TMC claims threat to Mamata’s life after plane scare, centre orders probe

The centre has claimed that the flight delay was due to air traffic.

By: News Desk |
December 1, 2016 12:23 pm

The TMC party leaders on Thursday cornered the central government in the parliament after a flight with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on board was low on fuel.

The opposition parties backed the TMC stating that it was indeed a conspiracy against Mamata Banerjee and the government must launch a probe into the entire incident.

“When there is no fuel, its the duty of the Air Traffic Control to allow Mamata Banerjee’s flight to land. Her life is in danger,” Mallikarjun Kharge from the Congress party said in the Lok Sabha.

Following which, the Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raj assured that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had ordered an enquiry to check as to how the three flights reported low fuel. However, the civil aviation Minister said that it was wrong on the opposition’s part to say that the IndiGo flight was made to go in circles for 30-40 minutes.

An Indigo airlines flight from Patna with the West Bengal Chief Minister onboard made an emergency landing at the Kolkata airport on Thursday morning after the pilot complained of fuel shortage.

Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy, who was travelling with Mamata Banerjee claimed that the the Air Traffic Control did not allow the pilot to land even after being informed about the shortage of fuel in the flight. He said that the flight took-off from Patna at an hour’s delay and was made to hover around seven to eight times before landing due to congestion.

Upon landing, the flight was surrounded by a host of fire tenders and ambulances. However, the airport authorities denied the reports of the flight being the air for a long time.