Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 14: Nine years after air crash of State owned helicopter near Ganderbal Power House, the Government today constituted a committee for formal enquiry on all aspects of the crash. In the crash of helicopter on August 5, 2003, some persons lost their lives.
According to an order issued by General Administration Department, Atal Duloo, Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture Department is the chairman of the Committee while as Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad, Secretary, General Administration Department and Ravi Magotra, Director General, Accounts and Treasuries are its members. Sufi Mohammad Yousaf, Special Secretary in Chief Minister’s Secretariat is the Member Secretary of the Committee.
The Committee will build upon the inquiry report submitted by the then Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir and by the Director General, Civil Aviation as the basis of their work, the order said, adding the inquiry committee will cover particularly the issues highlighted in the judgment of the State Consumers Disputes Redressal Commission delivered on September 26, 2011.
It will cover the aspects like whether the decision regarding operation of helicopter services to Amarnathji Yatra taken in the meeting chaired by the then Chief Minister on July 22, 2003 was respected. The Committee will also see whether the sale proceeds of air tickets were accounted for and if the same were misappropriated whether any action was initiated against the erring officers under law besides recovering the Government money.
The Committee will also cover the aspects like who was responsible for allowing the misuse of the aircraft to carry the passengers against the terms and conditions of the insurance policy by using it for commercial purposes; whether the deceased Captain was succeeding in flying the helicopter against the flying norms and rules from Nehru helipad and even had succeeded in getting permission for the ill-fated flights; whether the Finance Department had applied the rules of checks and balances in auditing the accounts and supervising the releases and use of public money in a legal and regulated manner; whether any action was initiated after the submission of the report by Deputy Director, Air Safety Inspector of Accidents dated December 25, 2003; whether the approval of the competent authority was obtained for operation of the helicopter services and also whether the helicopter was having technical fault before it had taken off.
It will also ascertain the number of passengers flying in the chopper at the time of crash and what was the permissible number for flying.
The committee has also been authorized to extend the contours of its inquiry/ recommendation even beyond the stated aspects and will submit a comprehensive report within a period of 90 days.
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