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Pathanamthitta: An alleged security lapse came to light on Wednesday when the wheels of an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter carrying President Draupadi Murmu to Sabarimala got stuck in wet concrete at a hastily constructed temporary helipad inside an indoor stadium complex near here, prompting officials to push the helicopter out.
The incident at Pramadam in Pathanamthitta happened soon after the President landed, while the state’s top police officer denied any compromise with security protocols.
According to reports, the helicopter landed at a temporary helipad inside the indoor stadium complex at Pramadam, where the concrete surface was not completely dry.
The wheels reportedly sank into wet concrete soon after President Murmu disembarked from the plane.
According to a local media report, Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Ravada A. Chandrasekhar clarified that there was no safety lapse and said that the helicopter landed about five feet from the scheduled landing spot, which was still wet.
“The helicopter landed in a wet area about 5 feet away from the pre-determined landing spot in the temporary helipad. Hence, it could not move forward as the wheels got stuck in the concrete. It was then pushed to a safe area for take-off,” the report quoted the DGP as saying.
Pathanamthitta District Collector Prem Krishnan S also said there was no breach in security.
A video footage, which brought the matter to public attention, showed about 30 police personnel deployed to protect the President pushing the helicopter from a wet part of the helipad, raising questions about possible lapses in protocol.
After the incident the President proceeded on her scheduled visit to the hill temple.
Reports suggest that the temporary concrete helipad was built just 12 hours before the scheduled landing. State intelligence agencies had reportedly raised concerns that the wet surface could cause wheels to get stuck and suggested landing about five feet away from the wet surface, but the chopper landed on wet concrete, the report said.
According to official sources, two landing sites were prepared for the President’s visit – one at Nilakkal near Sabarimala and the other at the Pramadam indoor stadium. Due to bad weather and fog the helicopter could not land at Nilakkal and was diverted to Pramadam, about 50 km away.
Media reports have also indicated confusion regarding the President’s travel itinerary. Initially, he was expected to travel by road from Thiruvananthapuram to Pampa, a distance of about 170 km, but the plan was changed to air travel on Wednesday morning.
Authorities are expected to review the incident and action may be taken against officials found responsible for the poor preparation of the helipad, the report said.
–IANS