450 helipads built for former Odisha bureaucrat V K Pandian’s chopper tours to be probed

A probe has been launched into the whirlwind helicopter tours of Odisha's former chief minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik's close aide V K Pandian days after the state's Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena alleged that the chopper rides of Pandian needs to be investigated.

Odisha's Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Sunday announcing an investigation into the said matter also added that over 450 helipads were also built during the period to land the helicopters of Pandian, who was a 5T secretary at that time, according to a report by The Times of India. The rides under investigation were taken between February and September last year to interact with the public and gauge feedback during the tenure of BJD government.

According to the minister, the probe will cover the cost of the helicopter rides and who and how such rides were authorised when a department secretary does not have the authority to use the helicopter, as reported by the publication. The government to decide on the further steps after the investigation is completed, the report quoted minister as saying.

Pandian, the 2000-batch IAS officer, who courted several controversies, had taken voluntary retirement from government service on October 23, 2023. He joined the then ruling BJD formally in November and was later appointed as the chairman of the state's flagship 5T.