Austerity measures go for a toss as Telangana CM, Ministers use helicopters

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy flew to Nagarjunasagar for the Varuna Yagam despite earlier austerity measures. His helicopter travel and use of a six-vehicle convoy have raised questions over the government’s commitment to fuel conservation and public austerity measures

Hyderabad: Just over two months after announcing austerity measures, the Congress government in Telangana appears to have put them on the back burner. Despite criticism from various sections, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his Cabinet colleagues continue to use helicopters to reach destinations which are hardly around 150 km.

On Monday, the Chief Minister flew to Nagarjunasagar to participate in the Varuna Yagam. He took off from the MCRHRD Institute in a helicopter and reached the BC Residential School Grounds at Hill Colony, Nagarjunasagar, in about 45 minutes.

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After landing, a convoy of six vehicles was used to travel from the BC Residential School Grounds to Vijaya Vihar Tourism Guest House, where the Varuna Yagam was held. As per the schedule, he was to fly back to Hyderabad from Nagarjunasagar in the helicopter.

The helicopter travel and the use of a convoy came despite the Chief Minister instructing officials in May to reduce the number of cars in his convoy from 15 to three. The directions followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to initiate fuel conservation and public austerity measures amid the crisis in West Asia.

Following the Prime Minister’s appeal, the Chief Minister’s convoy was initially reduced from 15 vehicles to nine and was eventually brought down to three vehicles.

However, the austerity measures appear to have taken a back seat when it comes to air travel. The Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues have been using helicopters extensively to cover relatively short distances.

Ministers have faced criticism from various sections for travelling by helicopter even when the road distance is around 100 km. The latest instance has again raised questions over the government’s commitment to the austerity measures announced earlier.