CHANDIGARH: An audit report prepared by Punjab’s accountant-general (audit) has revealed that the Punjab governor, Surinder Nath, had made more than 50 “unauthorized” trips in the state govt air craft between August 1984 and June 1985 when he was adviser to the Punjab governor.
The audit report says that Nath’s unauthorized” tips totaled 43 hours of flying time which cost the state exchequer ‘about R.s 1.20 lakh. The cost of flying was fixed at Rs.2, 681 per hour.
“Asked 10 comment on the audit report, north dismissed it as a “procedural irregularity” and claimed that these trips had been subsequently authorized by the state government”, However he could not recall the year when the trips were authorized
But the fact remains that the tips were not authorized up to two years till pointed out by the audit report.
The audit report, prepared in 1987, also revealed that the present chief secretary, Tejinder Khanna, the Union agriculture ‘minister, Balram Jakhar, the former Union ‘home minister, Buta Singh, the former Punjab finance minister, Balwant Singh, the former 1G of Punjab, Bhinder, along, with other ministers, government officials and Congress politicians had also made such trips.
The audit report says that of the 1,957 hours flown by the state aircraft between 1982 and 1987, as many as 524 hours were for “unauthorized” trips costing the govt R.s, 14.04 lakh.
The govt officials used the aircraft for227 hours that cost about Rs6 lakh, the “unauthorized” flying time by officials below the rank of secretary came to about 15 hours.
The officials had used an eight seater King AirC-90 bought by the govt from an ‘American firm for more than R.s 1 core.
Interestingly, the audit report pointed out that the govt had paid R.s 3.64 lakh for the purchase of the aircraft.
PURCHASE ANOMALIES: The audit report also says that there were anomalies. In the purchase of another state aircraft, the ‘Bonanza’ in December 1978, the aircraft flew 813 hours between March 1979 and ‘September 1987. While the “authorized” Journeys were for 404 hours only of the remaining 409 hours, 271 was made by non-officials without recording any purpose and 15 hours by officials not entitled to such a facility.
Significantly, informed sources say that the state finance department had even protested against this “unauthorized” use of the aircraft through an note to the then Punjab governor, S.S Ray, However, no action was taken. It had been pointed out in the note that the plane was primarily meant for use by the state governor and the chief minister only.
The finance department had also objected {o the use of the aircraft by bureaucrats since they could travel by road. Ray was also urged to lay down strict rules in this connection.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 1, 1991
