A day after former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Baijayant Jay Panda’s chopper was seize for allegedly flying over Chilika lake, opposition BJP hit back saying it was Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who had violated the rules several times, and he should be arrested first.
“It is the Chief Minister who should be arrested first because he has repeatedly flown over Chilika,” leader of the BJP in the Assembly Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo said Tuesday.
Odisha Police on Monday seized Jay Panda's chopper for flying over Chilika lake, an eco-sensitive zone with a no-flying restriction. An FIR has been lodged against Panda by the police in this regard.
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However, inquiries by Outlook found that Chilika is not in the list of ‘no fly’ zones designated by the DGCA. This has also been confirmed by CDA Director Sushanta Nanda.
Reacting to the police action, Panda took to the Twitter and described the sealing of his chopper as “illegal” and alleged that the FIR is false as he visited Narada village of Kendrapada on Saturday.
Although the FIR did not name Panda, Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi told mediapersons that they had inquired from the Airport Authority of India. Panda had indeed flown from Bhubaneswar to Kendrapara along with two other persons on September 15.
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A police team from Puri reached Bhubaneswar airport on Monday evening and sealed the hangar where Panda’s chopper was kept. The Chilika Development Authority has lodged a complaint that Panda’s helicopter was flying over ‘the Chilika lake polluting the atmosphere.
Panda alleged that the government is misusing its power. Seizing the chopper is a part of a conspiracy to stop his movement around the state but they cannot stop him.
Meanwhile, RTI activist and conservationist Biswajit Mohanty alleged that in February 2016 Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's chopper landed inside the Barabati stadium in Cuttack which is a violation of the Monuments Act and no action has been initiated yet. Why different rules for different people, he asked.
