HYDERABAD: Concluding that the helicopter crash that caused the death of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy was an accident, the state cabinet on Tuesday recommended action against the then managing director of AP Aviation Corporation KV Brahmananda Reddy and quality control manager Lakshman Rao.
It was decided to constitute a three-member committee to submit a report within 30 days recommending suitable action against these erring officials.
The cabinet, which met at the chief minister’s camp office, examined three investigative reports submitted by the CBI, the MR Reddy Committee and the RK Tyagi Committee. All the reports declared that there was no conspiracy in the mishap that caused the sudden demise of YS Rajasekhara Reddy along with principal secretary P Subramanyam, chief security officer ASC Wesley along with pilot SK Bhatia and co-pilot MS Reddy on September 2, 2009. The three reports are learnt to have concluded that the chopper crash was an accident that occurred due to very bad weather condition.
“All the three reports recommended action against the officials concerned for ‘lapses’ on their part to verify the tenure of the pilots, maintenance of helicopter and outsourcing of maintenance,” information and public relations minister DK Aruna told newsmen.
After the accident Brahmananda Reddy had denied any lapses on his part notwithstanding the allegations being levelled against him. Though the state government did not take any immediate decision, he was suspended from the post in October 2009 allegedly for the delay in arranging a helicopter for the then chief minister K Rosaiah to undertake an aerial survey of flood-hit areas.