MUMBAI: Following an unusual turn of events, the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari the use of state government plane to fly to Dehradun on Thursday morning. After there was no approval from the Prime Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray For him special VVIP flight, the governor and his entourage decided to board a airline flight instead, to the destination, an aviation source said.
Around 9 a.m., the governor and his entourage arrived at the Mumbai Airport General Aviation Terminal in Kalina to board the government’s Cessna Citation XLS plane. “A week ago, Raj bhavan had submitted the governor’s program to the state department of civil aviation, which, per protocol, had forwarded it to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) for approval, “said a source.” Since the governor is the head of state, the prime minister’s approval for his flights is a given. Often the approval comes at the last minute, so the governor and his entourage arrived at the general aviation terminal around 9 am to board the special flight, “the source added.
That’s when the state government’s civil aviation department got nervous. “The whole time it was assumed that the approval of the chief minister for the use of the aircraft would come, after all, and it was just a matter of completing an established formality. However, when there was no response from the CMO despite repeated attempts, quite a few eyebrows at the general aviation terminal broke into a sweat, “said an official.
The crew of the Citation XLS were asked to disembark. “Even as they headed to the terminal lounge, the governor and his entourage left the hall and headed for the plane,” the source said. “It was the first time that we had this situation where the governor was sitting inside the special aircraft, even as officials tried in vain to obtain the required signature of the prime minister,” the source added. Koshyari remained seated on the aircraft for about 15 minutes, at which point he was reportedly informed of the problem in question, the source said. “He got out, went back to the room and decided to fly to Dehradun on a scheduled flight,” the source said.
Three airlines operate a total of four daily flights from Mumbai to Dehradun, of which two are morning departures departing before 8am. The governor now had to choose between the flight SpiceJetSG779 that leaves at 12.15 pm or IndiGo 6E6857 that leaves at 3.45 pm The latest on the subject was that the governor and his entourage had left the room and headed to board a plane flight .
Although an official statement from the CMO is expected, the BJP has launched an attack on the MVA government. Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis said this shows the arrogance of the government and that the state government deliberately denied permission. Mumbai City Guard Minister and Cabinet Minister Aslam Shaikh said the reason why the governor was not allowed to go is being investigated. He said that if there were any technical problems on the flight, if the ATC process was completed or not, all of these will be taken into account.
“We respect the governor, he will not be insulted,” he said. Meanwhile, Chief Deputy Minister Ajit Pawar said he was not aware of the problem and asked the department in question for information about the incident.
On Video: Maharashtra: Governor Koshyari Denies VVIP Aircraft Flying To Uttarakhand
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