State govt ignores a crash course

[email protected] (Ronald Anil Fernandes, Deccan Herald)

September 19, 2011

Mangalore, September 18: On May 22, 2010, Mangalore airport had the worst air crash in its 61-year history, when an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Dubai overshot the runway here and crashed into a 300-metre deep valley, killing 158 people on board.

At least 50 to 60 lives of flight AIE-812 could have been saved had fire tenders at the airport reached the crash site. They could not, because of the ramshackle state of the perimeter road around the airport. Precious six minutes were lost before the state-of-the-art crash fire tenders (CFT) reached the spot the crashed aircraft lying in the valley at Kenjar. Measuring 13 metres by 3.25 metres, they could not negotiate the hairpin curves on the perimeter road.

“Had the CFT reached the spot within two minutes as they should have, if not all, at least 50 to 60 passengers could have been saved,” say sources in the fire department, a view acknowledged by experts. Sixteen months later, things have not changed. The condition of the perimeter road is bad as ever, with more potholes. The hairpin curves remain and landslides on the road are posing more danger than ever before.

What if an aircraft overshoots the runway, again? The result will be similar or more disastrous as the perimeter road has been completely damaged. Thanks to the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities concerned, especially the State government, the crash fire tenders cannot move on the road even to this day!

According to experts, the best comparison that throws up the deficiency in the Mangalore crash is the post accident fire that destroyed the AFA 340 overrun at Toronto in Canada in 2005.

All the 305 on board survived due to the immediate rescue and fire fighting response; emergency response teams were reportedly on site within 52 seconds of the crash occuring.

“Lessons from the tragic AIE-812 crash, if ignored, will result in more accidents,” says a former pilot.

Airport chief rues inaction

When asked about the pathetic condition of the road, Airport Director M?R?Vasudeva said he had requested the district administration and the State government to repair the perimeter road, soon after the crash.

“A number of reminders too have been sent to the district administration as well as State government to repair the road in view of the possible danger, but nothing has been done till date,” he rues.

Deputy Commissioner N?S?Chennappa Gowda said there was no proposal to repair the perimeter road.

Proposals

“There are only two proposals, that is, to evict the Deccan Park and also to extend the runway, but there is no proposal to repair the perimeter road.”

Given the present condition of the road, in case if the aircraft lands in the valley between the two runways (06-24 and 09-27), any vehicle will require a minimum of 15 minutes to reach the spot, by which time, the plane would have been reduced to ashes.

But then, the government takes no action unless there is a tragedy. Which is a tragedy.

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Who is Ramachandra Rao? Karnataka DGP, actress Ranya’s stepfather suspended over viral ‘obscene’ video

News Network

January 20,2026

Karnataka DGP (Civil Rights Enforcement) K Ramachandra Rao was suspended with immediate effect, as per a state government order issued on Monday, 19 January. The order cited conduct unbecoming of a government servant and causing embarrassment to the state administration.

The Karnataka government suspended Rao after a purported video showed him in a compromising position with a woman inside his official chamber. The video went viral on social media. Rao rejected the videos outright, terming them "fabricated and false".

Who is K Ramachandra Rao?

Rao is a DGP-rank officer who was heading the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement until his suspension. He was promoted to DGP in September 2023 and assumed office in October 2023, the Sunday Guardian reported.

He also served as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

His stint as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the Southern Range was also marred by controversy. In 2014, during a cash seizure near Mysuru’s Yelwal, officials claimed the seized amount was ₹20 lakh, while the accused (Kerala-based merchants) claimed it was around ₹2.27 crore.

Rao, who was present during the seizure, denied all allegations. However, he was transferred soon after.

Allegations of collusion with a businessman surfaced, and a senior police officer was quoted by The Sunday Guardian as saying, “In Rao’s case, the CID has clearly mentioned that there was a great degree of lapse on the part of Rao and a deputy superintendent of police after it was brought to their notice that a few policemen, including a gunman attached to the IGP, were involved in the robbery.”

Rao had denied all wrongdoing in that incident. Despite past controversies, he rose to the state’s top police position, the Sunday Guardian reported.

Ranya Rao’s stepfather

Rao is the stepfather of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, accused of orchestrating the illegal import of gold worth over ₹12.56 crore from Dubai to India along with two others — businessman Tarun Raju, and jewellery dealer Sahil Jain.

‘Obscene video’ controversy

A viral video showed Rao behaving inappropriately with a woman inside his office while in uniform.

The Karnataka government said in its Monday order that “vide videos and news reports widely broadcast on public news channels and media platforms, it is observed that Dr K Ramachandra Rao has acted in an obscene manner which is unbecoming of a Government Servant and also causing embarrassment to the Government.”

The order said the matter was examined by the state government, which found that the officer's conduct amounted to a violation of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

The government said it is prima facie satisfied that "it is necessary to place Rao under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry".

During the suspension period, Rao will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per Rule 4 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.

The order also places restrictions on his movement, stating that during the period of suspension, the officer must not leave headquarters under any circumstances without the written permission of the state government.

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