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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)

Widow shows husband’s blood-stained clothes to CM

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis meets family members of Santosh Jagdale in Pune.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis meets family members of Santosh Jagdale in Pune.

Mumbai/Pune: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called on the grieving and still terrorized family members of two Punekars – Santosh Jagdale and his brother-in-law Kaustubh Ganbote at their homes this evening.

 

They were among the ill-fated 26 victims of the dastardly terror attacks in Pahalgam’s famed ‘Mini-Switzerland’ destination, chief access to which is by a bumpy pony-ride.

 

A grim Fadnavis and others arrived here and met both the bereaved families individually at their homes and offered his condolences to the surviving kin and other family members, as a large number of locals also quietly gathered on the roads outside amid tight police security.

 

The grieving Sangeeta Ganbote showed Fadnavis the blood-stained clothes last worn by her husband Kaustubh when he fell to the terror bullets.

 

Fadnavis, along with Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal and Pune Bharatiya Janata Party chief Dheeraj Ghate silently viewed the clothes with folded hands.

 

Trying to control her tears, Sangeeta Ganbote said in a choking voice that when they heard the first bullet, they were told it was probably some wild animal, but moments later there was heavy firing that scared them and other tourists.

 

“We had seen many check-posts and soldiers everywhere en route, but there was no security in Pahalgam,” she told the CM, who gave her a patient ear.

 

Visit to Jagdale

The CM also visited the Jagdale family where he and others offered their condolences to Santosh Jagdale’s wife Pragati and their daughter Asawari.

 

Tears welling up again, the mother-daughter recounted how a veritable mountain of tragedy crashed on their normal lives in that verdant green meadow on April 22 afternoon.

 

Yesterday, the Jagdale family had shared with the media how they were shattered on various fronts by the sudden loss of Santosh Jagdale.

 

“My father was such a nice and friendly person, easily mingling with even strangers… Yet he met with such a cruel fate… Everything happened before our eyes,” Asawari said, wiping her tears as Pragati held on to her.

 

Pragati Jagdale had appealed for financial help from the state government and a suitable job opportunity for Asawari, as the family attempted to bring their life back on track.

 

Possible help

After calling on the two families today, Fadnavis assured in a media interaction that the government will extend all possible assistance to the families/survivors of all the six deceased victims from Maharashtra, comprising two from Pune, three from Thane and one from Raigad.

 

Since the April 22 tragedy, both the families have been barraged with media-calls and visits from all over the country and even abroad.

 

Besides there has been an unending stream of condolence visits by leaders of local and state political parties, social and community heads plus shaken ordinary citizens dropping in to share the grief of the two families.

 

Nadda meets family members of victim

Pune: BJP president J P Nadda on Saturday met the family of Pahalgam terror attack victim Santosh Jagdale here.


The Union Minister met the Jagdale family at their residence in Karve Nagar and then headed to meet the kin of Kaustubh Ganbote, another city resident killed in the April 22 attack, in Kondhwa area.


Jagdale and Ganbote were among the 26 persons, mostly tourists, who were killed by terrorists at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam in Kashmir on Tuesday afternoon.


Earlier in the day, Nadda offered prayers at the famous Dagdusheth Ganapati temple in the city. Talking to reporters there, he said India will give a befitting reply to those responsible for the terror attack. -PTI


Face legal action: CM to overstaying Pakistanis

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday reiterated that Pakistani nationals who overstay after the revocation of their visas will face legal action, a crackdown launched post the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, died.


He made the statement at an event in Pune after he met the kin of two of the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The state has so far identified 5,000 Pakistani nationals, out of which a 1,000 who are here on short-term visas are to be deported, a minister said on Saturday.


Minister of state for Home Yogesh Kadam said there could be 4,000 long term visas belonging to those who have come to the state for work and other reasons.


“According to my estimate there could be 4,000 long term visas of which 1,000 are the SAARC visa, those who have come to the state for film work, medical ground, journalism, personal work,” Kadam said.

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