Shillong, Aug. 22: The Meghalaya government will seek a report from Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd on a recent incident when DoNER minister Jitendra Singh escaped an accident as the helicopter meant to ferry him developed a technical snag a few minutes before takeoff.

Meghalaya transport minister H.D.R. Lyngdoh told reporters today that the government was not aware about the arrangements made during the Union minister's visit, but if such an incident had happened, it was serious, considering the safety and security of people travelling by helicopter.

Meghalaya BJP president Shibun Lyngdoh told The Telegraph that the Pawan Hans chopper was hired from Guwahati by the party's central office during Singh's visit.

On August 16, Singh came to pay tribute to U Tirot Sing Syiem as part of the Yaad Karo Qurbani campaign to remember the sacrifices made by "unsung heroes" against the British.

Singh came in a chopper that halted at Mairang and travelled to Nongkhlaw, the birthplace of Tirot Sing, by road. However, after the function, Singh boarded the same chopper from Mairang but the helicopter failed to take off because of a "technical glitch".

The incident forced Singh to wait at Mairang for nearly two hours before another chopper came.

Pawan Hans had already earned bad name in the Northeast after the helicopters it pressed into service met with a number of accidents, killing several people, including VIPs, in the past few years.

A number of chopper crashes have occurred in a few the northeastern states, including Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

A Pawan Hans helicopter went missing after taking off on August 4, 2015 from Khonsa town in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh and the remains of the helicopter were located in deep jungles on August 10, 2015.

Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu and four others died in a Pawan Hans helicopter crash on April 30, 2011.

Similarly, on April 19, 2011, a Pawan Hans helicopter crashed in the mountains of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, killing all 17 people on board.

On September 22, 2004, a Pawan Hans helicopter crashed at Kyrdem Khla in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya, killing 10 people, including a state minister and two legislators.

GST ratification

The Meghalaya Assembly is likely to ratify the GST (goods and services tax) bill in its upcoming autumn session from September 9.

Sources said some important bills, including the GST bill, passed by Parliament in the just-concluded monsoon session, may be introduced in the house for ratification by the state.

Meghalaya parliamentary affairs minister Prestone Tynsong said a meeting of the Assembly's business advisory committee here this evening approved the number of days fixed for the sittings.

According to Tynsong, the session consists of five working days and will conclude on September 16.