Close shave for Fadnavis as chopper crash-lands
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and three others escaped unhurt after a helicopter carrying them crashlanded soon after take-off from a helipad at Nilanga in Latur district of central Maharashtra.
The CM had gone to Latur to participate in BJP’s farmer outreach programme, with principal secretary Pravin Pardeshi and staff Abimanyu Pawar and Ketan Pathak. TV clips show the helicopter crash-landed near a slumlike area at Nilanga close to the helipad from where it took off.
The pilot decided on an emergency landing within two minutes of take-off. “The helicopter did not crash-land, but got caught in wires while landing. We experienced sudden jerks, but no one suffered any injury. The CM has called for a detailed probe,’’ said Ketan Pathak, officer on specialduty (OSD) with the CMO.
The chopper is owned by Maharashtra government. “I will now go to Latur and from there to Mumbai. I am fine, nothing to worry,” said Fadnavis. He also tweeted about the incident, saying, “There is nothing to worry.”
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said: “Maharashtra Govt Sikorsky helicopter VT-CMM took off from Nilanda SE of Latur at 1200 hrs. There were 06 persons on board, including 2 crew members. Hon’ble CM of Maharashtra was also on board. After take-off, pilot found variable wind pattern. Pilot decided to land back. During landing, the helicopter got entangled in wires. The helicopter has sustained substantial damage. All six persons are safe and escaped unhurt. Spoke to commander of the flight as well as Hon’ble CM. Both informed well being of all occupants.”
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao called Fadnavis to inquire about his safety.
Thackeray and Fadnavis are known to share a good rapport. For the past two years, they have established a direct dialogue to sort out problems within the coalition. But since the bitter campaigning in the Mumbai civic polls, their relations have been strained. More recently, Thackeray has been directly taking on Fadnavis by criticising his pet policies and projects. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also tweeted about the incident.
Fadnavis was in Latur for the Shivar Sawad initiative, which aims at reaching out to farmers across 43,000 villages.
Describing the United Nations as a “partner” in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing on Thursday dismissed a UN body’s report which warned that the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could create tension with India and fuel political instability.
China said the report by Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP), a development arm of the United Nations (UN), wasn’t specifically on the CPEC and had evaluated the BRI in a very positive way.
The report, issued on Tuesday and prepared at the request of the Chinese government, said the CPEC could lead to “further political instability” in the region and “create geo-political tension with India” as it passes through PoK.
India skipped the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing last week primarily because of “sovereignty” issues over CPEC passing through PoK.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang dismissed the UN’s concerns on the CPEC.
“As far as I have learned, the ESCAP did not issue any specific report on the BRI. As for CPEC passing through the controversial territory, I have said this many times, it (CPEC) is an economic initiative and it will not affect our position on the Kashmir issue,” Lu said. He spoke in detail about the ESCAP’s positive look at the BRI.
The report had said the BRI has the potential to position the region as an epicentre for growth and trade. “ESCAP is an important partner of our Belt and Road Initiative. The 73rd session of ESCAP was just concluded in Thailand in Bangkok. During this session, all parties spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative in promoting development in Asia and the Pacific,” Lu said.
”This shows support of the international community for the BRI and the report issued by the ESCAP also gave a high evaluation to the positive role played by the BRI and explained in detail how it can play a positive role.”
LUCKY ESCAPE Maha CM tweets ‘nothing to worry’ after incident