Concrete tiles left on the helipad ahead of Akhilesh Yadav’s visit.
Bulandshahr : A political row erupted in UP on Thursday after Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav ’s proposed visit to Bulandshahr on Sept 11 was postponed following district administration’s refusal to allow his helicopter to land at the designated site situated in Police Lines over “safety issues”. Meanwhile, SP MLA Atul Pradhan said the administration could have easily made alternate arrangements. “Is there only one helipad in the entire district? If there were genuine safety issues, they could have shifted the helicopter landing to a safer location instead of cancelling it at the last moment. We’ve even seen makeshift helipads built overnight (for the ruling party).”
Dismissing the allegations, Bulandshahr city magistrate Jagdambika Prasad Pandey said, “A technical assessment following an inspection found conditions unsuitable for safe helicopter operations at the designated location due to recent rainfall.” Yadav also questioned the logic behind the refusal. Posting a video of the helipad on X, he stated: “There’s no waterlogging anywhere near the Bulandshahr helipad. By deliberately showing cement, mortar and paver blocks, the administration, on govt’s covert instructions, is looking for an excuse to cancel our programme. The SP chief asked: “Why do helipads and the weather turn bad only for the Opposition?