Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 (IANS) Kerala’s government helicopter is once again at the centre of a political storm and this time the decision is sitting on Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan’s desk.

The lease of the helicopter hired during the previous LDF government expires on Saturday, September 19.

The State Police Chief has already recommended extending the contract, leaving Chief Minister Satheesan to decide whether the chopper should continue flying or finally be grounded.

The DGP has reportedly recommended continuing it at the existing rate for another two years.

The irony is hard to miss.

When Pinarayi Vijayan was Chief Minister and Satheesan was Leader of the Opposition, the Congress leader had repeatedly attacked the helicopter arrangement, questioning the wisdom of spending Rs 80 lakh a month on a government chopper when the state was facing financial pressures.

In 2023, Satheesan criticised the monthly rental for the helicopter, which covered a fixed number of flying hours.

Then the political seats changed. Satheesan became Chief Minister and Vijayan became Leader of the Opposition.

And when Satheesan took his first flight in the government helicopter, the Left Opposition was quick to remind him of his own words from the Opposition benches.

However, Chief Minister Satheesan’s defence was equally pointed, whether he flew or not, the government had to pay the contracted monthly rent until September 19.

The helicopter was already under lease and flying it within the contracted hours did not mean any additional expenditure, he argued.

In other words, the chopper had already been paid for, so it might as well fly.

Now comes the more uncomfortable part. The police want the helicopter to stay.

The DGP has cited its usefulness during emergencies, including disaster response and other urgent operations, and has recommended renewal.

The existing arrangement costs Rs 80 lakh a month for the contracted flying hours, with additional charges for flying beyond the stipulated limit.

That puts Chief Minister Satheesan in the hot seat.

If he renews the contract, the Left can point back to his Opposition era criticism of the very arrangement he is now allowing to continue.

If he scraps it, the police will have to do without a dedicated helicopter and the government may have to depend on fresh hiring whenever an emergency arises.

So the helicopter that once gave Chief Minister Satheesan political ammunition against Vijayan has now handed him a political dilemma of his own.

The chopper may be running out of flying hours under the present contract. But its political mileage appears nowhere near exhausted.

–IANS

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