Poll-time rush and egos: Netas give airport officials a harrowing time during Bihar polls

Patna: Who’s going to take off first? The ego tussle and poll-time urgency among netas is giving a harrowing time to people manning Patna’s high security Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport. With an unprecedented number of choppers and chartered planes being used in the ongoing electoral battle in Bihar, a different kind of war is on at the small airport. Since all politicians want to take off first for their multiple election rallies planned every day, they try to avoid mandatory security checks like frisking and enter the airport through VIP entry point or exit gate instead of the common entry point. As a result, they indulge in arguments and even minor fisticuffs with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel responsible for the security of the facility. Recently, Union Minister Ram Kripal Yadav created ruckus at the airport when he was asked to use the normal channel of movement at the airport in accordance with the Election Commission’s guidelines. He allegedly misbehaved with a woman official of the CISF after she prevented him from using the exit door to enter the high-security zone. He had to apologise after his conduct was reported in the media. [caption id=“attachment_2491198” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image of Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport, Patna. Courtesy: Bihar Prabha[/caption] He is not alone in misbehaving with the security staff deployed at the building terminal. Several politicians cutting across parties and their supporters indulge in such activities despite the fact that even MPs are not exempted from frisking. According to protocol, only chief minister and deputy chief minister can use VIP gate to reach the tarmac. The airport officials are faced with a three-pronged problem: Ensuring the safety and security of politicians and the airport, finding parking space for high number of choppers hired by parties inside the state hangar and managing regular flights. “What we have observed in the ongoing political battle is lawmakers themselves break the law. In return for our tireless effort to ensure no unwanted incident occurs and they take off and land safely, what we get is abuse and hidden threats,” an irritated senior CISF official told Firstpost, cursing himself for choosing the job. At present, around 200 staff of the paramilitary force have been pressed into service and they have been working without leave for the past one month. Managing parking space for the flying machines is another major challenge for the security officials as their number is even higher than that of last year’s Lok Sabha polls. “At present 28 helicopters are stationed here in addition to two chartered planes. This number is much higher than that during the Lok Sabha elections when 16 copters were parked here. The BJP has hired 17, the RJD, the JD(U), and the Congress have three each. Of the rest two, one belongs to the LJP and the other has been hired by Pappu Yadav, who has floated the Jan Adhikar Party,” he said. The situation turns worse when Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands here for campaigning. “All regular flights and the movements get affected because the entire area has to be sanitised and no aircraft is allowed to land an hour before his arrival or departure,” the officer added. The security officials and the airport authority have asked political outfits to arrange parking on their own if they bring more copters. Three-four choppers lined up waiting for the signal of Air Traffic Control and ground handlers to take off is a regular sight these days at the airport. With limited space inside the small terminal, the dozens of helicopters are seen parked close to one another at the state hangar. “The parking bay inside the airport resembles a bicycle stand with choppers parked close to each other. This is for the first time in the history of the airport so many copters are stationed inside at one go,” said another official. Given the small landing and parking space, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has directed all chartered flight operators to fly in and out of Patna in such a way that they do not interfere with regular flights. There are five parking bays meant for aircraft and the choppers are parked at state hangars. On an average 20 politicians, including Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Jitin Ram Manjhi, reach the airport between 8 am and 10 am to take the helicopter to attend rallies and all of them return by 5-6 pm. The choppers are also used by politicians coming from outside the state for electioneering. Most of the choppers are double-engined ones supplied by private aviation firms based in Delhi and Mumbai. They charge around Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.25 lakh for two hours. “This amount is in addition to tax and pilot’s cost. Now, you can estimate the cost of flying a helicopter between 10 am to 5 pm,” he said.