Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav's hot air balloon inspection sparks confusion, administration issues clarification

INDORE: An inspection of a hot air balloon ride by Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav at Gandhi Sagar Forest Retreat ran into controversy on Saturday morning when the balloon was being inflated and people standing nearby felt that it caught fire.As the word went around, the local administration came out with a clarification that the balloon did not catch fire but the flames were needed to inflate it.“There has been no lapse of any kind in relation to the safety of the air balloon. The chief minister had only gone to see the air balloon. A hot air balloon, as is clear from the name itself, is a balloon of hot air. In order to keep it flight-worthy, the air is heated, which allows the balloon to rise and float.

In this entire process, all safety standards were fully adhered to. Citizens are requested not to pay attention to false and misleading news,” read the clarification issued by Mandsaur district collector Aditi Garg.In the videos which were circulated on social media, CM Yadav was seen inside the trolley while others were trying to inflate the balloon swaying in strong winds. Later, the process was called off and the CM came out of the trolley.

“It looked like the balloon had caught fire. There were heavy winds and the fire being used to inflate the balloon was swaying heavily,” said an eyewitness.Ilayaraja T, managing director of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) said, “The CM was never going to ride the hot air balloon. It was only an inspection. There was no fire incident. Fire is required to inflate the balloon.”Mandsaur SP Vinod Meena who was also standing right near the balloon said, “These are just false rumors, it is very clear that fire is required to inflate the balloon. I was standing right next to the balloon. No fire was reported.”