Delhi vetoes China air scan

New Delhi: India has refused to allow Chinese air surveillance of the Olympic torch in Delhi.
However, keeping diplomatic sensitivities in mind, the Centre has decided to permit a Chinese cargo carrier to fly to Mumbai and Chennai.
Paranoid about the security of the torch, China had sought permission from India to track the relay from the air, and evacuate it in case of an emergency. India refused, saying that it could provide “foolproof” protection to the torch.
The airspace over Rajpath will be sanitised for the duration of the torch relay. A similar security procedure is put in place for the Republic Day Parade. Such precautions will not be needed if the Olympic establishment decides to call off the international lap of the relay.
Sources in security agencies here revealed that the request from China to use Indian airspace had come before the torch ran into trouble in London and Paris.
“The request came to the directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA) through the external affairs ministry. Since it was not a decision the DGCA could take on its own, security agencies were involved,” an official said.
08/04/08 Bhavna Vij-Aurora/The Telegraph

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Categories: Foreign Apr 2008, Safety Apr 2008