KL Report
SRINAGAR
RTI impact can be gauged from the fact that the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has reduced his chopper dependence thereby reducing the burden on the state exchequer and resultantly having saved expenditure on this account to the tune of 40 per cent.
This was revealed by the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s Civil Aviation Department (CAD) in a RTI query filled by Balvinder Singh convener Sangarsh RTI Movenment.
Balvinder Singh RTI activist had filed an RTI application to know about the expenditures of Omar on his using Chopper, the reply provided reduction of 40 per cent expenditure on chopper rides.
RTI reply has revealed the reduction of 40% expenditure on Omar’s chopper rides. The total expenditure during the period between March 2012 to September 2013 comes to around Rs 4.35 crore. Whereas the total expenditure during the corresponding period between March 2009 to September 2010 was to the tune of Rs. 7.45 crore.
The reply also revealed that Omar stopped claiming TA/DA after the filling of Singh’s first RTI application in the year 2011, where previous RTI reply showed him Taking Rs 1.63 lacs as TA/DA expenses.
Whereas the amount spent on fuel by Civil Aviation Department during the period between March, 2012 to September, 2013 for purchase of fuel for travel of Chief Minister to Rs. 67.81 lacs.
The amount spent on salaries of the pilots has also come down to around Rs 1.53 crore from 2.20 crore. Amount spent on repair and maintenance too has come down appreciably to Rs. 96 lacs from whooping 3.84 crore during last corresponding period.
