Bhubaneswar: The Government of Odisha on Thursday began the process to bring back the iconic Dakota aircraft, in which former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik rescued Indonesia’s former vice president and prime minister in his famous heroic act in 1947, from Netaji Subhas Bose International Airport, Kolkata.
A decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy at the Lok Seva Bhawan here this morning.
“A letter in this regard will be sent to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to bring the aircraft to the State and thereafter steps will be taken for its safe display,” Manoj Mishra, Secretary, Electronics & IT department said soon after the meeting.
Sources said, the aircraft will be brought to the state by roadway and will be kept inside the Biju Patnaik International Airport here.
The iconic aircraft was a part of the fleet of 18 Dakota planes of Kalinga Airlines used in the Kashmir operation in 1947-48 ferrying troops to Srinagar and carrying medical assistance and other supplies.
Of the 18 aircrafts, around 12 were crashed, whereabouts of three are not known and of the rest three one is at Mumbai Airport, one is in Indonesia and one is at Kolkata airport.
Ms Kalinga