Chandigarh: Forget austerity measures taken by the political parties ahead of LS polls, there's a three-way battle in Punjab to secure the VIP travel services on the Republic Day.
The Rs 39-crore Bell-429 helicopter, which the Badal-led Akali Dal government had purchased in 2012 with much fanfare, will become a virtual musical chair on January 26 this year as a Union Home ministry order has left the three VVIP contenders from Punjab jostling to reserve their seat in the machine to fly to their preferred location to hoist the national flag.
According to the MHA order dated January 19, in possession of TOI, no private chopper or a fixed wing charter aircraft and only state-owned flying machines will operate at Indira Gandhi airport or any subsidiary airport within the 300-kilometre radius from the national capital on the Republic Day due to security reasons.
While Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal is to unfurl the national flag at a government college for boys in Ludhiana, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal will hop over to Bathinda and governor Shivraj Patil will address a state function in Patiala on the Republic Day.
23/01/14 Rohan Dua/Times of India
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The Rs 39-crore Bell-429 helicopter, which the Badal-led Akali Dal government had purchased in 2012 with much fanfare, will become a virtual musical chair on January 26 this year as a Union Home ministry order has left the three VVIP contenders from Punjab jostling to reserve their seat in the machine to fly to their preferred location to hoist the national flag.
According to the MHA order dated January 19, in possession of TOI, no private chopper or a fixed wing charter aircraft and only state-owned flying machines will operate at Indira Gandhi airport or any subsidiary airport within the 300-kilometre radius from the national capital on the Republic Day due to security reasons.
While Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal is to unfurl the national flag at a government college for boys in Ludhiana, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal will hop over to Bathinda and governor Shivraj Patil will address a state function in Patiala on the Republic Day.
23/01/14 Rohan Dua/Times of India
