The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticised the Maharashtra government for delays in operationalising a ₹82.78-crore Airbus H-145 helicopter procured for anti-Naxalite operations, stating that the aircraft remained grounded for 17 months after delivery due to the delayed appointment of a maintenance agency. The audit also flagged an avoidable expenditure of ₹2.07 crore arising from the lapse.
According to the Compliance Audit Report 2024, tabled in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on July 10, the state’s Directorate of Aviation took nearly 10 months to appoint a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) agency after the helicopter was delivered in September 2019. In the absence of mandatory maintenance, the aircraft could not obtain the required airworthiness certification and remained unfit for operational deployment.
The helicopter, purchased from Airbus Helicopters for deployment in anti-Naxalite operations in Gadchiroli and adjoining regions, was placed under short-term preservation shortly after its delivery because no MRO agency had been engaged. Once a maintenance agency was finally appointed in July 2020, the helicopter had to undergo extensive Return to Service (RTS) procedures before being cleared to fly, resulting in an additional expenditure of ₹2.07 crore, the audit noted.
The CAG observed that the delay deprived the state of the helicopter’s operational services for more than 17 months, with the aircraft eventually entering service only in February 2021. The report attributed the lapse to inadequate planning and weak contract management by the Directorate of Aviation, stating that timely appointment of the maintenance agency could have avoided both the prolonged grounding and the additional expenditure.
The audit further noted that the Directorate of Aviation did not furnish its response despite repeated reminders after the audit observations were communicated. The matter was subsequently referred to the Maharashtra government, whose reply was awaited at the time of finalisation of the report.