Complete transparency to be maintained in helicopter procurement process: A K Antony

NEW DELHI: Government today assured the Lok Sabha that complete transparency would be maintained in the on-going procurement process for 197 helicopters for defence forces after the earlier Eurocopter deal was scrapped.

Defence Minister A K Antony informed the Lok Sabha during Question Hour that the Eurocopter deal was cancelled after some anomalies were discovered.

"There was a proposal by the Indian army and the Air Force to procure 197 helicopters from Eurocopter. It was in final stages and the contract was about to be signed. We received some complaints of malpractices in trials," he said.

Antony maintained that he immediately ordered an inquiry and found there was truth in the complaints. "Eurocopter contract was cancelled immediately," he said.

Subsequently, a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for 197 helicopters was issued.

"When the process was in final stages, again we got a series of complaints from MPs.... We decided to appoint a Special Technical Oversight Committee," Antony said.

The procurement process for these choppers is on. "After going through everything, if anything goes wrong we will again cancel it," Antony said.