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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)

Standoff intensified

Jarange says won’t even take water; CM says solution only within legal framework

Pic: Bhushan Koyande
Pic: Bhushan Koyande

Mumbai: The three-day old standoff between the Maratha quota agitators and the state government intensified on Sunday as leader of the agitation Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is on a fast unto death at Azad Maidan here, warned the government that he would stop consuming water from Monday onwards if the government fails to meet his demands.


On the other hand, even as government officials huddled trying to find way out of the deadlock Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis categorically said that the resolution of the issue is possible only within the legal framework set by various verdicts given by various courts in this regard.


Jarange-Patil said he will not leave Mumbai until the people of Maratha community get reservation in jobs and educational institutions under the OBC category. He also argued that his demand was constitutionally valid, adding that the government records prove that Kunbis and Marathas belong to the same caste. Jarange threatened to stop consuming water as the government was not accepting their demands.


“From tomorrow, I will stop taking water as the government is not accepting the demands. But I am not going back till the quota demand is met. We will get Marathas reservation under the OBC category no matter what,” he said.


"Our demand is constitutionally valid. The government has records of 58 lakh Marathas as Kunbis. Marathas will come to Mumbai (for the agitation) as and when they get time,” he added.


Jarange wants Marathas to be recognised as Kunbis -- an agrarian caste included in the Other Backward Classes category -- which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education, though OBC leaders are opposed to it.


Government at work

On the other hand, various arms of the state government huddled on Sunday trying to find a way out of the present situation pertaining to the demands raised by the Maratha quota activists. Meetings are being held with sociological as well as legal experts, said Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Minister for Water Resources and head of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservations.


The sub-committee discussed the proposal submitted by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil and is seeking legal guidance on the matter. The government is keen to resolve the issue, but the leaders of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are making contradictory statements solely for political gains, Vikhe Patil said.


Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, meanwhile, made it clear that the resolution of the issue will have to be within the set legal frameworks.


“We are taking the demands being made by Jarange-Patil positively. He has been demanding that all the Marathas be declared as Kunbis. But, there are some decisions of various courts. We will have to respect the decisions. If the demands are being made beyond legal framework and government is expected to take populist decisions, such decisions won’t stand for even a day in the court of law. Making such a decision beyond legal framework would lead to a sense of being cheated among the Maratha community,” the Chief Minister said.


Only legal

Fadnavis clarified that the Mahayuti government has always followed legal procedures and not taken any decision without due diligence to the legal procedures.


“We wanted to give reservation to the Maratha community. Hence the Shinde committee was formed. It was due to the committee that many entries in old documents regarding Kunbi caste came forth. Now, we have handed over the work related to Hyderabad Gazetteer to the committee under Justice Shinde. He will have to follow certain legal procedures before he could recommend anything regarding reservation and the state government does accordingly. But, Jarange-Patil wants the reservation here and now. How can the state government do so?” Fadnavis asked.

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