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Chief Minister Anandiben to buy Rs 100 crore jet

Need for new aircraft for Chief minister Anandiben Patel has felt

.Gujarat government likely to spend Rs 100 crore to buy a new aircraft for her.Existing aircraft,nine seater,Super King Air Beechcraft 200 , completes 15 years of life and needs to be grounded in December 2014. It  was bought for Rs 19.12 crore by then CM Keshubhai Patel from an agent in 1999. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India and Public Account Committee had criticized the purchase procedure then.  Present aircarft faces technical glitches time and again, forcing the CM and other VVIPs to use private planes. Buying a new aircraft is inevitable,” said a source.

A high-level technical committee has recommended the purchase of a 12-to-15 seater new aircraft with the latest amenities and best safety standards as suggested by the Director General of Civil Aviation.”The state government has allocated Rs 1 crore to initiate the process of buying the plane through global tendering. Soon, advertisements will be placed in international publications. Due to increased prices and the high dollar rate, the new aircraft may cost over Rs 100 crore,” the official said.After the death of Andhra Pradesh ex-CM Y S R Reddy in an air crash, a slew of safety standards were made compulsory.