Baramati plane crash: Probe being conducted on timeline-based approach: Union Minister
Hyderabad (PTI): Asserting that the government has zero tolerance for air safety issues, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Thursday said the investigation into the plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others would follow a time-bound approach.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Wings India 2026, he said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had arrived at the site, and the Black Box of the ill-fated aircraft had been recovered.
Pawar and four others on board a chartered aircraft were killed after it crashed barely 200 metres from the edge of a tabletop runway at Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday.
"The Black Box has been recovered, and the investigation is in process. This time, we will follow a strict timeline approach to ensure the report is completed expeditiously," Naidu said.
Responding to a query about the absence of firefighting personnel during the incident, the minister said the airstrip is used primarily by flying training organisations.
He added that all facilities required for a Flying Training Organisation (FTO) were in place, and that the airstrip operates under a Non-Scheduled Operator's Permit (NSOP), not for commercial aviation.
"When we license an NSOP strip to operate as a commercial airport, certain requirements must be met, which we ensure. But this facility has been used by NSOPs, particularly for flying training organisations," he said.
Naidu added that India is considered one of the safest countries in terms of aviation safety protocols.
He said the Maharashtra government had written to the Centre regarding the investigation, and the Civil Aviation Ministry had responded, confirming that the probe was underway.
He also noted that Flight Time Limitations (FTL) are already being implemented.
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UDF will have huge win in Kerala, NDA won't open its account: Cong leader Satheesan
Kochi (PTI): Senior Congress leader V D Satheesan on Friday expressed confidence in a huge win by the UDF, claiming it will make a clean sweep in five districts, and brushed aside speculations that the NDA will open its account in Kerala.
Satheesan, speaking to reporters here a day after the conclusion of the Assembly polls, praised the performance of the UDF leaders and workers during the election, saying it was the best ever he has seen in the last 30 years.
He said that his claims of the UDF getting over 100 seats is not a mere statement, but based on the work the front has done during the last five years to bring back all those who had left it in 2005 and as a result, there was a huge wave in its favour in the state.
The leader of opposition in the state assembly, who contested from the Paravoor constituency, further said that the Congress-led front also had a major social backing from minorities and marginalised groups in the society.
Besides that, there was an anti-incumbency feeling among the people who were disappointed with the LDF rule, he claimed and said that the UDF provided them with a hope and an alternative which no other opposition had done in the past.
"All these factors will contribute to a huge win for the UDF and it would not be surprising if we make a clean sweep in Malappuram, Wayanad, Ernakulam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts. That is a total of 43 seats," he said.
According to him, the polling percentage increased because the UDF got people added to the electoral list.
He also brushed aside the LDF remarks about a woman or youth CM, saying that "they can make such statements now as they know they cannot win".
"Otherwise, why did they campaign with Pinarayi Vijayan as the main factor. Why did they say a third Pinarayi rule will come?" he asked.
He also claimed that the LDF's decision to spend government money on its political campaign, by putting up hoardings and carrying out social media programmes to sway voters, has also backfired as people realised that their taxes were being wasted like that.
Asked whether the NDA will open its account, especially in areas where the UDF claimed the BJP-led front had made a deal with the LDF, Satheesan replied in the negative.
He said that as of now he does not see any chance of the NDA opening its account in the state.
