Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, along with Industry Minister Uday Samant, narrowly escaped a mishap on Wednesday. Their helicopter, traveling from Nagpur to Gadchiroli, veered off course due to poor visibility caused by inclement weather. Fortunately, the skilled pilot managed to navigate back on track and landed the helicopter safely. The officials were en route to Gadchiroli for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Rs 10,000 crore Surjagad Ispat integrated steel project in Aheri tehsil. Ajit Pawar recounted the incident at the event, praising the pilot's expertise in ensuring their safe landing.
“The helicopter took off smoothly from Nagpur to Gadchiroli. I was quite at ease initially, enjoying the view of the clouds. I even pointed them out to Fadnavis,” Pawar said. “However, during the flight, we lost our way due to the monsoon clouds. Despite this, Fadnavis remained calm and continued chatting with me, while I grew anxious. He reassured me, mentioning he had survived six previous accidents and believed we would be safe today as well.”
Pawar added that Fadnavis consistently tried to calm him down. “I was worried about landing safely, but Fadnavis stayed cool. Uday Samant then told me to check the landing site. Once I saw it from the window, I felt a sense of relief,” he concluded.