CAG flags Odisha govt's aircraft, helicopter hiring expenditure

Bhubaneswar, Oct 3(UNI) The Odisha government incurred Rs 8.21 crore on hiring chartered aircraft and helicopters despite having substantial unutilised flying hours under an existing air-services contract, the CAG has found. The audit, covering April 2019 to March 2024, also flagged the selection of OSS Air Management Pvt Ltd as the State's private air-services provider, terming the process non-transparent. The government selected the operator despite there being only a single bidder and, according to the audit, failed to obtain the most competitive market rates. The contract was subsequently extended several times, up to August 2024. Between January 2019 and November…