Bhubaneswar, Dec 13 (IANS): The Odisha government has spent more than Rs 26.55 crore towards airfare of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other ministers in three years, the state assembly was told on Tuesday.

In a a written reply to BJP member Dilip Ray, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha said this expense for the period 2015-17 included travel within the state and outside.

A sum of Rs 8.43 crore was spent in 2015, Rs 11.14 crore in 2016 and Rs 6.97 crore in 2017, he added.

During the last three years, Patnaik had used a helicopter on 104 occasions for travel inside the state as compared to 45 times by his colleagues.

Arukh said the Chief Minister had undertaken flights outside Odisha on 11 occasions in the three years while one minister undertook air travel outside the state only once.

Earlier in September, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India had rapped the state government for misusing a helicopter meant for anti-Maoists operations for ferrying Ministers and VIPs.