Biju Patnaik's Dakota aircraft to be transported to Odisha soon from Kolkata
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Odisha government is set to bring to the state the iconic Dakota aircraft of former chief minister Biju Patnaik from Kolkata, with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) having agreed to hand over 1.1 acre land on the premises of the airport here for the purpose.
Efforts to transport the aircraft to Odisha were made in the last two years, too, and tender was also floated for the initiative, but the COVID-19 outbreak stalled the plan, a senior official said.
“The administration is now all set to complete the process as the AAI, at its recent board meeting, accepted the state government's proposal to lease out 1.1 acre of land for setting up a memorial, where the aircraft will be put up for display,” the Home Department official said.
According to the official, the aircraft, which is 64 feet and 8 inches long, with its wings stretching to 95 feet, will be dismantled for transportation by road from the Kolkata airport to Bhubaneswar. The parts will then be reassembled here after necessary repairs, he explained.
Prasanna Pradhan, the director of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), said that the AAI has given its ‘go-ahead’ to build the memorial as a mark of tribute to the iconic leader. “The Dakota aircraft will be placed at the memorial for public viewing,” he said, adding that the plane has undergone much wear and tear over the years.
Historian Anil Dhir said that Patnaik was very fond of Dakota planes. “The former chief minister had used this aircraft, currently parked at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, to rescue then Indonesia's then Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and Vice-president Mohammad Hatta during a period of turmoil in the country in April 1947,” said Dhir.
A grateful Indonesia had twice decorated Biju Patnaik with its highest civilian honour ‘Bhumiputra’ for the feat, the historian added.
Patnaik, before joining active politics, had set up Kalinga Airlines that operated from Kolkata. The private airline operated nearly a dozen airplanes, including Dakotas.
Biju Patnaik, besides being a social reformer and politician, is known to have been a highly skilled pilot who flew planes and undertook high-risk missions ahead of the country's Independence.
The ace pilot, who is the father of Odisha's current Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, was also a member of the Royal Indian Air Force under British Rule. He clandestinely flew Indian freedom fighters from one location to another, the historian said.
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EAM Jaishankar talks to Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Muttaqi
appreciates his condemnation of Pahalgam attack
New Delhi: In his first ever conversation with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday appreciated his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
“Good conversation with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this evening. Deeply appreciate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack,” wrote Jaishankar on social media platform X.
Jaishankar also welcomed his strong rejection of false and baseless reports aimed at creating distrust between India and Afghanistan.
He further stated that he had reaffirmed India’s traditional friendship with the Afghan people and reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to supporting their development needs. “Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward,” he added.
https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1923036293656871262
Meanwhile, Muttaqi reportedly sought the Indian side’s facilitation in issuing visas for Afghan traders and patients, and called for the release and return of Afghan prisoners currently held in India,
This was the first direct political-level conversation between the two countries since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
