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14 search teams on the lookout for missing Andhra CM | The Andhra Pradesh Government has set up 14 teams, each consisting
of eight members (112 personnel), to search for missing Chief Minister Y.S. Rajshekhar
Reddy and the seven-seater Bell chopper in which he was traveling to Chitoor District.
Local villagers have also been provided with torches and other equipment to help
in the search of an area that is dominated by Naxals. The State Government has
also asked the Central Government to provide it with an unmanned aircraft and
all-weather Fokker aircraft for the search operation in the Nanamalla and Seer
Sailam forest ranges, where the chopper is believed to have made an emergency
landing due to bad weather. At least seven choppers, including four from the Indian
Air Force (IAF) have been pressed into the rescue operation. The State Government
has also said that it will be giving a fresh update on the situation at 7 p.m.
The latest missive comes shortly after former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and
now Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Chandrababu Naidu said that everyone
was concerned about the missing chopper that was carrying incumbent Chief Minister
Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy. Addressing a press conference here, Naidu said: "We are
all concerned. I also appeal to nearby villagers to help with the rescue. The
situation is being monitored." Naidu's appeal came as the Andhra Pradesh Government
revealed this afternoon that the search is still on for the seven-seater Bell
chopper that was carrying Reddy towards the state's Chitoor District in inclement
weather. The State Government said that bad weather, time constraints plus the
dense forested area where the chopper may have landed is hampering rescue operations.
It appealed to the general public to step in and help in the rescue operations
along with the Indian Air Force and the Army. In Delhi, Union Law Minister Veerappa
Moily, who is in charge of the Congress party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, is having
a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the issue. He is said to have
briefed Gandhi about the latest developments. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
is also meeting Sonia Gandhi. The Congress party on Wednesday held an emergency
press briefing here on the issue. Party spokesman Manish Tewari told media persons
that it is an evolving situation that is being closely monitored by the Central
and State Governments, besides the Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The party
said that state government is handling a very sensitive situation as the copter
is said to have landed somewhere in the forests between the three districts of
Rayalseema, Prakasham and Chitoor. Tewari said that every effort was being made
to resolve the situation as quickly as possible given the limited time available.
He said that four Indian Air Force helicopters, one MI8 and a Dhruv chopper have
been pressed into the rescue operation. Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister
K.Rosiah confirmed that the chopper carrying the Chief Minister had landed in
a forest area and efforts were on to locate it. Addressing a news conference in
Hyderabad, Rosiah said: "All state and central forces are on alert. At the moment,
we are still tracing the location of the missing chopper, which has landed in
the forests in the Chitoor-Nellore area. We are finding a way to reach the place."
Rosiah said the state government has alerted the Union Home Ministry about the
missing chopper. He said that after 9.35 a.m., contact had been lost with the
chopper carrying the chief minister. Rosiah said that the Prime Minister's office
as well as the offices of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister P. Chidambaram
and Defence Minister A.K. Antony are being kept posted about the latest developments.
He also issued an appeal to the public to contribute to the search effort. Rosiah's
briefing came as Andhra Pradesh Police continues their search for the missing
chopper. Panic was created around Wednesday noon as Reddy was reported untraceable
for nearly four hours. Reddy was on his way to Chitoor, by chopper which initial
reports said had made an emergency landing near Kurnool due to inclement weather.
The chopper took off at 8.45 a.m. for Chitoor and was scheduled to arrive here
at 10.45 a.m, sources said. The chopper was said to have landed in the middle
of a thick forest, said to be affected by Maoist activities. The Chief Minister's
Office (CMO) confirmed receiving a message of the emergency landing of the chopper,
but nothing thereafter. Till now, no one has confirmed the movements of Reddy.
The Union Home Ministry is monitoring the search operations, as Kurnool is a Naxal
affected area. Air Traffic Control (ATC) sources said the chopper went off the
radar due to heavy rains. The CMO maintains there is no need to worry as the area
has no mobile connectivity.
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