Goyal drops Krishnapatnam visit as chopper develops snag

Tirupati: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal was forced to cancel his visit to Krishnapatnam Port, scheduled for Monday, after the helicopter designated for his travel developed a snag.

According to sources, the chopper failed to take off due to a technical issue. The malfunction was detected before departure, and the information promptly conveyed to the Minister, who was then at the Tiruchanoor Temple and en route to Tirupati Airport at the time.

Upon being informed, Goyal cancelled his plans to visit Krishnapatnam and instead took a flight from Tirupati to New Delhi. He arrived in Tirupati on Sunday night along with family members and offered prayers at the Tirumala Temple and at the shrine of Goddess Padmavathi in Tiruchanoor.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the mandatory trial run of the helicopter, typically conducted ahead of VIP visits, was not carried out on Sunday.