MLA Rohit Pawar has raised serious concerns regarding the plane crash in Baramati that claimed the life of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. He alleged that the pilot was forced to land in poor visibility to save a pre-booked fare of roughly ₹10 lakh. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responded to these claims today, stating that all doubts surrounding the incident need to be cleared.
What Are the Major Claims by Rohit Pawar?
Rohit Pawar held a press conference and shared details on social media regarding the crash on January 28. He claimed that if the plane had diverted to another airport like Pune, the operator would have lost a booking worth ₹10 lakh. He suggested this financial loss was the reason for the risky landing attempt.
He also pointed out technical issues regarding the landing conditions. According to his data, the visibility at the time was only 3 km. The rules by DGCA state that visibility should be at least 5 km for a safe landing at such airstrips.
- Transponder: It is alleged that the device was turned off one minute before the crash.
- Schedule Change: Questions were raised about why the travel plan was changed last minute.
- Safety Record: Claims were made that European agencies had previously flagged the operator’s safety standards.
Government Response and Investigation Updates
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed today that the Black Box of the aircraft has been recovered. He assured that the data is being analyzed to find the exact cause. The Maharashtra CID has also started a parallel investigation to look into these allegations.
Following the incident, the DGCA has ordered a special safety audit for all non-scheduled charter operators. The Baramati airstrip is an uncontrolled airfield without an ATC tower or Instrument Landing System (ILS), which makes visual rules very important.
