Eknath Shinde Stuck At Airport For Hour As Pilot Refuses To Fly After Duty Hours

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s travel from Jalgaon to Mumbai was delayed by nearly an hour on Friday, when the pilot of his personal aircraft refused to take off, citing the end of his duty hours.

According to sources, the incident took place when the Shiv Sena chief was preparing to leave Jalgaon, where he participated in the ‘Palkhi Yatra’ (religious procession) of Sant Muktai in Muktainagar.

The Deputy Chief Minister was scheduled to arrive at Jalgaon at 3.45pm but was delayed by around two-and-a-half hours due to technical reasons. On his arrival, he travelled to Muktainagar by road. 

He was accompanied by ministers Girish Mahajan and Gulabrao Patil, and few other administration officials. 

After participating in the Palkhi Yatra and visiting the Sant Muktai temple, Mr Shinde and his team returned to the Jalgaon airport at 9.15pm. The pilot, however, refused to fly the aircraft, citing the end of his working hours. He flagged that since his duty hours were over, seeking a fresh clearance to fly would take some time.