E-Paper
Prez to take road to Gomti Nagar
PRESIDENT APJ Abdul Kalam will go by road rather than be airlifted to the venue of the Divine Heart Hospital, which he would be inaugurating here in Gomti Nagar during his visit to the city on March 3.
PRESIDENT APJ Abdul Kalam will go by road rather than be airlifted to the venue of the Divine Heart Hospital, which he would be inaugurating here in Gomti Nagar during his visit to the city on March 3.
Accompanied by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, President Kalam would arrive at Amausi Airport at 3.30 pm from Varanasi after attending the annual convocation of Banaras Hindu University.
The Presidential cavalcade would go straight to the Divine Heart Hospital in Viraj Khand of Gomti Nagar by road and stay there till 5.30 pm. He would fly back to New Delhi at 6.40 pm the same day. The idea to airlift the President to the hospital venue site was dropped after security agencies were told that the three defence helicopters required for the purpose would be in Varanasi. On Tuesday, District Magistrate RN Tripathi and SSP Ashutosh Pandey held a meeting to review the arrangements.
Here it is pertinent to mention that several Muslim organizations have given a call to hold protest demonstration on March 3 in the wake of US President George Bush’s visit to India. “We would certainly have our hands full ensuring that everything passes off smoothly on Friday,” admitted an administration official, who said the authorities had initially overlooked the fact that the President’s visit coincided with the protest planned by Muslim organisations in the city.
Earlier, during the day, instructions were issued to the LDA by the administration authorities to prepare a helipad in Vibhuti Khand near Apana Bazar from where the President was to be ferried to the hospital venue. In fact, work on the helipad had already begun on war footing and was in full swing till the news came late in the evening that the plan had been shelved.
The proposal to airlift the President was mooted by the LMC due to heavy encroachments, spillover of construction material and ongoing road construction work on the route to be taken by him.
Not surprising therefore LMC officials, who had barely heaved a sigh of relief following the decision to ferry Kalam in a chopper, were asked to get cracking and make necessary civic arrangements and clear encroachments from the route.
