Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday was stuck for nearly an hour during his return from Jalgaon to Mumbai after the pilot of his personal aircraft refused to fly. The pilot reportedly cited the end of his duty hours. The incident has become a talking point over the security of a Deputy Chief Minister.
According to reports, the pilot had been flying the aircraft for over 12 hours.
Shinde attended “Palkhi Yatra”
The Chief Minister had gone to attend the “Palkhi Yatra” of Saint Muktai in Muktainagar. The Deputy Chief Minister was accompanied by two Cabinet Ministers, Girish Mahajan and Gulabrao Patil.
Pilot cited end of duty hours
When the Deputy Chief Minister returned to the airport to head back to Mumbai, the pilot refused to fly as his duty hours were over. He said he would need fresh approval to fly from the company and that the procedure would take time.
Ministers convinced pilot
Sources said the two ministers convinced the pilot to fly, and the officials took clearance for departure, and the Deputy Chief Minister returned to Mumbai.
Samruddhi Mahamarg inaugurated on June 5
On June 5, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the Hindu Hruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg (Highway) was a “game changer” as it will reduce travel time from 18 hours to only eight hours.
While addressing the press conference, Shinde said that the highway would save fuel and time, proving beneficial for the people.
Game-changer project
“The last phase was inaugurated by the popular Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. It is a game-changer project in Maharashtra. It was the most difficult and challenging project. It will benefit the people to a large extent. The journey that used to take 18 hours will take 8 hours. It will save fuel, it will save time,” Shinde said.
He said that the final leg of the Samruddhi Highway would benefit farmers, who used to travel to Mumbai from Nagpur with their produce, as they would reach the financial capital within a day instead of multiple days.
