A government order issued by the Andhra Pradesh infrastructure and investment department’s special chief secretary Karikala Valaven on Wednesday gave a weapon the TDP to take a dig at chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
According to the GO, the department released a special budgetary allocation of Rs 26 crore to the Managing Director, AP Aviation Corporation Limited (APACL) to clear the outstanding expenditure for hiring of helicopter from GMR Aviation Private Limited during the period from June, 2019 to November 30, 2020.
The amount also includes payment to private operators towards hiring of chartered flights till now. The finance department issued re-appropriation orders for Rs 26 crore to this extent. Needless to say the chopper and chartered flights were used by the chief minister.
Former TDP minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu lashed out at the Jagan government for spending such a huge amount on choppers and chartered flights in a span of just 16 months.
“What has Jagan achieved by undertaking these tours by spending such a huge public amount? All that he had done was to make secret trips to Delhi to wriggle out of cases and lodging complaints against judges, besides attending marriages and other functions,” he criticised.
He reminded that the Jagan government had accused former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu of spending Rs 39 crore on his foreign trips and other tours in a span of five years.
“But, Jagan has spent Rs 26 crore only in 16 months. While Naidu had brought several industries, what has Jagan brought with his tours?” Ayyana asked.