landing

and were recovered as part of a swift Rescue Operation by a naval patrol craft,” the Navy said in a release.

“Ditching” refers to an emergency landing on water.

The chopper’s crew members--whose identities and ranks have not been revealed--were shifted to the INS Shikra heliport in Colaba, where they underwent a medical examination and have been declared as “fine”, the official said.

Pilot deployed floatation gear after sudden loss of power and rapid loss of height; inuiry launched

“The pilot did a controlled landing so that the aircraft is not lost. The floatation gears were deployed and efforts are on to salvage the helicopter,” the official said.

BEST seeks fresh bids for 700 double-decker e-buses

First India Bureau Mumbai: A plan to procure 900 double-decker e-buses in the 2023-24 fiscal could face delays with the BEST undertaking terminating a contract for 700 electric AC double-deckers for Mumbai, officials said. The termination of the contract could also affect the electrification of the fleet next fiscal.

BEST on Tuesday floated two fresh tenders: one to procure 700 double-decker e-buses and another to procure 50 open-deck e-double deckers (with AC lower deck) for Heritage Tours in south Mumbai.

According to news reports, BEST terminated the existing contract-worth around Rs2,800 crore--over delays in “providing a prototype of the new vehicle” and “bringing these buses on city roads.”

As per BEST’s schedule, which was also mentioned in the recent civic budget, the undertaking expects its electric fleet to make up 50% of the total 7,000 buses by early next year. This e-fleet will gradually replace all existing diesel and CNG buses in a year or two.