[splco_heading size=”15″ align=”left” margin=”30″]The Indian armed forces’s tribute to frontline workers battling the coronavirus outbreak was an expensive not less than 50 Crores Rs affair according to Army Sources [/splco_heading]
Across the country, including many Indian states, IAF choppers showered petals on hospitals while in Kochi, surveillance aircraft conducted a fly-past. ‘
‘For the whole of yesterday, trial runs were conducted which involved a lot of flying across all states,” Army sources said.
In many hospitals, across India in all states the armed forces distributed soft drinks and snacks, which were ferried in several trucks.
Sources in the defence establishment told Hyderaad based media that the operating cost to fly the bigger fighter planes for an hour is between Rs 6.5 and Rs 7 crore.
‘Operating costs’ means fuel, maintenance, man hours and all other expenditure, they said.
The cost of flying smaller aircraft like trainers and helicopters is around Rs 2 lakh per hour per aircraft.
For operating a military transport aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules, the cost is three times that of a fighter plane.
As part of Sunday’s exercise, two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft flew over Srinagar and Chandigarh. These aircraft were also part of the flypast over Rajpath in New Delhi.
Similarly, the IAF’s Su-30 aircraft flew over Marine Drive in Mumbai. ”These three aircraft took off from Pune. This itself cost between Rs 45 and Rs 50 lakh,” sources said.
Going by conservative estimates, the drill by the Army, Navy and Air Force would have cost the Centre not less than Rs 50 crore.
[splco_quote]While thanking the armed forces for the tribute, general secretary of the Resident Doctors’ Association, AIIMS, Delhi, Dr Srinivas Raj Kumar said also added that the government should also pay attention to shortcomings in preparedness which will decide the final outcome of the battle against Covid-19. [/splco_quote]
The current trend of showering flower petals with a budget for about 50 crores is quite worrisome observes many social media activists .
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[splco_label]After 40 days lockdown 40,000 cases and 1,301 deaths are recorded Indian Army Helicopters shower rose petals upon masked health workers and jets soar through skies[/splco_label]
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Amidst with in 24 hours following the killing of five security personnel, including a colonel and major, during an operation in Handwara, in Kashmir , Criticism has come from various quarters over the need for this exercise
And also while Dr Adarsh Pratap Singh, President, Residents’ Doctors Association, AIIMS, New Delhi, opposing government insensitive directive given by Padmini Singh, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, who has asked medical directors of various government hospitals to get written explanation from such doctors, who have tested positive for the virus, asking them how “in spite of wearing required protective gears, maintaining safe distances and following precautions prescribed for healthcare workers, they still contracted the infection.”
Criticism within the rank and file of the armed forces as many of them too felt that the exercise in these difficult times when migrant workers are undergoing untold hardships, could have been avoided
