By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: More than seven months have passed since the Pawan Hans chopper services were suspended in the state but till date the state does not have any chopper service.
In absence of proper railway and airport, the state is in need of chopper services since the Pawan Hans chopper services were suspended in April this year.
Talking to The Shillong Times here on Friday, principal secretary of transport department H Marwein stated that the Union Home Ministry has directed the State Government to select the operator through competitive bidding.
”If we don’t follow competitive bidding then the Central Government may not give us the seventy five percent subsidy,” H Marwein stated here on Friday.
The State-owned Pawan Hans helicopter services, which was earlier operating in the State, was suspended following the April 30 crash that killed former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu along with four others.
According to Marwein, the department presently is in the process of finalizing the consultant who will help the Government in preparing various papers for floating the exact tender for the operation of chopper services in the state.
Reacting to a query about the tentative deadline for the completion of the entire tender process, the official stated that the Government plans to complete the tender process by early next year.
It may be added that Pawan Hans services, which was suspended by most of the Northeastern states following Khandu’s death, had resumed its services in Tripura and Sikkim in July, but when the company applied to resume its services in Meghalaya the Government rejected the company’s offer.However, the government added that Pawan Hans can also apply for the bidding process and the Transport Minister AT Mondal earlier had also stated that the State Government does not have any objection with Pawan Hans but they have to follow our guidelines for safety of passengers.