Andhra CM untraced as daylight hours slip away

Hopes for the safety of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy were fading along with daylight on Wednesday evening almost 9 hours after his helicopter went missing amid bad weather in a densely forested Maoist stronghold triggering a desperate search by the military and policeThere were fears that the falling darkness would impede rescue operations by the five Indian Air Force and one private helicopter that had joined the hunt for the missing chopper It was carrying YSR as the 60yearold chief minister is known and his special secretary his security officer besides two pilots from Hyderabad to Chittoor 588 km away and closer to Tamil NaduFlanked by Finance Minister K Rosiah Chief Secretary Ramakanth Reddy urged people in the Nallamalla forest area that covers Kurnool and adjoining districts to alert the police if they learnt anything about the helicopterNRSA aircraft joins search operations for YSRYSRs fate caused tremors in New Delhi where the office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were in touch with the state government Reddy told reportersThe state government had also alerted both the home and defence ministries in New DelhiThe chief secretary said two air force helicopters from Secunderabad and three from Bangalore were looking for the chief ministers helicopter along with a private chopper from Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh also urged New Delhi to send an unmanned aircraft to the areaThe state government had lost touch with the chief minister at around 935 amSo far we have not been able to get any confirmation about the chief minister It is possible that because of the strong winds and heavy rains it may have landed in some unfamiliar area Reddy said If you land in an unfamiliar forested area getting out will be very difficultHe urged people living in the forested region to kindly help us If you get any signal any reliable information contact the nearest police stationYSR had taken off from Hyderabad to attend a function in Chittoor Wednesday morning The helicopter went off the radar amid inclement weather causing panic in HyderabadShortly before before the finance minister and chief secretary spoke there were conflicting versions about YSRs fateHelicopter search for YSR called off ChidambaramSocial Welfare Minister P Subhash Chandra Bose said the chief minister was safe after the helicopter landed in Kurnool district but police both in Hyderabad and Kurnool declined to back the ministers claimWe have information that the chief minister is safe said Chandra Bose He did reveal any detailsCongress MP from Nandyal S P Y Reddy however told a television channel that he was yet to receive any information about YSRs whereabouts from the policeA highlevel meeting was held at the state secretariat here after the helicopter went missingIt was attended by Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy Chief Secretary Ramakant Reddy Director General of Police SSP Yadav the chief ministers close aide and Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramchandra Rao and senior state ministersA doctor by training YSR is presently one of the most influential leaders in the Congress after leading the party again to a spectacular win in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in AprilMay this yearElected to the state assembly for the fifth time YSR is also a fourtime Lok Sabha member and holds the record of never losing an election