The governor, the chief minister and other VIPs of Mizoram have hired helicopters 69 times since 2013, the state Assembly was informed today.
Replying to a question from Dr K Beichhua of the Mizo National Front (MNF), Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said the governor chartered state-run Pawan Hans helicopter 10 times, the chief minister 53 times and other VIPs six times.
When opposition MLAs asked about the expenses incurred for chartering the helicopter, the chief minister evaded the question.
He said the Pawan Hans's rate of chartering the helicopter had been Rs 70,000 per hour which was revised and hiked to Rs 80,000 per hour from January last.
Mizoram government had sometime back written a letter to the Centre asking for more flights between Aizawl and Imphal as there was only one Air India flight between the two state capitals in a week.
"Many people in Manipur are Mizos and we want better connectivity by air between the two states," he said.