Air Deccan Cannot Be Blamed For Prime Miniter Manmohan Singh Security Lapse – Gopinath
- print this page
- December 18, 2007
Shimla: Air Deccan has disowned any lapse on their part for the Prime Minister’s security breech, that occurred when one of their helicopters on election call with the congress party in Himachal landed close to the Air Force helicopters at Bilaspur, yesterday, at a time when the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on board one of them.
Capt GR Gopinath, managing director Air Deccan, in response to a query stated “We have a couple of helicopters flying for Congress Party in Himachal.’
“The pilot was asked by one of the congress leaders to land in Bilaspur and take him to Shimla at 1 p.m. The pilot filed the flight plan and obtained clearance from both ATC and Defence Ministry and landed at 1 p.m. He was not aware that the PM’s helicopter was still in Bilaspur and is not at fault,’ said Gopinath.
“He should not have been cleared to fly. There must be better coordination between various agencies monitoring the prime minister’s movements,” he adds.
Meanwhile the two pilots of the Air Deccan helicopter who were arrested for the security breech have been bailed out and the impounded helicopter has been released.
Bilaspur District police Chief Balbir Thakur said, “The pilots were released on a Rs 50,000 bail bond and an equal amount as surety bond. The helicopter was released on a Rs 2 crore security bond.”
Senior congressman RK Dhawan, for whom the private helicopter was allegedly requisitioned to Bilaspur, was not available for comments.
- print this page
- December 18, 2007
Latest News
- 7 die in Himachal road accidents
- Dalai Lama to meet Desmond Tutu in Dharamsala
- TERI to open centre in Himachal
- A love affair in Lahore
- Centre’s nod to cold chain centre
-
Coldest night of the season in Shimla , Manali
- Shimla snowfall (pictures)
- Fighting chance for India’s tigers: Poaching declines
- Rose prices set to soar ahead of Valentine’s Day
- 3 Karnataka porngate ministers quit, BJP red-faced
-
Panic in Himachal BJP , gets into a huddle in Delhi
-
Surprise heavy snowfall in Himachal
- BJP minister found watching porn in Karnataka assembly
- Uttar Pradesh set to vote amid hung house prediction
- IAF airlifts 313 stranded people between Leh and Srinagar
- No sponsorship again for team India : Subroto Roy
- Separatists shutdown hits life in Kashmir

No Comments.