This wing commander is flying high

Mumbai: After 12 long years, retired wing commander Jitendra Sharma had won the battle against the Maharashtra government to clear his name.
Sharma was deputed as a pilot to the government of Maharashtra in 1982 and was soon absorbed into the staff strength. In 1988, the helicopter that he generally flew was grounded for maintenance. A year later a senior official demanded his resignation.
As officiating Director of Aviation, Sharma had invited tenders for a particular project, effectively reducing its cost from an over-estimated Rs4.5 lakh to a mere Rs47,000. Subsequently, he was accused of ‘lack of integrity towards duty’, based on complaints made to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) by the maintenance agencies involved. At that point, the DGCA cleared Sharma of all charges.
Even after being completely cleared of all charges, the government of Maharashtra held an inquiry against Sharma and compulsorily retired him. He was devastated, but determined to fight the order.
08/07/06 Neeta Kolhatka/Daily News & Analysis

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