First flight from Goa to Dehradun flies with Goan woman as co-pilot
Panaji (PTI): The first-ever flight connecting Goa to Dehradun turned into a memorable event for Shasha Saldanha, the co-pilot, who believes the historic journey would inspire more women to pursue a career in aviation.
According to a senior official from the state tourism department, the IndiGo flight took Goa's tourism minister Rohan Khaunte to Dehradun on May 23 as part of an agreement between Uttarakhand and Goa to boost tourism in both the states.
Uttarakhand was connected to Goa through this maiden flight.
The official said that Saldanha who lives at Parra village in North Goa, the hometown of former defence minister Manohar Parrikar, was specially requested to co-pilot the aircraft as a sign of women empowerment.
Speaking to PTI at the Manohar International Airport (also called Mopa International Airport), Saldanha said that she felt honoured and grateful to be part of "the historic day in the Indian aviation".
"The inaugural Mopa-Dehradun flight was welcomed with a water canon salute as we steered away from the runway," she said.
Saldanha said that it was a moment of pride for her to "be able to fly our tourism minister Rohan Khaunte" along with a team of delegates to the scenic city of Dehradun.
"I hope my inaugural flight to Dehradun is one of many opportunities and experiences that are presented to the women in the field of aviation. I also hope that young women will find our stories motivating and be inspired to study and apply for ambitious roles in this sector," she added.
Saldanha said that the pact between Uttarakhand and Goa will not only boost tourism in both the states but also open the path of connectivity within the diverse country.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was present in Dehradun when Goa and the hilly state signed the agreement as part of Prime Minister's 'Dekho Apna Desh' initiative.
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KKR defeat LSG via Super Over
Lucknow (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders edged Lucknow Super Giants via Super Overs in a battle between two bottom-placed teams in the IPL, here on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 156, LSG suffered a batting collapse and managed to tie the contest and take it to Super Over with No. 9 Mohammed Shami striking a last-ball six against a wayward Kartik Tyagi, who leaked 16 runs in the final over.
But Sunil Narine bowled a stunning Super Over conceding just one run and taking two wickets to give KKR an easy target.
Rinku Singh then finished the chase with a boundary off first ball from Prince Yadav.
Earlier the KKR were in deep trouble with 93/7 in 15 overs but Rinku smashed a sensational 83 not out from 51 balls including four sixes in a row in the final over to lift them to 155/7.
Cameron Green (34) was the only other batter to reach double-digit scores as KKR suffered a familiar batting meltdown with Mohsin taking his maiden fifer.
In reply, LSG continued their dismal show with the bat to succumb to their fifth loss in a row.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 155/7; 20 overs (Rinku Singh 83 not out, Cameron Green 34; Mohsin Khan 5/23). Lucknow Super Giants 155/8; 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 42). KKR won via Super Over.
