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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)

Stalemate continues

Jarange gets yet another day’s extension; issues ultimatum till Sunday morning as talks fail

Mumbai: The stalemate continued over the Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan, for reservation to Maratha community from OBC quota, on as the talks between the agitators and the high power committee under Justice (Retired) Sandeep Shinde failed on Saturday. While state government reiterated its willingness to resolve the issue within constitutional framework, Jarange-Patil gave an ultimatum till Sunday Morning to the government to announce the decision in favour of the Maratha quota activists.


Meanwhile, the Mumbai police extended the permission granted to Jarage-Patil to continue his agitation at Azad Maidan for yet another day even as the crowds continued to swell in South Mumbai leading to traffic disruptions in South and Central Mumbai.


In the morning, the state government extended the tenure of the lineage committees constituted under the Tahasildars at Taluka Levels till June 30, 2026. Social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat made the announcement in this regard. “The GR has been issued to extend the tenure of the committees that are primarily formed on January 25, 2024 to give Kunbi, Kunbi-Maratha caste certificates and caste validations certificates to the eligible individuals,” the minister said. The tenure of the committees had expired on June 30, 2025. After the high powered committee under Justice (Retired) Sandeep Shinde was given an extension on Friday, this committee too was given an extension in wake of Jarage-Patil’s agitation as a token of positive efforts from the state government.


Sub-committee meets

The cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation headed by water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil too held a meeting on Saturday and after the meeting the minister said that the committee has taken a few decisions, which will be communicated to Jarange-Patil. Accordingly, Sandeep Shinde along with the divisional commissioner met Jarange-Patil at Azad Maidan and tried to negotiate mutually acceptable way out of the stalemate. The delegation primarily sought six months’ time to resolve the legal tangle around the issue and implement the solutions. Jarange-Patil, however, was firm that that the government should issue a resolution proclaiming that all Marathas are Kunbis by Sunday morning. Such a resolution will help Marathas get reservation under OBC quota as Kunbis fall under the OBC category.


Traffic advisory

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Mumbai traffic police issued an advisory asking people not to take the Eastern Freeway, which was still witnessing gridlocks, as Maratha protesters used the route to reach Azad Maidan, the venue of Jarange-Patil’s protest.


On Friday, the freeway was completely out of bounds for citizens as traffic was blocked, leading to a cascading effect on the Eastern Express Highway and the Atal Setu, which also witnessed traffic snarls.


There were massive traffic jams at the north end of the freeway in Chembur as well, leading the police to close down a few roads to stop protesters from taking the freeway.


Jarange-Patil, who began an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Friday morning over his demand for quota benefits for the Maratha community, had said earlier that he “would not back down this time”. “We will not leave Mumbai until our demands are met,” he had asserted.


"We will not decide to merely please someone, which will have a backlash in future, but will find a solution within the constitutional framework. These are decisions taken by me and Eknath Shinde. I gave the reservation first. The state government also strengthened the Annasaheb Patil Economic Development Corporation so much that we have created one and a half lakh entrepreneurs. We have been able to create Maratha youth who are not job seekers but job providers."

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister

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