The civil aviation ministry has rejected Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati’s request that her bulletproof car be allowed up to the tarmac at airports across India. “The request has been rejected. It is not possible to make an exception. There is no precedence,” well-placed ministry sour-ces told this newspaper.
Sources said Ms Mayawati wanted her car to be allowed direct access to the tarmac at all airports for “threat perception and security” reasons. But the ministry stood firm after Central security agencies opposed this move. The ministry too independently determined that there was no need to make any exception.
Sources said Ms Mayawati is now allowed direct access in her car to the tarmac only at airports in UP where she is chief minister. Under the rules, governors and CMs are allowed access to the tarmac in their cars only in the states where they hold office. But Ms Mayawati wanted this privilege at all civil airports in India. Sources said the aviation security agencies got numerous requests like this from politicians and “godmen”, but always opposed them. The final decision, however, lies with the civil aviation ministry.
The sources said this was decided entirely on “professional grounds”, and no politics should be read into it. But it is certain this could further embitter ties between the UPA and the BSP chief, particularly as civil aviation minister Ajit Singh is a top UP politician.
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Fresh pleas for sit jafri report copy
Ahmedabad, Feb. 9: With no official word yet on the report of SIT that probed allegations of involvement of chief minister Narendra Modi in 2002 post-Godhra riots, two separate applications were filed on Thursday before a magisterial court seeking copies of the final report submitted Wednesday.
The court of Metro-politan Magistrate M.S. Bhatt issued notices to the SIT and posted the hearing to February 13 following the applications moved by social activists Teesta Setal-vad and Mukul Sinha. The SC-appointed SIT on Wednesday filed the final report on the complaint by Zakia Jafri, wife of ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was among the 69 killed in the Gulberg. — PTI