As reported in telegraphindia.com on 26 November 2008:
The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Jharkhand | HC seeks details of Dhruv expenses

HC seeks details of Dhruv expenses

Ranchi, Nov. 25: Jharkhand High Court has once again directed the government to furnish details to the office of the accountant-general for auditing the expenses incurred by it in flying VIPs and leaders by a hired helicopter.

The division bench had directed the government to provide the details of the accounts for paying rent for the chopper along with a logbook of the passengers who were ferried on it.

The high court had earlier directed the government to co-operate with the office of the accountant-general and provide all relevant documents pertaining to expenditure incurred for use and hire of the helicopter. However, in spite of the court’s orders, no details were provided by the government, which was informed to the court by the counsel for the accountant-general.

The court, while directing the government to table the relevant documents, directed the accountant-general to conclude its inquiry by January and furnish a report before the high court.

The matter relates to a public interest litigation filed by social worker Bindu Bhushan Dubey who had brought on record the excessive misuse of the state chopper by ministers and their relatives for their personal benefits. Dubey’s petition has opened a can of worms for the government as startling facts have been brought on record which are difficult to be denied by the state.

Dubey had sought for information under the Right To Information Act from the chief minister’s secretariat with regards to the number of times the chopper was used, the persons who have flown in it and whether they are eligible according to the protocol to avail facilities of using the state chopper for official purposes.

Dubey had queried about the details of the usage of the helicopter during the regime of former chief minister Madhu Koda. In 21 months of Koda’s reign, the state helicopter has made 352 flights which has cost the state exchequer Rs 9.47 crore. Regarding the names of persons who have used the chopper, the list has fictitious names, which cannot be traced to any person and are apparently fake.

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