Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews May 4, 2012 The government has cancelled the security clearance of Ravi Rishi-owned Global Vectra Helicorp, says the electronic media. Interestingly, calls to the Global Vectra office were met with surprise and the fact they were answering phones, said it all! They had no idea! Yet, we had Ajit Singh, minister of civil aviation, informing the press that following a Minister of Home Affairs directive, security clearance was cancelled and licenses of the company’s helicopters would be pulled out by the DGCA. Nobody knows, nor is there any statement to say this has happened. “With great surprise we have seen today’s news on a TV ‐ channel regarding GVHL’s security clearance. We wish to state that GVHL has not received any information or communication from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA nor Ministry of Home Affairs, nor from any other Authority, that the security clearance of this company has been withdrawn. We are presently investigating this new...

Neelam Mathews March 29, 2012 In a candid exclusive interview to Aerospace Diary at the Defexpo today, Ravi Rishi , Chairman of Vectra Group, the largest shareholder of Tatra trucks, said: “We will sell to our not so friendly neighbors who have been knocking at our door for over six months now.” Rishi was reacting to the recent controversy in which Army Chief General VK Singh claimed he was offered a bribe to clear the purchase of Tatra trucks two years ago. “We had written to the secretary of defense (To ask for permission to export) when a request came from a Czech company to supply a neighboring unfriendly country (we read that as Pakistan). He threatened to blacklist us,” added Rishi. Tatra has supplied around 7000 trucks to India of different models. “Hundred percent of trucks on the borders are Tatras,” Rishi adds. Having passed out of IIT Delhi, Rishi designed the 12 x12 Tatra vehicles for mobile launchers of the BrahMos. Fifty are on order. “They are customized and nobod...