Helicopter Chaos: Licence Lapse Disrupts CM Banerjee's Travel Plans

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's helicopter journey to Bongaon was canceled due to an expired aircraft licence. The lapse went unnoticed during the mandatory trial flight. Banerjee, upset with the negligence, traveled by road instead. An inquiry has been launched to investigate the oversight.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's planned helicopter journey to Bongaon for a political rally was unexpectedly canceled on Tuesday. Officials discovered the aircraft assigned for her travel had an expired licence, causing the cancellation of the trip, according to a top bureaucrat.

Forced to alter her travel plans at the last minute, Banerjee opted for a road journey to Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district, approximately 104 km from Kolkata. A show-cause notice has been issued to the helicopter operator for the oversight.

Senior administration officials revealed that the helicopter, unused by Banerjee for several months, underwent a mandatory trial flight just a day before the event. However, the expired licence was not detected during the checks, raising questions about the verification process. A comprehensive inquiry is now underway to understand how such negligence occurred and why it wasn't reported earlier.

(With inputs from agencies.)