Guj CM's chopper fails to land twice due to bad weather: Officials

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's helicopter failed to land twice at the designated locations due to inclement weather after he set out to reach flood-affected Gir Somnath district, officials said.

The chopper finally landed at Jetpur in Rajkot district, from where the chief minister travelled by road to visit the flood-hit areas in Gir Somnath district.

Earlier today, the helicopter carrying Rupani and other officials, had to return to Gandhinagar as it could not land at the Keshod airstrip in Junagadh district due to bad weather, an official said.

Later, it was decided that Rupani, along with Chief Secretary J N Singh and chief minister's Chief Principal Secretary K Kailashnathan, will be flown to Somnath town in Gir Somnath district in a special Air Force helicopter, said a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

However, even the second attempt to reach Somnath failed due to bad weather in Gir Somnath, which has been receiving heavy rains since the last two days.

The helicopter could not go beyond Rajkot district and landed at Jetpur, said a statement by the CMO.

"Since there was no possibility to land at Somnath due to bad weather, the chopper did a normal landing at Jetpur. It was a well-calculated decision to land there. From Jetpur, the CM went to Somnath by road," J N Singh told PTI.

After reaching Somnath late evening, the chief minister held review meetings with officials of Gir Somnath and Junagadh districts about the ongoing relief and rescue works.

He also took stock of agriculture losses due to heavy rains in that region, an official release said.