KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
72 hours have passed and there is no clue of AN-32 transport plane. The plane went missing when it took off from an airbase in Chennai.
The plane is carrying 29 Indian defence officers including one IAF technician from J&K.
Gurdyal Choudhary, an airman hailing from remotest village Baniyari, tehsil Marheen District Kathua which is close to international border in Jammu region joined IAF in 2008. He got married in October 2015 and is one of the five siblings in his family.
The Tribune and Early Times reported on Monday that the family members of missing airman have demanded intervention of state government to coordinate with the Union and defence authorities for speeding up the on-going search operation.
Gurdyal Choudhary has been living with wife in Chennai and had visited his family in May last time.
On 21st July, he left for duty in AN-32 transport plane, but just few minutes after taking off the plane lost contact with the control centre.
“We appeal to the government and the IAF to make the search operation effective and result-oriented. The entire village is praying for him and we hope that God will save him and other persons who are on board the aircraft,” said a worried Chuda Ram Choudhary, father of Gurdyal.
The family is stuck to all news channels with the hope that somebody would soon break the news about the location of the aircraft and well-being of all persons on board.
“Our family is unable to take food and water since we have come to know that the aircraft with Gurdyal on board went missing and there has been no clue about it,” Chuda Ram Choudhary added.
Navy and Coast Guard ships, a submarine and eight aircraft are involved in the search operation to trace the Port Blair-bound transport plane.
Three IAF men from Jammu, who were on board the missing aircraft, were Gurdyal Choudhary (28), a resident of Banyari village in Kathua; Pritam Chand (22) of Karma Papriya village in the Chanderkot area of Ramban and Ravi Dev Singh (19) of Pakhali village of Udhampur.
(PS: This news item was updated on July 29, 2016 @ 11:50 AM.)
