Dainik Nation News Portal
DAINIK NATION BUREAU
The helicopter carrying chief minister Harish Rawat was not allowed to take off from the GTC helipad in Dehradun on Sunday as per the planned schedule. The chief minister was slated to take off in the helicopter from Dehradun to campaign for party candidates in Almora, Champawat, Chamoli and other constituencies early on Sunday morning. However, despite already having secured clearance for the Air Traffic Control earlier, the pilot of the CM’s helicopter was denied permission to lift off on time with the chief minister having to wait more than an hour for take off. Levelling this allegation, the chief minister Harish Rawat has tried to elicit focus on actions which may appear to be attempts to corner him. Talking to media, Congress senior leader Salman Khurshid said that the Congress is not blaming election commission for this but the instance needs to be checked to ascertain the actual cause for its happening.
Though the flight had been cleared earlier, the delay was purportedly orchestrated by “orders from above”. Seeing the questionable attitude of the officials responsible, the chief minister himself spoke to the Air Traffic Control officials and apprised that he has been waiting to fly from GTC halipad for last one hour. Although he made several requests to them to allow his chopper to lift off, the officials did not give the clearance. He then questioned whether he would have to complaint to the election commission of India about the central government wanting to misuse the Air Traffic Control for political gains during the election time. It was then, that the officials concerned gave the clearance to the helicopter to take off.
