TAKING NO CHANCES: President Pratibha Patil comes out of the helicopter that developed a technical snag after she boarded it on Wednesday morning in Kollam.
Smoke emitted from the helicopter meant to carry the President, Ms Pratibha Patil, when it was about to take off from the Ashramam Ground in Kollam on Wednesday, triggering alarm.
The air conditioner unit in the Indian Air Force helicopter started emitting smoke soon after the President stepped into it to fly to Thiruvananthapuram.
She immediately got out of the chopper creating consternation among the assembled crowds as well as security personnel.
The IAF has ordered an enquiry by the technical board of inquiry into the incident.
Following the technical snag, Ms Patil had to wait in her car for about 30 minutes for a stand-by chopper to arrive and take her to Thiruvananthapuram where she was scheduled to attend a function.
Traffic in Kollam city also came to a halt for about an hour as the police blocked the movement of vehicles until the President left.
Sources said that the chopper that carried the VVIPs belonged to the Com Squadron of the IAF that is headquartered in Delhi.
"During all VVIP movements a stand-by craft would also be made available to meet any emergency situations," said a senior police officer.
The President later flew back to Delhi from Thiruvananthapuram after completing her three-day visit to the state.
President Pratibha Devisingh Patil's departure from here to Thiruvananthapuram Wednesday morning got delayed as the helicopter in which she had to fly developed a technical problem. A problem in one of its air conditioners was detected as the helicopter was preparing to take-off.
Among those onboard was Kerala's Revenue Minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, who was the Minister in Waiting for the President.
Official sources said it was a minor snag. Indian Air Force personnel did not want to take any risk and took the President in one of the escort helicopters.
Police said the helicopter did not show any problem during a trial flight earlier in the morning. They said that the actual delay at the helipad was only for about 10 minutes. This was because the President arrived at the helipad more than 25 minutes after the scheduled time.
The President was scheduled to leave Kollam by 10.10 a.m., but she arrived at the helipad only by 10.35 a.m. This was because there was a delay in her leaving the hotel where she was staying.
Enchanted by Kollam, she asked her secretary to take some photos and video-graphs of various locations in Kollam and also the hoardings welcoming her to the city. These she wanted to carry with her as memento. Completion of that task caused the delay, official sources said.
The delay in her departure gave a tough time to the police. The police cleared three routes in case an emergency alternative was needed.
One was to take her to the nearby Government Guest House. The other was to take her back to the hotel and the third was to take her by road to Thiruvananthapuram.
In fact, the police made arrangements to clear a 25-km stretch of the National Highway from here to Paripally for the purpose. But the President herself opted for another helicopter.
Meanwhile, the delay caused major gridlocks in the city as traffic remained blocked from 9.45 a.m. itself to clear the way for the President to travel from the hotel to the helipad.
The blockade was lifted by the police only after the President left at 10.45 a.m.
Police, however, said traffic flowed smoothly through the deviation points.
They noted that of the six road trips taken by the President during her three-day stay in the city, there were no serious traffic blockades except for the one on Wednesday morning. The helicopter that took the President to Thiruvananthapuram returned to carry her entourage.
http://www.thehindu.com
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