Keralam CM VD Satheesan defends use of private chartered plane to visit flood-hit Nilambur: 'Nothing wrong with it' | India News

Keralam chief minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday defended his use of a private individual’s chartered aircraft to fly to Kozhikode to meet the kin of flood victims, asserting that the State has not incurred any costs for the same.The chief minister had flown from Thiruvananthapuram to Karipur airport on September 21 in a chartered aircraft to take stock of the situation in Nilambur, where six people were killed in a flash flood as part of extreme rains.Also Read: 9 dead in Keralam flash floods, landslides in span of 24 hours: OfficialsOn Wednesday, at a press briefing in the state capital, CM Satheesan said an acquaintance had offered to sponsor the chartered flight journey and declined to reveal the individual’s name.“There’s no point in dragging their names into this. Everyone knows who owns planes in the state. If one of them offers the chief minister a ride to urgently travel somewhere in the state, there’s nothing wrong with it. Chief ministers in the past have done the same. Tomorrow, they (aircraft owners) are not going to turn up for a favour from the government. And this is not a government that will do such favours,” said Satheesan.Also Read: Keralam CM VD Satheesan visits affected areas after flash floods, landslides kill 9He said it was important that he travel to Malappuram immediately to visit the flash flood-affected area and meet the kin of the victims. “Six people were killed. If the CM doesn’t go, you will ask why I didn’t go there,” he said. When reporters asked why the CM did not utilise government funds to undertake official trips, he replied, “The funds in the CMDRF are not for the chief minister to use an aircraft and fly. It’s for the victims of disasters,” he said.The CM said that the agreement involving the helicopter rented by the state police had expired on September 19 and that the government would not renew it on those terms. “Whether the government or the police used it or not, we had to pay a monthly fee of ₹80 lakhs. It was a big amount,” he said.Satheesan also defended his cabinet colleague KM Shaji’s use of a friend’s luxury car as the official vehicle. “When Shaji’s official vehicle broke down, the protocol department has allowed him to use a private vehicle,” he said.Also Read: As rains intensify in Keralam, CM orders hourly assessment of situationKey leaders in the Opposition LDF hit out at the use of the chartered aircraft and questioned the refusal to reveal the name of the owner. “When a government official or minister continuously uses vehicles owned by private individuals or corporate firms, naturally doubts will begin to form in the minds of the public. When government facilities and vehicles are used, it is to inform the public that the government is not walking on the wrong, illegal path. It’s very important,” said P Rajeev, state secretariat member of the CPI(M).“Now even if the CM is forced to use an aircraft of a private individual to do a quick trip, why is he not revealing the name of the person? If it’s a person doing honest business in Kerala, why not reveal his name?” he asked.