver of a Finance Ministry claim of over Rs 470 crore from the company for acquisition of 21 Westland choppers in 1986-88. “The chronology of events….is reflective of an inordinately slow pace at which the ministry are handling this matter of critical importance for the health of PHHL.” The assertion that PHHL was pursuing the matter with the finance ministry “implies that the ministry is not playing a proactive role in the matter,” it said, asking the ministry “to involve themselves in resolution of this vexed issue forthwith”. PTI