press trust of india
New Delhi, May 10: The government owes over `451 crore to cash-strapped Air India for operating chartered flights for VVIPs including president, vice president and prime minister, besides flying special missions, data provided under RTI Act said.
The information provided to RTI activist commodore (retd) Lokesh Batra shows senior officials of the civil aviation ministry besides Union Aviation Minister Ashok Gajpathi Raju wrote to the authorities concerned at different times requesting them for clearing the dues of the flag carrier.
The records show 31 letters were written by senior officials of the ministry between 2014 and 2017. The officials asked ministries concerned to ensure availability of maintenance funds, and making necessary budgetary changes for VVIP flights and other special missions undertaken by Air India but outstanding dues were never cleared fully.
Air India keeps three Boeing 747-400 aircraft aside for operating chartered services for the president, vice president and the prime minister during their visits abroad. It also undertakes special evacuation missions and provides other services for foreign dignitaries.
According to the data, `27.70 crore was pending towards the visits of the president, `351.82 crore for vice president, and `45.97 crore with regard to the prime minister. Besides, `14.66 crore was due towards services provided to foreign dignitaries and `11.59 crore for evacuation operations.
The bills for the president, vice president, evacuation and foreign diginitaries are pending with the external affairs ministry, while those relating to the travel of prime minister are with the home ministry. The bills for evacuation of Indian citizens from Iraq, Egypt and Malta in troubled times, besides relief sent to the US during hurricane Katrina in 2005 have yet to be cleared by the MEA, the reply shows. The government had claimed Air India had posted an operating profit of `105 crore in FY 2015-16, but the Comptroller and Auditor General disputed the figure, insisting it incurred a loss of `321 crore.
