State govt removes Capt Ajay Chauhan as civil aviation director

Chauhan held the post of director of Civil Aviation from April 2004 and was the CEO of GUJSAIL since January 2010. When contacted to know the reason for his sudden exit, Captain Chauhan said, “I don’t want to talk.” He had recently visited the Aero India Show 2023 in Bengaluru where Civil Aviation department and GUJSAIL had put up a stall according to the reports published in indianexpress.com.

Asked about the Captain Chauhan’ exit from two important posts, Hareet Shukla, secretary, civil aviation said, “He had a long tenure.” Shukla is also the chairman and managing director of GUJSAIL. When asked if Captain Chauhan is facing any inquiry initiated by the government, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jagdish Vishwakarma told The Indian Express, “I am not aware of any such order being passed.”

Though civil aviation activity in Gujarat began in 1973 — where the state government helped farmers in aerial spraying using helicopters and fixed wing aircraft — a separate department for the sector was chalked out only in 2002.