Private air ambulance running from government office, charging huge amount. Babulal Marandi and Naveen Jaiswal raised questions. (Photo: Sanjay Suman)
State Bureau, Ranchi. In the budget session of Jharkhand Assembly, BJP MLA from Hatia Naveen Jaiswal raised serious questions on the arrangement of air ambulance service. He alleged that the board of private company Red Bird has been installed in the government office and it is operating air ambulance using government facilities.
The MLA said that when the poor and farmers are in need, citing delay in government air ambulance, they are pushed towards private service, where the expenses are many times higher. What makes this issue more serious is the recent air ambulance crash in Chatra district, in which seven people lost their lives.
Tragic incident of Chatra crash: Accident while going from Ranchi to Delhi.
On February 23, 2026, at around 7:11 pm, the air ambulance (Beechcraft C90, registration VT-AJV) of Redbird Airways Private Limited, flying from Ranchi Airport to Delhi, crashed in the Kasiyatu forest of Simaria police station area of Chatra district.
All seven people on board the plane were killed, including two pilots (Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Captain Sabaraji Singh), two medical staff (a doctor and nursing staff Sachin Mishra), patient Sanjay Kumar (a burn patient), his wife Archana Devi and nephew Dhruv Kumar.
The plane lost contact just 20–23 minutes after takeoff, and disappeared from radar after Division requested due to bad weather. Rescue was delayed as the accident site was in a dense forest, but all the bodies were brought to Chatra Sadar Hospital where they were handed over to the relatives after postmortem.
The plight of the family members is even more tragic. The family of patient Sanjay Kumar told that they had booked this air ambulance after raising more than Rs 8 lakh for the treatment, because there was a delay in the government option.
Sanjay was being taken to Delhi due to severe burns, but the accident ruined everything. The family of nursing staff Sachin Mishra says that he had spoken to his ailing mother just hours before the accident, and now the family is in shock.
Government vs Private: Cost difference and questions
MLA Jaiswal said in the House that while the work is done by the government air ambulance for Rs 2 to 2.5 lakh, the private company Red Bird charges Rs 8 lakh 30 thousand. Referring to the Chatra crash, he said that if there had been a government air ambulance, perhaps lives would have been saved.
This was Red Bird's air ambulance medical evacuation flight, but if we look at the company's past incidents, questions arise. Documents show that there have been several accidents on Redbird flights in the past. Now DGCA has suspended the maintenance authorization of the company.
The AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) team is investigating, but initial reports mention weather and possible technical failure.
Question on the system: Private company captures government office
The MLA alleged that Red Bird is operating from a government office, which raises questions on transparency. Air ambulance is necessary for the poor and farmers of Jharkhand, but due to the arbitrariness of private companies they are being pushed towards expensive options.
The Chatra crash has further highlighted this issue, where a family raised Rs 8 lakh by taking a loan, but everything was ruined. The opposition MLA has demanded from the government that the government air ambulance should be strengthened and the arbitrariness of private companies should be stopped.
This incident highlights the weak link in Jharkhand's health services. The whole truth will be revealed only after the investigation report comes, but at present the pain of the families and the questions of the MLA remain in the headlines.
Chartered air ambulance scam happening in the state: Babulal Marandi
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi termed the state government's air ambulance scheme as a scam and termed the recent accident as tragic. Babulal issued a press statement on Thursday and made serious allegations.
Said that the company providing ambulance service refused to give government subsidy to the patient citing more than 30 percent burn injury. Later, they agreed to take the same patient to Delhi if the fare was fixed at Rs 8 lakh instead of Rs 5 lakh.
Marandi said that people are taking loans and taking chartered air ambulances for treatment. But they are not getting the benefit of the government scheme. Babulal Marandi has asked why the government has decided to give subsidy only up to 30% of burn injuries, has any expert doctor's advice been taken in this decision.
If air travel is unsafe in case of more than 30% burn injury, then how was consent given to transport the same patient by charging more money? According to the information, till now hardly a dozen people have got the benefit of Hawa Hawai Air Ambulance Service, which is running from April 28, 2023, only four ministers are included in it.
Whereas this time also a provision of Rs 10 crore has been made for this in the budget. The Leader of Opposition has demanded an investigation into the entire matter and action against the accused.
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