Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 30: In a State, which is dependent on the Central Government assistance even to meet the expenditure on account of salaries of its employees, an amount to the tune of nearly Rs 1 crore has been spent on the air-travels, TA and DA of sitting and former Cabinet Ministers within a period of one year. This clearly indicates that State Government has scant regard for the austerity measures, which it had announced in order to improve the economic condition.
How could the Government justify air-travel between Srinagar-Jammu, Jammu-Srinagar, Srinagar-Delhi and Delhi-Srinagar on three consecutive days by a Cabinet Minister on the pretext of ‘official visit’ is a million dollar question.
Similarly, what justice a Minister could do to ‘official works’ in twin capital cities by travelling between Jammu and Srinagar for 11 days in a month and another Minister travelling between Jammu-Srinagar, Srinagar-Jammu, Jammu-Delhi, Delhi-Srinagar, Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Mangalore, Mangalore-Bangalore, Delhi-Chandigarh for 18 days in a month. However, these ‘flying’ Cabinet ministers were ‘generous enough’ to travel only by economy class.
If the expenditure on air travels, TA and DA of all the Ministers during the past three years is calculated the same may run in several crores of rupees as even the Ministers of State of the less important departments travelled between different destinations by air on the pretext of ‘official works’. The expenditure of Rs one crore on air travel of only Cabinet Ministers is a clear indication that the Government doesn’t follow its own orders, which were issued from time to time, to prevent financial burden on the State exchequer so that same funds could be utilized for the developmental works.
According to the official figures, during 2012-13 an amount of Rs 2.23 lakh was spent on the domestic air travels, TA and DA of Minister for Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather while as an amount of Rs 5.84 lakh on his visit to Japan and Canada.
The air travels of Peerzada Mohd Sayeed, Minister for Public Enterprises during 2012-13 has cost the Government exchequer Rs 2.15 lakh. The expenditure on account of air travel of Minister for Horticulture, Culture and Housing (earlier Minister for Revenue) has been worked out at Rs 3.42 lakh.
An expenditure on account of air travels by Minister for Rural Development, Ali Mohammad Sagar during 2012-13 has been worked out at over Rs 3 lakh while as Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment’s air travels cost Rs 3.69 lakh to the exchequer during 2012-13 financial year.
The air travels of Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control (earlier Minister for Health), Sham Lal Sharma, have been worked out at Rs 5.80 lakh while as expenditure on air travels of Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand has been worked out at Rs 5.74 lakh. Similarly, Minister for Medical Education (earlier Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control), Taj Mohi-ud-Din’s air travels cost Rs 3.34 lakh to the exchequer and an amount of over Rs 3.50 lakh has been spent on the air travels of Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir.
An amount of Rs 3.53 lakh has been spent on the air travels of Minister for Social Welfare, Sakina Itoo, Rs 4.36 lakh on former Minister for Higher Education, Abdul Gani Malik, Rs 3.15 lakh on former Minister for CAPD and Transport, Qamar Ali Akhoon, Rs 55,382 on present Minister for Higher Education, Mohd Akbar Lone, Rs 10 lakh on the air trips of Nawang Rigjin Jora, presently Minister for Urban Development (earlier Minister for Tourism), Rs 27,123 on air travels of present Minister for R&B, Abdul Majid Wani, Rs 74,537 on air travels of Mir Saifullah, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Rs 4 lakh on air travels of former Minister for Industries and Commerce, Surjeet Singh Slathia and Rs 9.84 lakh on former Minister for Medical Education, R S Chib.
It is pertinent to mention here that an amount of nearly Rs 12 crore has been spent on the fuel and maintenance of the State aircraft and helicopters, which conducted 3552 sorties during the past three years.
Besides Governor and Chief Minister, the aircraft and helicopters are also used by other VVIPs like visiting Union Ministers, Presiding Officers of Legislature, Ministerial colleagues and senior officers of the Central and State Governments on the authorization of Chief Minister.
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