The Himachal Pradesh government’s plans to hire a new helicopter and enter into a tie-up with a new company has fallen flat. The company, which was chosen to provide a seven-seater helicopter, apparently took the Prem Kumar Dhumal government for a ride, as it had no helicopter to send to Himachal.

Put into serious embarrassment, the government has finally gone back to M/s Masco Airlines, which had been providing services to the Himachal government for over the past decade. The company, instead of its earlier flying rates of Rs 1.35 lakh per hour, will now be charging Rs 1.75 lakh for each flying hour.

Initially, Himachal had a problem in finding a safe parking place for the helicopter at Annandale ground, currently in control of the Army and being used by golf enthusiasts. But, now, the challenge is to get a new helicopter from a reliable company for VVIP flights.

“The agreement with M/s Masco Airlines has been extended till April next. We have cancelled the deal offered to M/s Simm Samm, a company that had been unable to provide the helicopter despite keeping the government waiting for more than a month. We have served a one-month notice to the defaulting company and cancelled the deal,” confirmed GAD

secretary Diljeet Dogra.

The helicopter is being used mainly by the Chief Minister and occasionally by Governor Prabha Rau. In winter, the helicopter is used for flights to snow-bound tribal areas and also emergencies.

The BJP government had invited fresh offers from airlines companies for hiring a new helicopter. Nearly half a dozen companies, including Masco, had submitted offers with Pawan Hans reportedly bidding for over Rs 2 lakh per hour. M/s Simm Samm’s bid was lowest at Rs 1.25 per hour and it claimed to have a seven-seater helicopter. The Masco offer was to the tune of Rs 1.99 lakh per hour, which the

government rejected.