LAHORE: Punjab Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) has sought Rs13 billion from the finance department for the purchase of two helicopters for carrying out medical and flood rescue operations in the province.

The S&GAD heads the aviation wing, which is working on the technicalities to select and purchase two choppers, for which an approval was already granted by Punjab’s caretaker cabinet last week.

The S&GAD has now moved a formal summary to the finance department for release of Rs13 billion for the helicopters purchase.

Meanwhile, the caretaker government realised that procurement of the two helicopters would take more than a year, while the floods had already begun playing havoc in the catchment areas of some rivers.

The caretaker chief minister, earlier this week decided to immediately procure two choppers on rent to immediately meet the flood and medical emergencies in the province.

Official sources says that a technical committee working on this project has yet to select the companies offering choppers on rent and negotiate with them.

The sources says the chief minister’s helicopter, which was purchased by Shehbaz Sharif (now premier) during his stint as chief executive of Punjab, is not functioning well, and the aviation wing is waiting for some spare parts needed to be replaced to make it fit to fly.

They says the chief minister’s plane was also malfunctioning and had been grounded.

The caretaker ministers, who have been assigned duties to supervise the flood relief operations, are compelled to use their vehicles for the purpose and are finding it hard to reach the remote areas of province facing flood threat, the sources add.

Former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi had also begun the process to rent a chopper in January this year for rescue operations, but the plan remained incomplete.

According to the sources, the choppers will remain at the disposal of the Rescue 1122 emergency service, but handled by the S&GAD’s aviation wing.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2023