LUCKNOW: The aircraft which crash landed while carrying senior UP Cabinet minister ShivpalYadav and other senior officials on board last year is all set to be put for sale by the UP government. Purchased during the tenure of former chief minister Mayawati in 2008 at an estimate cost of over Rs 40 crore the six-seat aircraft, Premier-1A (VT-UPN) is not being used anymore ever since the incident, which happened in September 2012 and left the top brass of the civil aviation department red faced. And if sources are to be believed, then the aircraft will be sold off along with three other aircraft and one Chetak chopper soon.
Civil aviation department has decided to invite bids from private consultants to evaluate these state-owned aircraft. According to sources, the department is seeking 'valuers' who are registered as surveyors with Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) for providing 'market realizable value' for four aircraft and a chopper along with their spare parts, rotables etc. The 'valuers' have been asked to approach the state government by April 2 and complete the evaluation process in a month's time.
The other aircraft which are up for sale also include Super King Air 300LW (VT-UPA), King Air C90A (VT-UPZ), Beech Bonanza A-36 (VT-UPY) and Chetak helicopter.
Apart the Premier-1A, Super King is also in the working state, while others have been not flying for quite sometime. A senior official in the department said that the 'valuer' shall collect and analyse the relevant information to find out the market realizable value for these aircraft.
It is however the sale of Premier 1A that has raised many eyebrows. It was bought by Mayawati in June 2008. In September 2012, however, Uttar Pradesh PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary had a close shave after the aircraft skidded off the runway at the IGI airport in Delhi.
The duo was accompanied by four others, including two pilots and cabin crew. The plane's nose-wheel broke as it skidded off Runway 27 in high speed after landing. Yadav, was on his way to Masuri in Ghaziabad, where six persons were killed in riots.
Sources said preliminary findings had revealed that the pilots had not called for an emergency landing and a problem with the nose wheel was only detected during landing. The civil aviation department had then ordered a probe into the incident. Sources said that the aircraft had a history of skidding.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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