Udupi: The Udupi Power Corporation UPCL project was primarily responsible for the May 2010 air India Boeing crash in Bajpe, and a warning had been given in 2007 itself through Press on the consequences to follow, says a letter written by Udupi district Raitha Sangh president V.K. Hegde, to Bajpe-Kenjaru airport director, M.R. Vasudeva Rao recently.

He demanded a fresh enquiry into the entire tragedy in which 158 travellers including the plane crew of 6, died. He accused Bajpe airport authorities of not sending him a reply to his letter, detailing the problems faced by Mangalore International Airport(MIA) from UPCL project.

On May 20(2010), UPCL had produced electricity by putting fire in its boiler, and on May 22, the air crash happened. Since then, every time it is a daily problem to get an aircraft to land at the table-top aerodrome of Bajpe, the letter charged.

The planes keep changing their air routes to alight. This will create a problem in the near feature. He demanded more vigilance from airport authorities, to avoid any major air mishap again, and asked for a second enquiry into the entire episode of May 2010.