Bhubaneswar: It seems that all is not well between the BJD government and the new Governor Ganeshi Lal as the state government has sought details from the Raj Bhawan on his air travel bills.
The General Administration department has written to the Special Secretary of the Governor regarding aircraft and chopper expenses amounting to nearly Rs 46.18 lakh.
Lal was sworn in as the new Governor of Odisha at the Raj Bhawan here May 29, 2018.
In the letter, the Deputy Secretary to state government, Indira Behera, has sought a clarification on the purpose of the Governor’s visit and use of chopper and a jet during his visit to New Delhi and Haryana between June 10 and 14.
“Kindly intimate the reason for hiring of a helicopter for the use of the Governor and deviation from the approved schedule of the flight and whether approval of the competent authority has been taken,” the letter said.
As per the official communiqué issued by the state government, a twin engine jet was used by the Governor to visit New Delhi from Bhubaneswar June 10 and back to Bhubaneswar June 13.
As per the invoices of Pinnacle Air Pvt Ltd mentioned in the letter the cost of hiring the aircraft has been estimated at Rs 41,18,000. Similarly, an expense of Rs 5 lakh was incurred for the Governor’s visit to Sirsa in Haryana from New Delhi in a chopper June 10.
The Special Secretary to the Governor has been asked to sign the user’s certificate for action by the state government.
Meanwhile, a political slugfest has started over the letter between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Smelling politics BJP General Secretary Lekhashree Samantasinghar said, “The Odisha Government seeking clarifications from the Governor on his tour expenses is a political conspiracy.”
“The CM is roaming here and there during elections using choppers and the state plane. But the public doesn’t know about his tour expenses. It is not good to point fingers at the constitutional system,” she said.
Rubbishing the allegations, BJD spokesperson Samir Das said, “The government was also formed as per the Constitution. Government officers must be conscious about their duty. As per the letter, there might be some problems with the Governor’s tour expenses for which they have sought a clarification.”
Hitting back at the BJP, Das said it has become a habit of the saffron party to play politics on each and every issue.