DGCA 'clean chit' to Panda over flying dangerously over

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said the allegation that former Lok Sabha MP Baijayant Panda had dangerously flown a helicopter over Chilika Lake could not be established and there was no violation of rules.

Panda, an industrialist-turned politician who quit the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in May following his suspension for "anti-party activities", described this as "total clean chit" by the DGCA.

Panda's chopper was seized by the police on September 17 for allegedly flying dangerously over the Chilika Lake, an eco-sensitive zone in the coastal belt of Odisha.

"Based on fact and evidence, it could not be established that the helicopter has flown dangerously below the assigned altitude or have landed at Chilika Lake on September 15, 2018," the DGCA said in a letter to the director of the Bhubaneswar Airport.

The investigation concluded that there was no violation of DGCA rules and regulation, said the letter dated October 25 by M J Singh, Director Air Safety of the DGCA.

No significant deviation in the filed flight plan timings and actual timings was observed, said the letter, a copy of which was available here.

The former Kendrapara MP tweeted, "Total clean chit by DGCA on Odisha Govt's cooked up case against me & my helicopter flying, & sealing a hangar at Biju Patnaik Airport, Bhubaneswar for the past 1.5 months, immobilising 3 choppers (incl 2 against which thr were no allegations whatsoever)!"
Panda had denied the charge and accused the state government of trying to "handicap his movement."