Biju Babu’s Dakota plane 'falls down during installation at Bhubaneswar Airport, 2 injured'

The iconic Dakota aircraft, the witness to the heroics and undaunted courage of legendary leader Biju Patnaik, reportedly fell down while being installed with the help of a crane in front of Bhubaneswar airport on Wednesday.

Two workers engaged in the installation work were injured in the incident.

As per the workers, the incident happened during installation. However, an official said that there has not been any major mishap during the installation work.

“Two of the workers sustained minor injuries. They have been released from the medical after first aid,” said Debashis Mohanty, General Manager of Aerospace Research and Development Centre.

The iconic Dakota aircraft has been beautified and it is all set to stand tall to showcase the imprints of former Odisha CM’s valiant endeavours. The plane has got its fuselage, wings and engine. The painting and other beautification works are also completed.

The repair and installation work is currently being undertaken by the Bhubaneswar-based Aerospace Research and Development Center at a whopping cost of Rs 3 crore.

Odisha government has planned to display the iconic plane at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) from March 5, as an ode to late CM Biju Patnaik as the day marks his birth anniversary and is celebrated as Biju Jayanti and the Panchayatiraj Diwas. The aircraft was brought from Kolkata in a dismantled manner on January 18.