Raipur lashes out at Mesco Air

The Chhattisgarh government has issued a notice to Mesco Airlines Limited (Mal) for providing aircraft only after a delay of about 40 hours.

The aircraft was to be used to recover the bodies of 12 policemen killed by Naxalites on December 20.

The government had hired a 22-seater chopper for emergency services like rushing reinforcement, air lifting the injured and other operations.

The private chopper was used as the state did not get one from the Union government.

According to sources, the chopper developed some technical snag on December 21, when it was about to take off for the Golapalli-Kisteram areas in Bastar to search for 12 policemen reported missing after the Naxalites ambushed a police party near Tarlaguda on December 20 evening.

The senior police officials wanted the chopper to go to the spot.

"Despite repeated request, the company failed to make alternate arrangement," one official alleged.

The bodies of 12 policemen killed lay at the ambush spot for more than 40 hours before police reached on December 22 and recovered them.

"The state government has taken strong exception and has issued notice to the company," officials in the state's aviation department said.

The government warned the company that it could consider terminating its agreement.

After the state's chopper crashed in July 2007, the state government had hired the chopper from Mesco.

The chopper was for emergency services.