Ulta Pulta
Beware of VIPs
Jaspal Bhatti

Imagine a classified advertisement in the newspaper — wanted a pilot who can keep flying an airplane without fuel for 30 minutes. It is very much possible you may come across such an ad in the near future, keeping in view the risks the airlines are made to take when there is VIP movement on the tar or runways.

A few days back when a Jetlite flight from Mumbai landed, it had only just enough fuel for three more minutes to fly. Similarly, Mumbai-Delhi Kingfisher Flight IT 300 landed just 10 minutes before its tank ran dry. Many other flights were diverted from landing at Delhi’s international airport when President Pratibha Patil was flying to China recently. There is nothing in the Constitution that says the lives of common passengers can be put to danger when there is a VIP movement. But I think it is about time we include such sections regarding the lack of public safety in the Constitution.

A road could be blocked for an indefinite period if some VIP were to pass by. The common man should learn to live with such inconveniences.

A train could be delayed up to 24 hours waiting for a VIP to board.

The destination of a flight should not be taken as certain as it will depend on whether the runway is clear of birds, stray animals and VIP movement.

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