Cong says...

Speaking to news agency Press Trust of India, Kavlekar said, “The party urged the governor not to consider dissolution of the state legislative assembly, which is a possibility considering internal fighting in the ruling alliance and the illness of Parrikar.”

He said the Congress has the support of legislators from other parties and can form the government, if given a chance. “We will prove our majority on the floor of the House.”

But on paper, the BJP still has the numbers. Even with the support of the lone NCP legislator, the Congress will not be able to reach the majority mark of 21, if there are no defections in the ruling alliance.

The BJP said its government is not facing any threat. “Nothing is going to happen. The government is strong and has the full majority. There are no problems between the government and allies,” Ram Lal, one of the three leaders sent to the state, said before he returned to Delhi.

Ram Lal and two other central leaders — BL Santhosh and Vinay Puranik — arrived in Goa on Sunday, a day after Parrikar was flown to Delhi for treatment.

The central observers, who held meetings with legislators and allies, will brief the leadership about the ground situation and possible options. After that, the party is likely take a call on its course of action.

On Sunday, GFP supremo Vijai Sardesai led a team of six legislators, including three independents, to meet the BJP observers. “We are equally responsible for the stability of this government because we have created this. It is our baby,” Sardesai said after the meeting, indicating the GFP’S support for the BJP.

In the 2017 assembly elections, the Congress did not field candidates in two of the seven seats contested by the GFP, in a move that was seen as a tactical support to the new party. With the BJP suggesting Parrikar (then a Union minister) as the CM, the GFP eventually supported the BJP alliance.

The MGP, another BJP ally, ruled out speculation over its merger with the national party. “The rumours have no meaning. I reiterate this: the MGP is a very old party. There will be no merger at any cost,” MGP presi- dent Deepak Dhavalikar said.

BJP leaders said party MLAS and ally MGP want Parrikar to remain the chief minister, though the GFP and the three Independents have demanded a “permanent solution”.

Cleofato Coutinho, a political analyst, said the move to approach the governor could be a pressure tactic by the Congress.

“As far the governor is concerned, there is no constitutional deadlock. They (Congress) are also entitled to pressure tactics. They have also to be careful because last time (in 2017) they did not go to the governor (after the election results) and that was used against them. This time they are trying to be doubly sure and they are not accused of sleeping over this.”

In 2017, the Congress was pilloried for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory after it sat on the opportunity to form a government in the state.

Parrikar was first hospitalised on February 14. He has visited the US for treatment in the recent past; most recently on August 30. He returned on September 6 but had to be admitted to a Goa hospital soon after. He has since been moved to the Capital.

In Delhi, BJP president Amit Shah and other senior party leaders visited Parrikar in AIIMS on Monday.

The CM is at the old private ward and is not undergoing any procedures, according to doctors at the hospital. He has been admitted under Dr Pramod Garg, a professor of gastroenterology , who specialises in pancreatic diseases.

“He has been kept under observation and his previous course of treatment is being followed. He is not critical,” said a doctor on condition of anonymity.

(With inputs from HTC in Delhi)

pilots was heard telling the air traffic controller that there are “lots of issues” and asks if there are other “sectors” with better visibility. They eventually zeroed in on Newark. “I was going to try the VNAV approach in Newark if the ceiling is better than JFK,” the pilot was heard telling the controller. A “better ceiling” refers to the height of the clouds below which the aircraft could be flown so that the pilots could see the runway.

But before they could do this, the pilots detailed to the controller the extent of the malfunction. “Basically, we’ve got a single source radio altimeter, we have a Traffic Collision and Avoidance System failure,” radioed in the captain, whom NDTV identified as Rustom Palia. “No auto-land, no windshear systems, (no) Auto Speed Brake and the Auxillary Power Unit is unserviceable as well,” he added. Too add to that, they were running low on fuel. “We are getting little low on the fuel as well. We are burning a lot of fuel,” the captain told the controller.

There are normally multiple altimeters and the traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) is regarded as one of the most crucial pieces of equipment since it automatically detects and averts collisions between aircraft.

In the end, the flight landed safely at Newark, where emergency crews had been put on stand-by, according to the recording.

“The pilot did a good job by diverting the flight and landing safely,” said an official of the Director General of Civil Aviation, asking not to be named. He confirmed that the aviation regulator had begun an investigation. “Our probe will revolve on technical glitches”.

The aircraft and the pilots returned to India a day after the incident.

For visual landing, a pilot has to be able to see the runway at least form 1.52 km away. Visual landing is common in good weather. It is not dangerous if the pilot is equipped (with all instruments) but multiple equipment failure should be probed. VK KUKAR