Andhra Pradesh CM Helicopter Missing

Helicopter search for YSR called off for now: PC

Police and paramilitary forces are moving towards a forested area where Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's missing helicopter was last spotted but the helicopter search has been called off for now, Home Minister P Chidambaram said Wednesday.

A sombre Chidambaram said that forest and revenue department officials were searching the area in and around Kurnool district "where we think the helicopter was last seen. We are keeping our fingers crossed". "The police and paramilitary forces are moving towards that point... Perhaps they would be able to do a search for a couple of hours at least, then we will have to wait first light tomorrow. "Let us hope for the best. *Let us pray for the best," said the minister, who is supervising the search operation for the Andhra Pradesh helicopter that went missing with YSR on board while flying from Hyderabad to Chittoor Wednesday morning. A helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy remained untraced Wednesday evening, nearly eight hours after his helicopter went missing amid bad weather in a densely forested Maoist stronghold, triggering a desperate search by the military and police. The government chopper with the 59-year-old Chief Minister on board was scheduled to land at Chitoor district at 10.40 AM. Chief Minister's Principal Secretary S Subramanyam and Chief Security Officer A S C Wesley and two pilots were also on board the twin-engined government helicopter that lost contact at 9.35 a.m. when it was headed for Chitoor district, over 600 kilometres here. Flanked by Finance Minister K. Rosiah, Chief Secretary Ramakanth Reddy urged people in the Nallamalla forest area that covers Kurnool and adjoining districts to alert the police if they learnt anything about the helicopter. The chief secretary said two air force helicopters from Secunderabad and three from Bangalore were looking for the chief minister's helicopter along with a private chopper from Andhra Pradesh. but no contact has been established. There is no information of the Bell 430 helicopter, having landed anywhere, Finance Minister K Rosaiah told a press conference here. While he expressed hope that the Chief Minister could be safe, state Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy said it could be possible that the helicopter could have landed in an unfamiliar area from where getting out could be difficult. "So far we have not been able to make any contact. It is possible because of strong winds and inclement weather, it may have landed in an unfamiliar area from where getting out can be difficult. Time we have before sunset is limited and it is raining heavily," he said. Two helicopters from Hakimpet air command in Secunderabad returned because of inclement weather, while three from Bangalore air command and one private helicopter from Nellore were involved in search operations mainly over the Nallamala forest ranges, a stronghold of the Naxalites, in the Rayalaseema region. An unmanned aerial vehicle from the Defence Ministry has also been pressed into service. Rosaiah appealed to the people in Chitoor, Mehbubnagar, Prakasam and Kurnool districts to provide any information they have on the missing helicopter. Police and forest departments in the area were coordinating the operation. He said the Prime Minister's Office, Union Home Ministry and Defence Ministry have been alerted while the office of Congress President Sonia Gandhi was in touch with the state government. The Home and Civil Aviation ministries in Delhi have also said that no contact has been established with the missing helicopter. Home Minister P Chidambaram was personally monitoring the situation. Civil Aviation Secretary M Madhavan Nambiar said in Delhi that there was no information about the whereabouts of the helicopter. The Home Ministry was coordinating search operations, he said. Shortly before before the finance minister and chief secretary spoke, there were conflicting versions about YSR's fate. Social Welfare Minister P. Subhash Chandra Bose said the chief minister was safe after the helicopter landed in Kurnool district, but police both in Hyderabad and Kurnool declined to back the minister's claim. "We have information that the chief minister is safe," said Chandra Bose. He did reveal any details. Congress MP from Nandyal S.P.Y. Reddy, however, told a television channel that he was yet to receive any information about YSR's whereabouts from the police. A high-level meeting was held at the state secretariat here after the helicopter went missing. It was attended by Home Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy, Chief Secretary Ramakant Reddy, Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav, the chief minister's close aide and Rajya Sabha MP K.V.P. Ramchandra Rao and senior state ministers. A doctor by training, YSR is presently one of the most influential leaders in the Congress after leading the party again to a spectacular win in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in April-May this year. Elected to the state assembly for the fifth time, YSR is also a four-time Lok Sabha member and holds the record of never losing an election.

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