"Responsibility of state govt," Kerala BJP President slams state govt over lapses in President Murmu's travel arrangements

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 22 (ANI): Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Wednesday raised concerns about alleged security lapses during the President's recent visit to Kerala, highlighting shortcomings in both aerial and road arrangements.
Speaking to ANI, Chandrashekhar said,"When the President visits the state, it is the responsibility of the state government to make proper arrangements. Due to the difficulty of landing the helicopter at Nilakkal because of the weather, the state government only considered Plan B yesterday evening. The helicopter landed this morning on the helipad that was constructed last night. It was raining even while the helipad was being built. Therefore, it is not surprising that the President's helicopter sank into it..."
Chandrashekhar further pointed out lapses in road security, stating, "Even when the President travelled by road, the state government did not follow security protocols. There were no arrangements to set up barricades or control the crowd..."
"What was most concerning was that a stray dog reached the ground just before the President's helicopter was to land. When the first helicopter landed, the stray dog came close to it. The dog was removed from there only just before the President arrived. I believe that there were lapses in the decisions taken by the state government," Kerala BJP President added.

Earlier today, a portion of the helipad tarmac at the Pramadam Stadium in Kerala sank after the helicopter carrying President Droupadi Murmu landed on Wednesday during her visit to the Sabarimala temple.
According to officials present at the site, the helipad surface partially caved in moments after the chopper touched down. Personnel from the police and fire departments immediately rushed to the spot and manually pushed the aircraft out of the sunken area to ensure safety.
The President was en route to offer prayers at the Sabarimala temple as part of her official four-day visit to Kerala, which began on October 21 and will conclude on October 24.
President Murmu arrived at Thiruvananthapuram Airport on Tuesday. She was received by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, George Kurian. (ANI)