Thursday, December 27, 2007

When President Patil checks in, quite a lot have to check out

dec 26th, 2007

compare to president kalam, who never did anything ostentatious.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gir


When President Patil checks in, quite a lot have to check out
 
As Patil and her family land in the Andamans tomorrow for what is billed a three-day "official tour," a few things have been brushed under the red carpet: at least 60 trees have been cut to prepare a helipad for her so that she and her 10-member family entourage don't have to take a 40-minute road trip.
And two Government-run tourist resorts have issued notices to all tourists cancelling their bookings — the Christmas-New Year's Eve is the peak holiday season for the islands — to accommodate her delegation.
Sources have told The Indian Express that the trees were cut to make way for a helipad for Patil's entourage — which includes her husband Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat — in Wandoor village, about 30 km south-west of Port Blair.
 
Wandoor is home to one of the most environmentally protected areas in the country, the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, spread over 15 islands and creeks and has a rich diversity of flora and fauna across 280 sq km.
The President is there to hand over 200 eco-friendly houses to tsunami victims at Kinyuka village in Car Nicobar.
Officially, on "Revenue Department land", the helipad has been built in Wandoor, close to the jetty so that ferries can take Patil and her family to the nearby coral islands in Jolly Buoy, Red Skin and Twins Islands.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/254358.html


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1 comment:

rathore said...

This statement from the article takes the cake: Chief Secretary Targay said: “Bookings had to be cancelled to accommodate the President’s party. Otherwise, how would be able to accommodate them? And 25 per cent booking amount has been refunded.”

Classic colonial sarkar move of first busting your kneecaps and then paying only 25% towards your crutches. Be happy, shut up and stop complaining...

Reminds me of the anecdote in the book Journeys through Babudom and Netaland - where the then President commandeers 2 Air India 747s for a foreign trip, thereby throwing the travel plans of hapless passengers into disarray.