Flying Circus -III

Narvekar's clipped wings

The former Finance & IT Minister Dayanand Narvekar spent only Rs 1,36,275 on his flying but that was only because Digambar Kamat pressed his ejection seat button jettisoning him out of the cabinet, which Narvekar would of course argue, was done prematurely. Whatever their ‘code of conduct’ as politicians, his freefall resulted in him losing his ministership and as a result also his free membership to the Frequent Flyers club of government ministers. But, hey he did enjoy himself in the brief period he got to fly among the clouds. You could say he was on Cloud Nine!

2008

06-09 April, 2008, Mumbai-Delhi, Rs 34,765+962, total Rs 35,727. He also flew to Bhuj, known for its palaces in traditional Kutchi style, spending 11 days in Bhuj, Gujarat flying Bangalore-Delhi-Mumbai-Bhuj-Mumbai Business Class between 17-28 April, 2008 at a cost to you of Rs 84,112+ Rs 2,360, total Rs 86,472. He flew again between 18-20 May, 2008, Mumbai (Rs 13,556+520) at a total cost to you of Rs 14,076.

Business as usual

Another aficionado of the travel-at-taxpayers-cost is Joaquim Alemao, the Minister for Urban Development. Of his 27 flights between April 2008 and January 2010 he flew Economy Class only once, perhaps only because there wasn’t a Business Class seat available. His flying cost you Rs 12,34,442.

2008

28 April-04 May, Mumbai, Rs 16,930+1,655, total Rs 18,585; 24-26 June, Bangalore-Mumbai, Rs 37,210+1,135, total Rs 36,345; 19-20 July, Mumbai, Rs 19,910+442, total Rs 20,352; 08-09 August, Bangalore, Rs 24,237+442, total Rs 24,679; 18-19 August, Bangalore, Rs 17,765+442, total Rs 18,207; 05-08 September, Bangalore-Calcutta, Rs 54,635+1,040, total Rs 55,675; 11-13 October, Bangalore-Calcutta, Rs 84,330+577, total Rs 84,907. While his recent flights seem to have taken him to Bangalore for reasons best known to him, his rather expensive flight to Calcutta on 11-13 October most certainly had nothing to do with the working of the government, more likely I guess with the fact that Churchill Brothers played Mohun Bagan in Calcutta on January 8. My research with a small margin for error also shows that a Goa-Mumbai flight at that point in time cost Rs 16,600 by Economy Class. What’s more, a Goa-Bangalore air ticket then cost Rs 11,919, a Bangalore-Calcutta flight cost Rs 29,444, a Calcutta-Mumbai flight cost Rs 22,664 and a Mumbai-Goa flight cost Rs 10,134 (Indian Airlines-Business Class fares). That makes it a total of Rs 74,161, well short of the Rs 84,330 Alemao spent. It was back to Mumbai for him : 21-25 October, Mumbai, Rs 24,705+1,300, total Rs 26,005; 13-17 November, Mumbai, Rs 26,070+1,097; Rs 27,167. His next flights completely expose the man’s enormous appetite for flying free. Between 08-09 August he flew to Delhi at a cost to you of Rs 58,070+482, total Rs 58,552. He was back to doing his quick Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VToL) like the Indian Navy’s Sea Harriers to Delhi between 23-24 December flying there at a cost of Rs 61,455. Go figure how he could manage to spend so much of your money because the airfares defy interpretation, mine at least, the increasing ATF cost (aviation turbine fuel) notwithstanding.

2009, crashing landing your tax bucks

Yet another quickie VToL flight between 23-24 December took him to Mumbai this time at a cost of Rs 30,658 and another between 20-21 January at a cost of Rs 37,852 and he ended his dizzy dashing off, this time a one-dayer, to Delhi on 19 February at a cost of Rs 45,085. And so it went. 14-16 March, Mumbai, total Rs 19,460; 14-16 March, Mumbai total Rs 19,460. Here’s a funny thing. He wasn’t paid DA for any of these flights. Poor man. Then came this whopper of a flight between 27-29 March when he flew Bangalore-Delhi-Mumbai at a cost to you of Rs 83,783+962, total Rs 84,745. 19-21 May, Mumbai, Rs 19,129+702, total Rs 19,831; another Goliath of a flight between 23-24 May to Delhi at a cost to you of Rs 67,684+442, Rs 68,126. In fact it’s all downhill (for your tax buck, that is) for you from here onwards, so fasten your seat belt while Alemao enters rarified air burning up your tax bucks like a jet’s afterburner that increases the thrust (in their case lust for flying) of a jet engine by feeding fuel into the hot exhaust (in your case leaving your tax bucks exhausted) gases. 11-15 June, Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai, Rs 73,795+1,222, total Rs 75,017; 20-21 June Mumbai, Rs 25,863+442, total Rs 26,305; 30 August-01 September, Delhi-Mumbai, Rs 74,220+702, total Rs 74,922; 30 September-03 October, Mumbai, Rs 23,868+962, total Rs 24,830; 19-21 October, Delhi, Rs 58,480+702, total Rs 59,182.
2010
Alemao was back in India’s soccer capital between 06-09 January flying Mumbai-Calcutta-Mumbai at a cost of Rs 87,969+960, total Rs 88,929; another quick VToL between 20-21 January at a cost of Rs 57,274+442, total Rs 57,716 and finally 28-30 January, Delhi-Mumbai, Rs 86,278+702, total Rs 86,980.
The Flying Club Cost so far:
Ravi Naik Rs 04,08,749
Vishwajeet Rane Rs 17,56,397
Digambar Kamat Rs 13,26,144
Dayanand Narvekar Rs 1,36,275
Joaquim Alemao Rs 12,34,442
Grand total Rs 48,62,007 and soaring

Oink, Oink

Let’s see, according to Churchill Alemao if you are a concerned citizen (and I am not talking about those who pontificate from the comfort of their homes or write letters to the editor like newsprint could go out of fashion) then you are a squealing pig, which makes Mathany Saldanha and Manohar Parrikar the mothers of all squealing pigs. I’m sure they won’t have a problem with being called that as I am sure Remo will title his next song “Oink, Oink”, an ode to the bacon and ham of Indian politics. I am also relieved that Goa’s 5-star hotels can now begin to rehire Goan waiters they had stopped employing because Goan youth only wanted that service certificate and not the job really thank you, to get a (gainful this time) job in the Gulf or on a cruise liner and which the hotels stopped issuing precisely because of that; because now Goan youth are queuing up for jobs as security guards - Goa’s latest career choice after 1,000 Goans filled up all the vacant posts for builders. It’s a stampede out there. This is the Gospel according to the man himself. Amen.


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