The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has indicted the Maharashtra government for critical contract management failures that left an ₹82.78 crore helicopter — procured exclusively for anti-Naxalite operations — grounded for 17 months and drained an additional ₹2.07 crore in avoidable restoration costs. The findings appear in the CAG Compliance Audit Report for 2024, tabled in the Maharashtra State Legislature on 10 July 2025, the concluding day of the three-week monsoon session.

The Procurement and What Went Wrong

The Maharashtra government approved the purchase of an H-145 (VT-GOV) helicopter from Germany-based M/s Airbus Helicopters in May 2018, with the specific mandate of supporting security forces conducting anti-Naxalite operations in Gadchiroli and surrounding high-risk districts. The aircraft was delivered on 18 September 2019 and cleared its acceptance test flight within a week.

However, the state's Directorate of Aviation had not arranged a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) agency — a legal prerequisite for operating any civil aircraft under DGCA regulations. Without a valid certificate of airworthiness and a contracted MRO, the helicopter could not legally fly. The supplier was consequently forced to place the brand-new aircraft into short-term preservation as early as 26 September 2019.

Ten Months to Appoint an MRO Agency

According to the CAG report, the Directorate of Aviation took nearly 10 months to appoint M/s Indamer Aviation Pvt Ltd as the MRO agency — a step finally taken on 13 July 2020. The prolonged gap meant the aircraft missed mandatory daily inspections and essential engine ground runs required to maintain airworthiness.

The CAG stated in its report: '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,' adding that the lapse 'indicates inadequate planning and weak contract management in the Directorate of Aviation.'

₹2.07 Crore Spent to Restore a Grounded Asset

Before the aircraft could be cleared for active duty, it had to undergo extensive Return to Service (RTS) protocols. Following DGCA approval in September 2020, the state was compelled to spend an entirely avoidable ₹2.07 crore to restore the helicopter to airworthy condition. The certificate of airworthiness was finally issued on 2 December 2020, yet the aircraft did not enter active deployment until 19 February 2021 — approximately 17 months after its original delivery.

Security Forces Left Without Aerial Support

The operational consequence was stark: frontline security forces conducting anti-Naxalite operations in Gadchiroli and neighbouring zones were denied critical aerial support for over a year and a half. The helicopter had been procured precisely to address the challenging terrain and mobility demands of such operations, making the delay a direct compromise of field-level security capacity.

Audit Queries Ignored, Response Still Awaited

Compounding the governance failure, the state's Directorate of Aviation chose not to respond to the CAG's initial audit queries. The CAG flagged the matter in July 2024 and sent repeated reminders, all of which were reportedly ignored. The issue was subsequently escalated directly to the Maharashtra state government in September 2025, but an official response is still awaited as of the date of tabling.

This is not the first time a state government has faced CAG censure over aviation procurement lapses, but the combination of operational urgency — anti-Naxal operations in one of India's most conflict-affected districts — and the scale of avoidable expenditure makes this case particularly pointed.