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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Bhujbal’s chopper lands in Pune parking lot

Mumbai : In what is suspected to be a breach of aviation protocols, a chartered helicopter ferrying Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal from Mumbai to Pune skipped a designated helipad and landed in a vehicle parking lot almost a km away.   The shocker happened in Purandar taluka, where Bhujbal was slated to attend a function marking the 200 th  birth anniversary of the social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule in his home village Khanwadi.   As crowds of bewildered people watched...

Bhujbal’s chopper lands in Pune parking lot

Mumbai : In what is suspected to be a breach of aviation protocols, a chartered helicopter ferrying Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal from Mumbai to Pune skipped a designated helipad and landed in a vehicle parking lot almost a km away.   The shocker happened in Purandar taluka, where Bhujbal was slated to attend a function marking the 200 th  birth anniversary of the social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule in his home village Khanwadi.   As crowds of bewildered people watched from around the sprawling parking lot, the helicopter appeared to drop speed in its flight, flew over some overhead high-tension electric cables, and descended gingerly into the parking lot - raising a thick dust-storm in which it disappeared for seconds - before touching the ground.   Moments later, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Bhujbal and others stepped out of the chopper, looked around in the unfamiliar territory before several vehicles and police teams rushed there. Minutes before there was chaos and confusion with some locals shouting warnings at the ‘wrong landing’.   Eyewitnesses said that the chopper’s powerful rotors created a thick dust storm and sparked alarm among the people in the vicinity, and many scrambled to the spot to check what exactly was going on in the parking lot.   Later, the Pune Police said that a designated helipad was available for the chopper landing but were at a loss to explain how the pilot missed it and veered off quite a distance away in the vehicle parking space. Subsequently, they asked the pilot to fly it to the correct landing spot.   Shaken and angry local NCP leaders questioned how a pilot flying a VIP on an official trip could mistake a parking lot for a helipad when the weather and visibility was clear. They demanded to know whether the helipad was improperly marked or it was a question of communication or sheer negligence.   The Pune Police indicated that they would report the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which may take action against the errant pilot and the helicopter company.   “There was no accident. We all emerged safely. The helicopter pilot landed wrongly in a parking lot because the helipad was not visible. All of us are fine and there is nothing to worry,” said Bhujbal, before he was whisked off by his security team.   “There are many faults in numerous airplanes and helicopters, including maintenance issues and other problems. That's why I keep saying consistently that VIPs must exercise caution while flying. Fortunately, an accident was averted today, but that doesn't mean the authorities should be negligent. We expect the government to take urgent precautions.” Rohit R. Pawar, MLA, NCP (SP)

Grandiose Gambits

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

As Maharashtra gears up for its Assembly elections, a familiar ritual unfolds: grand proclamations aimed at wooing key voter blocs. The state cabinet, under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, recently made sweeping promises designed to boost its electoral fortunes. Yet, such gestures beg the perennial question: are these pre-election pledges fulfilled once the ballots are cast?


The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP-led Mahayuti government is making sweeping promises, from raising the income limit for the OBC ‘non-creamy layer’ to increasing Madrassa teachers’ salaries. The proposed income ceiling jump from Rs. 8 lakh to Rs.15 lakh would extend reservation benefits to more OBC families. While it seems like a step towards uplifting weaker sections, implementing this solely for Maharashtra without similar changes in other states raises questions about its financial feasibility.


Beyond the OBC vote bank, the government has also turned its attention to the minority community, particularly Madrassa teachers. Their salaries were significantly raised, accompanied by an emphasis on the modernization of religious schools. While integrating modern education into Madrassas through the Dr. Zakir Hussain Madarsa Modernisation Scheme may be an admirable goal, the timing is telling. The cabinet also bolstered investment for the Maulana Azad Minority Financial Development Corporation. Additionally, welfare co-operative boards were announced for several other communities, with capital investments of Rs. 50 crore each. Given that the minorities voted against the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha election, such initiatives are part of a broader strategy to court them.


Then, there is the draft ordinance to grant constitutional status to the Maharashtra State Scheduled Caste Commission. While this may appear as a genuine step toward safeguarding the interests of Scheduled Caste communities, one must ask why such measures surface only in the months leading up to elections.

Maharashtra’s electoral history is replete with examples of grand pre-election proclamations that either fell short of implementation, or were not implemented as swiftly as promised.


At the time of the 2004 Assembly election, the Congress-NCP alliance, led by Sushilkumar Shinde, promised sweeping loan waivers to address rural distress. Ahead of the 2019 election, the BJP-Sena government expanded the Shiv Bhojan Thali, a subsidized meal program for the poor. While initially implemented, its reach was criticized due to inadequate infrastructure and inconsistent supply.


These examples underscore that big announcements are part of a well-worn electoral strategy, a pattern where parties make bold pledges to key voting blocs just before the elections, only to let those promises languish in bureaucratic limbo or become diluted after power is secured. Will this time be any different?

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