The Uttarakhand disaster management department (DMD) is currently facing challenges regarding a substantial bill of approximately Rs 207 crore submitted by the Indian Air Force (IAF). This bill accounts for various requisitions made since the state’s formation in 2000. Despite several reminders from the IAF over the years, timely action has yet to be taken by the state government, primarily due to lingering ambiguities.
VK Suman, secretary of the DMD, revealed that a letter from the IAF, which was directed to the state chief secretary, was received about a week ago. The lack of specificity in the bill regarding which department initiated the requisition requests has complicated matters.
Consequently, the chief secretary forwarded the bill to the DMD for further investigation. Suman noted that the bill did not provide a breakdown of the amounts attributed to different state departments, leading to confusion regarding the overall financial responsibilities.
Preliminary evaluations by the DMD indicate that only Rs 67 crore of the total Rs 207 crore directly pertains to their department. So far, the DMD has disbursed Rs 24 crore towards this bill and is in the process of arranging an additional payment of Rs 28 crore soon.
To tackle the uncertainty surrounding the remaining amount, the DMD has reached out to other departments that have made requisitions to the IAF in the past, including the tourism and forest departments. A meeting with these officials has been scheduled for the following week to ascertain the financial obligations of each department involved. Once this is clarified, the state government intends to settle the outstanding bill.
In response to the situation, an IAF officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, clarified that billing state governments for requisition services is a routine procedure. According to the officer, when the state submits a requisition, it typically designates which department will be responsible for the expenses associated with IAF services for that particular mission.
Upon completion of the mission, the finance division of the IAF generates a bill based on the rates established by the Ministry of Defence. The payment then flows through the ministry from the states, a process the officer affirmed is not unusual.
As the DMD navigates this intricate financial landscape, the upcoming discussions with other departments will be crucial in resolving the matter efficiently while ensuring that all financial responsibilities are appropriately addressed.
