Security tizzy over Kalam pit stop

President APJ Abdul Kalam had a very hectic Andhra visit, thanks to heavy rains in the state. Not only was he forced to take the road route

President APJ Abdul Kalam had a very hectic Andhra visit, thanks to heavy rains in the state. Not only was he forced to take the road route, the President also had to wait for a long time at a gas station last evening as a few police vehicles in his convoy filled tanks near Sulurpet, about 50 km from Chennai.

This has raised serious concerns about the President8217;s safety during such unwarranted stops.

After a programme at Nellore, the President chose to drive down to Chennai rather than take the tedious route to Renigunta via Kalahasthi near Tirupati from where he was to take a chopper to New Delhi, as the bad roads and foul weather would have further delayed his departure.

8220;Around 4.30 pm, we got an alert from the Andhra Pradesh Police that the President was coming by road to Chennai airport and taking a special aircraft to the Capital,8221; said a state intelligence source. One lane along the highway from Gummudipoondi near the Andhra border was cleared from 6 pm in anticipation of the President8217;s convoy that was supposed to enter Tamil Nadu by about 6.30 pm.

Due to the heavy downpour, the President arrived at Nellore yesterday by an Air Force chopper from Sadum in Chittoor district at about 4 pm, more than an hour behind schedule. It was after he inaugurated the Bhabatron-II, a tele-therapy machine at the Indian Red Cross Society Cancer Hospital, that there was a change in his journey plans. While he was supposed to return in the same helicopter to Renigunta enroute Delhi, the foul weather forced him to take the road to Chennai.

The AP Police then alerted their Tamil Nadu counterparts and cleared the route from Nellore via Gudur, Naidupet, Sulurpet and Tada towards Gummudipoondi in Tamil Nadu. But the convoy had to made the sudden halt at Sulurpet as some of the vehicles in the convoy did not have full tank. The President8217;s convoy finally arrived at the Chennai airport at around 8.15 pm, officials here said.

Airport sources said the President was further hassled when the Assistant Commissioner of Police, in-charge of his security during his unscheduled visit, did not allow his entourage to follow him through the 8216;Blue Gate8217;, used by VVIPs. There was already quite a flutter at the airport due to the President8217;s unexpected visit.

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Only three months ago, on September 4, a bomb hoax call had delayed the President8217;s flight from the Chennai airport by more than three hours.