top of page

By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Exit that shocked the nation

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, four others killed in plane crash; Probe begins into the reasons for the crash Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board an aircraft were killed after it crashed near the Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday. Pawar had taken off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in the day in Pune district for the February 5 zilla parishad elections. The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a...

Exit that shocked the nation

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, four others killed in plane crash; Probe begins into the reasons for the crash Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board an aircraft were killed after it crashed near the Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday. Pawar had taken off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in the day in Pune district for the February 5 zilla parishad elections. The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a flying experience of 15,000 hours, co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak with 1,500 hours of flying, Personal Security Officer (PSO) Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali. The government released a statement detailing the sequence of events that led to the crash and Pawar's death. The aircraft, a Learjet, was cleared for landing in Baramati on Wednesday morning after a go-around due to poor visibility, but having finally received a clearance it did not give any read-back' to the ATC, and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway. In aviation parlance, a go-around is a standard procedure where a pilot discontinues a landing attempt and initiates a climb to fly another approach. It is used when a landing cannot be completed safely due to factors like poor weather, an unstable approach, or traffic on the runway. It is a proactive safety measure rather than an emergency. In aviation, a readback is a crucial safety procedure where a pilot repeats back the essential parts of a message or instruction received from Air Traffic Control (ATC). It acts as a "closed-loop" communication system, ensuring that the controller's instructions were heard and understood correctly by the flight crew. The aircraft was trying to land amid poor visibility, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu told reporters in Pune. The statement by his ministry recounted the final minutes of the ill-fated Learjet 45 belonging to VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd that crashed, leading to the death of all five persons on board, including Pawar. Fatal Flight The ill-fated aircraft was a Bombardier Learjet 45, a twin-engine business jet commonly used for corporate and charter travel. Designed to carry between six and nine passengers, the Learjet 45 has a range of approximately 2,000 nautical miles and is powered by twin turbofan engines. The aircraft involved in the crash belonged to a charter operator and was being used for a non-scheduled private flight.According to preliminary information from aviation authorities and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sources, the aircraft encountered severe weather conditions while approaching Baramati. Dense fog enveloped the Pune–Baramati region at the time, drastically reducing visibility and complicating the landing procedure. Probe Begins A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has reached the Baramati crash site to launch a forensic probe into the VSR Venture's Learjet 45 aircraft accident. "The investigation team has reached the (crash) site. They are on the work," the AAIB official told PTI. The official, however, declined to share further details. Earlier in the day, AAIB, which has the mandate to investigate all accidents and serious incidents/incidents involving aircraft with a gross weight of 2,250 kg or turbojet aircraft, was handed the probe into the crash. The aircraft, bearing registration VT-SSK, was being operated by the Delhi-based non-scheduled operator VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd. The crew was advised to descend in visual meteorological conditions at the pilot's discretion, the Civil Aviation Ministry said in its statement. At that time, the winds were calm, and visibility was around 3,000 metres, it said. Baramati airfield does not have an instrumental landing system - a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to an aircraft, allowing it to approach a runway at night, during bad weather and poor visibility. Ajit Pawar's last rites will be held with full state honours on Thursday in Baramati. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to attend the funeral, which will be held at Vidya Pratishthan ground at 11 am. The Maharashtra government on Wednesday declared three days of state mourning across state till January 30 as a mark of respect to Ajit Pawar. The national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is flown regularly. There will be no official entertainment during the mourning period. “Ajit's death was a big shock for Maharashtra, which has lost a hardworking and efficient leader. This loss is irreparable. Not all things are in our hands. A stand was floated from Kolkata that there is some politics involved in this incident. But there is nothing like this. There is no politics in it. It was an accident. I request not to bring politics into it.” Sharad Pawar, President, NCP (SP)

Fadnavis tightens grip

Mumbai: Even as the Maratha quota stir in Mumbai ended on Tuesday and leader of the stir Manoj Jarange-Patil yet again portrayed as a hero, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has emerged victorious and has actually tightened his grip on the state.


“From the beginning we were ready for implementation of records of Hyderabad gazetteer. I’m happy that after deliberations with the cabinet sub-committee the activists finally agreed to proposals put forth by the committee. The decision has preserved the social fabric of Maharashtra from eroding,” Fadnavis said while expressing satisfaction over the way the agitation in Mumbai ended today. He also gave credit to the cabinet sub-committee and both the Deputy Chief Ministers while enumerating various measures the Mahayuti governments have taken for the Maratha community.


“The decision to will help the needy and eligible individuals from Maratha community while giving confidence to those from the OBC communities that injustice is not being done to them,” the CM said while elaborating the real meaning of the decisions made today.


“We don’t have any grudges for the state government now,” Jarange-Patil said as he ended his indefinite fast by consuming lemon water at the hands of Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, the head of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha quota. This was the most dramatic moment in the whole episode. The agitators were cursing CM Fadnavis over his caste, his physical appearance, his family-members and their hooliganism made the Mumbaikars believe that the doomsday is near. The condition rapidly transformed from that moment on and hardly within half a day the agitation in Mumbai was winded up. Vikhe-Patil gave the credit for this to CM Fadnavis.


As members of the team in CMO put it, the CM was very confident and firm since the very beginning of the agitation. Firstly, while expressing the government’s desire to hold talks with the agitators, he let them come to the heart of Mumbai without official discussing a word with them. They came to the main business district of Mumbai, which was a dream for most of them. It emboldened the activists as they felt it was their success. Then for next couple of days they realized they won’t be able to survive in Mumbai much without the covert support of the administration. This had two reactions, while the causal participants of the agitation roamed around freely across the city showing their perceived strength, the leaders of the agitation started seeking communication channels for negotiations.


At this point the CM made it clear that the solution will be within the legal framework. He also made clear the shortcomings of the demands being raised by the activists. The solution was already almost ready with the government by this point of time. Then the courts and the pressure of judiciary came handy to make the activists agree to the pre-decided proposals. This was a solution that made everybody happy.


The CM was ‘Mr Cool’ in his conduct and appearance during the whole episode. “There people who were working hard. There were some who were pretending to work hard and there were many others who remained absolutely clueless for the entire period,” said a senior CMO associate while describing the scenario at the CMO during the whole episode. Such a situation is possible only when the leader as complete control over the situation and a keen sense as to when and how a situation can escalate, the official added.


As political commentator Bhau Torsekar puts it, the stir is Mumbai has created the effect on the minds of common people of the MMR region which can be compared to those of the Shaheen bag and Farmers’ agitation created in Delhi. Torsekar blames adverse effects of these agitations for the devastating defeat of the AAP in Delhi and says that one should not be surprised if similar results are seen in the elections of BMC and other Municipal Corporations of the MMR region.


Also, the fact that DCM Eknath Shinde, who was hailed for being able to successfully managing the previous agitation of Jarange and not letting them enter Mumbai, didn’t have much role to play this time around. That is yet another aspect which underlined Fadnavis’ tightened grip on the state politics.

Comments

bottom of page