Bengaluru: A fortnight after chief minister Siddaramaiah's helicopter caught fire, the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) has come down heavily on the Karnataka government for not maintaining protocol in flying choppers for VIPs in the state.
While most states have a wing with qualified aircraft maintenance engineers (AME), Karnataka is managing operation of VIP choppers with civil engineers of public works development (PWD) department. Asking the state to wake up before any untoward incident, the civil aviation authority reminded the PWD department officials about death of leaders GMC Balayogi, YS Rajashekara Reddy and Madhavrao Scindia in air crashes. The PWD officials got the rap when they were in New Delhi recently to get permission to get helicopter on wet lease basis for VIPs.
The government has hurriedly decided to lease an aircraft on wet lease basis after the CM's chartered helicopter caught fire. Confirming that the DGCA has warned them for lack of safety measures, a senior PWD official, who is part of the team monitoring VIP choppers, told STOI that the authority has asked the state to set up an exclusive civil aviation wing for operation, maintenance, monitoring and keeping track of movements of VIPs in helicopters.
25/01/15 Anil Kumar/Times of India
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While most states have a wing with qualified aircraft maintenance engineers (AME), Karnataka is managing operation of VIP choppers with civil engineers of public works development (PWD) department. Asking the state to wake up before any untoward incident, the civil aviation authority reminded the PWD department officials about death of leaders GMC Balayogi, YS Rajashekara Reddy and Madhavrao Scindia in air crashes. The PWD officials got the rap when they were in New Delhi recently to get permission to get helicopter on wet lease basis for VIPs.
The government has hurriedly decided to lease an aircraft on wet lease basis after the CM's chartered helicopter caught fire. Confirming that the DGCA has warned them for lack of safety measures, a senior PWD official, who is part of the team monitoring VIP choppers, told STOI that the authority has asked the state to set up an exclusive civil aviation wing for operation, maintenance, monitoring and keeping track of movements of VIPs in helicopters.
25/01/15 Anil Kumar/Times of India
