SHILLONG, June 18 � The Meghalaya Government has sought to probe a report alleging violation of safety norms by Alliance Air pilots, a subsidiary of the national carrier Air India.
�I have asked my principal secretary to get the information from the concerned agencies and Ministries,� State Transport Minister A T Mondal said.
The Minister took cognisance of a television channel report which alleged that two pilots working for Alliance Air in Kolkata violated basic safety rules in the last three months, putting hundreds of lives at risk.
Alliance Air, operates low-cost flights between cities like Kolkata and others in the North East.
The TV report quoted records and said on March 20, a pilot operating a flight from Shillong to Kolkata, decided at the last minute to change the runway and chose the one which was forbidden to be used.
�Close to 30 passengers were on board. There were strong winds near the airport, so the pilot decided to abandon runway 4, used virtually by every plane for take off from Shillong.�
�The other runway 22, which was used by the pilot, is very short and faces a range of hills, factors that could lead to a crash. The airline in fact forbids its pilots from using Runway 22 � a diktat the pilot ignored at the last minute,� the report said.
It also alleged that another pilot ignored precautions he was asked to take due to his serious medical condition.
�We are also communicating with the authorities at Umroi airport for verification of the reports. If the reports are true, action should be taken against the erring officials by the DGCA or Civil Aviation Ministry,� Mondal added. � PTI
