Congress, BJP spending billions on hiring air charter service

ISLAMABAD: Around 130 air charter service operators across India are having a boom time due to extensive use of helicopters and business jets by parties like BJP and Congress for electioneering dubbed as most expensive in country's history.

Industry sources said the parties and individual politicos are roughly spending Rs 3.50 to Rs 4 billion to criss cross the country in chartered planes during campaign for the world's biggest democratic exercise spread over two months.

The Pioneer newspaper reported on Tuesday. So far BJP s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has clocked maximum number of flying hours to campaign for the party followed by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi experts in the industry said. The operators usually charge Rs 70 000 to 75 000 per flying hour for a four seater single engine chopper, while business jets cost Rs 250 000 to 300 000 per hour but the rates have increased significantly due to surge in demand.

Secretary of Business Aircraft Operator's Association R K Bali said the sector was witnessing negative growth of two percent in the last two years, but business has seen impressive growth as leading parties hit an aggressive campaign trail.

According to Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India figures around 130 non-scheduled aircraft operators are in the business currently out of which around 40 are big operators having four to five private jets which ferry people abroad also. They are operating around 520 aircraft and choppers.

Captain G R Gopinath the pioneer of low cost airline in India and promoter of Deccan Charters said. Even after hopping in and out of choppers and jets national leaders like Modi and Rahul may not be able to cover more than 200 constituencies.

Gautam Sahani of Subha Aviation said the increased frequency by chartered flights has significantly helped earnings by airports across the country as they charge fees for landing take off and parking.

Similarly the aircraft maintenance firms are also having a decent share of the business as increased flying hours means good upkeep of the aircraft.

 

1,500 acres forest land worth billions, vacated on SC order, reoccupied

 

KARACHI: About 1,500 acres of forest land worth billions of rupees — located close to Hyderabad city — that was vacated 10 months ago on the orders of the Supreme Court, has been re-encroached by the same mafia.
Forest land measuring 1,446.46 acres located in union council 4 of Qasimabad, Hyderabad, was re-occupied at the behest of two Sindh ministers, ‘The News’ learnt.The Forest Department and Hyderabad deputy commissioner last week gave the wrong information to the Supreme Court in their reports, informing the court that there was no illegal encroachment on the said land.

The land was occupied in March 2013 through an illegal order of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah in which he converted the forest land to revenue land.The land was allotted at the rate of Rs20 per acre and all the challans (government fees) of the land were submitted on the same day.

The Forest Department resisted and opposed the move.Though the land was apparently allotted to 100 persons belonging to a community, the department sources said, the original owners were two Sindh ministers and a brother of a minister.

Besides launching a housing scheme they have established a farmhouse on the land.Sources said that an agreement was also struck to start a mega housing project on the said land. After protests of civil society groups and villagers, the then Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, seized with the Karachi law and order case, took suo moto notice of the matter and after getting thereports from the concerned departments, the Supreme Court declared the Sindh chief minister’s order of conversion of forest land to Revenue land as illegal and unconstitutional and directed the authorities to vacate the land and demolish all the construction there.

The district management in May 2013 along with Rangers and police demolished all the constructions - a lavish bungalow measuring 4,000 square yards, a farm house, a cow farm and 20 shops.

According to official figures 140,827 acres forest land is occupied by the influential ruling elite in Sindh, badly affecting the environment.The sources told ‘The News’ that these influential persons after cutting precious trees were not only cultivating the land illegally but they had also constructed their personal embankments (zamindari band) to protect their farm house residences on the forest land.

The sources said such encroachments are the main cause of floods and last two floods of 2010 and 2011 were also due to these illegal embankments.The News visited the site and found constructions on the reoccupied land of the Forest Department, while armed persons were guarding the site.

Hyderabad Electricity Supply Company (Hesco) has provided special power line and transformers on the said illegal encroachment; Wasa has provided the water supply line; the Communication and Works department constructed roads, and a special police picket has been established to protect the illegal occupation and keep away the outsiders and unwanted people from the location. All the video evidences about the re-occupation, availability of civic facilities are available with ‘The News’.

It is pertinent to mention here that there are at least 20 villages in the area but they have not been provided the civic facilities which were extended to the said land.This correspondent approached Hesco spokesman Sadiq Kubar two weeks back to get their version regarding the electricity facility to the land, he asked to wait for two days to inquire the matter; after two days Kubar said that a team has been formed to inquire the matter and very soon version will be given in this regard but till the filling of this report no version was provided.

Wasa Managing Director Saleem Ahmed despite many calls and text messages did not reply.Prominent lawyer Ali Palh told ‘The News’ that there was lacuna in the Forest Act; there are nominal punishments and fines that’s why encroachments on forest land are common, so the law needs to be revived to protect the forest land. “Even this insufficient law has not been implemented,” he added.

Despite many attempts to get version, Forest Department Secretary Waseem Ursani remained reluctant to give his viewpoint; however, Forest Chief Conservator Riaz Wagan told ‘The News’ that according to his knowledge there was no illegal encroachment on the land and such report has been filed in the Supreme Court by the Hyderabad deputy commissioner and district forest officer (DFO). When this reporter informed Wagan about the actual position, he said he will conduct inquiry. Wagan further added that the Forest Department had no force to implement the law and obey the court orders we are dependent on the district management and local police.