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| Minister's 'influence' diverted flight | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 23: A famous Hindi movie song "It happens only in India" came true in real life on Tuesday when a Delhi-bound Kingfisher flight from Srinagar was diverted to Jaipur where 28 out of 180 passengers on board, including a Jammu and Kashmir minister and his family members, were allowed to deplane.
The reported move by the private airline came under severe criticism from the other passengers who alleged that the flight was redirected at the behest of Minister of State for Health and Agriculture, Javaid Ahmad Dar, who along with his family members was performing pilgrimage of Ajmer Sharief. According to sources the Srinagar-Delhi Kingfisher Flight IT-353, was diverted to Jaipur allegedly after the minister coerced the airlines authorities to get the plane diverted so that he could get down at Jaipur.
The flight which was scheduled to depart at 2:40 pm, took off from Srinagar after about an hour's delay and landed at Delhi around 5:30 pm. When it approached Delhi, the pilot reportedly announced that there was congestion at the Delhi airport and that he was running short of fuel, said sources
After it reached Jaipur, the minister, his wife and some other passengers were allowed to de-board at the Jaipur airport.
The sources said the passengers contested that this as de-boarding mid-way was against rules and it can't be allowed under any circumstance unless there is an extreme emergency.
"The plane stopped at the Jaipur airport for nearly an hour. Had it been a fuel problem, the plane would not have stayed at the Jaipur airport for over an hour, but for just 10 to 15 minutes," revealed sources.
Sources said the minister and his wife where scheduled to visit the shrine of Khawaja Moin-ud-Din Chishti at Ajmer. "It can't be a mere coincidence that the minister and his wife were scheduled to visit Ajmer and the flight was diverted to Jaipur."
The diverted aircraft which arrived in Jaipur at about 6:15 pm, left for Delhi at 7:05 pm and landed there at 8 pm, where the passengers had a verbal spat with the Kingfisher officials.
They lodged a strong protest over the redirection of flight.
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