CAG raps Maharashtra as Rs 82.78 cr helicopter lay idle for 17 months, flags Rs 2 cr avoidable cost

The CAG criticised the Maharashtra government for delaying the appointment of a maintenance agency for an Rs 82.78-crore anti-Naxalite helicopter, leaving it grounded for 17 months and causing an avoidable Rs 2.07-crore expense due to inadequate planning and contract management

Mumbai: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticised the Maharashtra government for the delay in appointing a maintenance agency for a Rs 82.78‑crore helicopter bought for anti‑Naxalite operations, leaving it grounded for 17 months and causing an avoidable expense of Rs 2.07 crore.

In its Compliance Audit Report for the year 2024, tabled in the state legislative assembly on July 10, the CAG said the Directorate of Aviation, Government of Maharashtra, took nearly 10 months to appoint a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) agency after the helicopter was delivered.

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“The delay of about ten months in finalising the MRO agency resulted in the helicopter not receiving the mandatory daily checks and engine ground runs required to maintain its airworthiness,” the report said.

The state government had approved the purchase of the helicopter in May 2018 to facilitate anti-Naxalite operations in Gadchiroli and neighbouring areas. The (Maharashtra government’s) Directorate of Aviation bought the H-145 (VT-GOV) helicopter from M/s Airbus Helicopters, Germany, for Rs 82.78 crore in July 2019. It was delivered on September 18, 2019, and underwent its acceptance test flight a week later.

The audit said the helicopter could not be operated without a valid certificate of airworthiness and mandatory maintenance by a Directorate General of Civil Aviation-approved MRO agency. As no such agency had been appointed, the helicopter was placed under short-term preservation by the supplier on September 26, 2019.

According to the CAG, M/s Indamer Aviation Pvt Ltd was appointed as the MRO agency only on July 13, 2020. Since the helicopter remained without mandatory maintenance, it had to undergo Return to Service (RTS) procedures before it could fly again. The state Directorate of Aviation obtained the DGCA approval in September 2020, after which the RTS work was carried out for Rs 2.07 crore.

“The helicopter had to be placed under short-term preservation and subsequently undergo RTS procedures, for which an expenditure of Rs 2.07 crore was incurred. The delay also rendered the helicopter unavailable for operational use for over 17 months from the date of delivery,” the report said.

The airworthiness certificate was issued on December 2, 2020, and the helicopter was finally pressed into service on February 19, 2021, one year and five months after it had been handed over to the state government.

“The lapse indicates inadequate planning and weak contract management in the Directorate of Aviation, which led to avoidable expenditure,” the CAG report said.

The state Directorate of Aviation did not furnish its comments despite repeated reminders after the audit pointed out the issue in July 2024. The matter was referred to the state government in September 2025, and its reply was awaited, the report added.