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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)

Heighten credit risks for both nations: S&P

  • PTI
  • May 8, 2025
  • 2 min read

New Delhi: S&P Global Ratings on Thursday said the hostilities between India and Pakistan heighten risks to the credit metrics of both countries, and any escalation in clashes would put downward pressure on sovereign credit support.


S&P, which rates India and Pakistan at 'BBB-' with a positive outlook and a 'CCC+' (outlook stable), said that in the current scenario, it does not see any immediate impact on sovereign credit rating and expects the tensions to remain high over the next two to three weeks, with significant further military actions on both sides possible.


"The outbreak of hostilities between India and Pakistan has increased regional credit risks, especially for the two sovereigns involved. Our base case is for the intense military actions to be temporary, which will give way to a longer period of contained and sporadic confrontations," S&P Global Ratings said in a statement.


S&P said it expects India to maintain strong economic growth that allows gradual fiscal improvements to continue, and also the Pakistan government to remain focused on supporting the recovery of its economy and fiscal stability. Both countries have no incentive to allow current tensions to become prolonged, it said.


Last week S&P cut FY26 India's growth forecast to 6.3 per cent, from 6.5 per cent pegged earlier, citing uncertainty over US trade policy.


A protracted military conflict will derail the improvements to Pakistan's external and fiscal metrics that would support a return to macro stability.


For India, a prolonged military conflict will also lead to difficulty attracting foreign investors seeking to reconfigure their international production activities amid the uncertain global economic environment," S&P said.


S&P said the current situation raises the "specter of miscalculations and accidental clashes" that could escalate well beyond the intentions of both sides. Such a scenario would materially worsen credit risks. "The downward pressures on sovereign credit support will exacerbate if there is no material de-escalation in the next few weeks," S&P said.


"We anticipate tensions to remain high over the next two to three weeks, with significant further military actions on both sides possible. However, the situation is likely to de-escalate following that, leaving little persistent negative impact on sovereign credit metrics," it added.


Earlier this week, Moody's Ratings had projected India's growth at 6.3 per cent for the current fiscal and said that geopolitical stresses, like the tension between India and Pakistan, have a potential downside risk to its baseline growth forecasts.

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