 "DGCA trashes BJP claim of conspiracy in flight delays")
A day after Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was made to wait 55 minutes before his chopper could take off from Delhi for Bareilly, where he was to address a rally, in a virtual repeat, party president Rajnath Singh had to wait for about an hour at the Jagdalpur airstrip, as the Air Traffic Control (ATC) did not permit his chopper to take off for.
Modi had alleged a Congress conspiracy for the delay. The BJP had even complained to the Election Commission. However, sources in the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) said they had nothing to do with the delay.
Sources in the IGI Airport said originally Modi was to take a jet from Delhi to Pantnagar. Visibility in Pantnagar dropped and Modi’s team changed his plans, deciding instead to fly to Bareilly. As Bareilly airstrip does not support landing of a jet, he had to take a helicopter.
However, the BJP got a chance to repeat its charge that the UPA was sabotaging its meetings. Rajnath’s flight was delayed at Jagdalpur where he landed from Ranchi in a special aircraft. He was scheduled to fly to Kotpad in Odisha, about 35 km from Jagdalpur, once again to address an election meeting in a chopper.
The BJP President had four election meetings in Odisha on Wednesday. Reports reaching from Jagdalpur said that the ATC Kolkata did not grant permission to the chopper pilot to take off.
The officials who were at the airstrip and the pilots contacted the ATC officials and sought permission to take off as the election meeting was getting delayed. The permission was finally granted after Singh waited for an hour at the airstrip.
The BJP leaders alleged that the delay in granting permission to fly was part of Congress conspiracy. The Congress leaders wanted to check BJP leaders from campaigning, they said. The leaders claimed that a large number of people gathered at Kotpad returned without hearing Singh.
However, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah added a touch of humour to the proceedings as he tweeted: “My helicopter was two hours late yesterday but I didn’t think anything of it,” adding “Now it’s raining today. I smell a rat. Where should I complain," he asked with a smiley.
The DGCA, it canot be denied, has become active and stepped up surveillance. On March 24, it issued stringent safety guidelines and threatened to cancel air operators’ permit (AOP) of business jets and helicopters that failed to conform with these rules.
The move has come close on the heels of India’s safety rating coming under scrutiny and being downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration, besides many others like Singapore. The European Aviation Safety Agency (which represents all EU countries) has also raised the red flag on the issue.
The development is significant also because it has come amid many politicians hiring smaller aircraft and helicopters for their campaigns in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
On march 22, DGCA grounded a business jet owned by Reliance Commercial Dealers Ltd, as its safety equipment, such as fire extinguisher and personal breathing device, were beyond expiry dates and the commander was found without his flying licence (he was suspended) . The plane was allowed to fly on a day later after the safety requirements were met.
The regulator also said an aircraft registered with Jindal Steel and Power had come under scrutiny on March 22. But since it had not made any major violation, it was not grounded.
In India, the two Ambani brothers, Vijay Mallya, real estate developer K P Singh, the Ruias of the Essar group and Atul Punj are among the corporate leaders who own business jets.
Several political personnel of eminence have been injured fatally or killed in recent times due to malfunctioning of business jets and charters. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and four others were killed when a Pawan Hans Eurocopter B8 crashed due to bad weather in May 2011.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy was killed when a state-government-owned helicopter crashed in a dense forest while flying in Chittoor in September 2009. Aircraft crashes also claimed the lives of former Civil Aviation Minister Madhavrao Scindia and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, GM Balayogi.
Modi had alleged a Congress conspiracy for the delay. The BJP had even complained to the Election Commission. However, sources in the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) said they had nothing to do with the delay.
Sources in the IGI Airport said originally Modi was to take a jet from Delhi to Pantnagar. Visibility in Pantnagar dropped and Modi’s team changed his plans, deciding instead to fly to Bareilly. As Bareilly airstrip does not support landing of a jet, he had to take a helicopter.
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Flight plans and papers had to be prepared afresh, which is what caused the delay. Modi however, said it was the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government which had delyed the clearances to his flight on purpose, so that those waiting for him at the public meeting would just leave.
However, the BJP got a chance to repeat its charge that the UPA was sabotaging its meetings. Rajnath’s flight was delayed at Jagdalpur where he landed from Ranchi in a special aircraft. He was scheduled to fly to Kotpad in Odisha, about 35 km from Jagdalpur, once again to address an election meeting in a chopper.
The BJP President had four election meetings in Odisha on Wednesday. Reports reaching from Jagdalpur said that the ATC Kolkata did not grant permission to the chopper pilot to take off.
The officials who were at the airstrip and the pilots contacted the ATC officials and sought permission to take off as the election meeting was getting delayed. The permission was finally granted after Singh waited for an hour at the airstrip.
The BJP leaders alleged that the delay in granting permission to fly was part of Congress conspiracy. The Congress leaders wanted to check BJP leaders from campaigning, they said. The leaders claimed that a large number of people gathered at Kotpad returned without hearing Singh.
However, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah added a touch of humour to the proceedings as he tweeted: “My helicopter was two hours late yesterday but I didn’t think anything of it,” adding “Now it’s raining today. I smell a rat. Where should I complain," he asked with a smiley.
The DGCA, it canot be denied, has become active and stepped up surveillance. On March 24, it issued stringent safety guidelines and threatened to cancel air operators’ permit (AOP) of business jets and helicopters that failed to conform with these rules.
The move has come close on the heels of India’s safety rating coming under scrutiny and being downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration, besides many others like Singapore. The European Aviation Safety Agency (which represents all EU countries) has also raised the red flag on the issue.
The development is significant also because it has come amid many politicians hiring smaller aircraft and helicopters for their campaigns in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
On march 22, DGCA grounded a business jet owned by Reliance Commercial Dealers Ltd, as its safety equipment, such as fire extinguisher and personal breathing device, were beyond expiry dates and the commander was found without his flying licence (he was suspended) . The plane was allowed to fly on a day later after the safety requirements were met.
The regulator also said an aircraft registered with Jindal Steel and Power had come under scrutiny on March 22. But since it had not made any major violation, it was not grounded.
In India, the two Ambani brothers, Vijay Mallya, real estate developer K P Singh, the Ruias of the Essar group and Atul Punj are among the corporate leaders who own business jets.
Several political personnel of eminence have been injured fatally or killed in recent times due to malfunctioning of business jets and charters. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and four others were killed when a Pawan Hans Eurocopter B8 crashed due to bad weather in May 2011.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy was killed when a state-government-owned helicopter crashed in a dense forest while flying in Chittoor in September 2009. Aircraft crashes also claimed the lives of former Civil Aviation Minister Madhavrao Scindia and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, GM Balayogi.