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     Truelies Side Hero Username: Truelies Post Number: 3402 Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 74.237.6.152 Rating: N/A |
The State administration has completely goofed up in passing on correct information about Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s whereabouts to the people who were gripped in anxiety. The first information Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy received about missing of the Chief Minister was at 9.35 am, when the helicopter in which he was flying lost contact with the Air Traffic Control at Begumpet in Hyderabad. It took more than 45 minutes for him to scertain the facts and it was only after that he had held a meeting with Finance Minister K Rosaiah, Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy, Director General of Police S S P Yadav. The media came to know about the incident only after they got the reports from Chitoor that the Chief Minister did not arrive at the venue even three hours after he had left from Hyderbad. They gathered from the local police that the helicopter had an emergency landing somewhere in Kurnool district, as there were heavy rains in Chittoor district. As the electronic media was flashing the news, there was not a single soul in the government to confirm or deny the news being scrolled in the media. Instead, officials in the CMO went on feeding wrong information about the safety of YSR. At around 12.30 pm, Social Welfare Minister P Subhash Chandra Bose told media persons that the Chief Minister was safe after the helicopter landed in Kurnool district. The officials in the CMO also told them “off-the-record” that the helicopter landed at a playground in Bhanumukkala village near Atmakur town in Kurnool district and that he was being escorted to a guest house. “The Chief Minister is safe,” the minister declared. Congress MP from Nandyal S P Y Reddy also told the local media persons that he was going to Bhanumukkala to receive the Chief Minister. There were other reports that the helicopter landed at another village called Pamulapadu, 40 km from Kurnool. At around 3.10 pm, Kurnool SP B L Meena told the local media that the Chief Minister's chopper had been located and a police team was going to escort him back to Hyderabad. An “unofficial” report from the Kurnool district administration even said YSR had even walked for five kilometres in the forest area to reach a safer place. Officials back in Hyderabad also told the media “unofficially” that YSR was safe and he was returning to the capital by an army helicopter and that arrangements were being made at the Begumpet airport to receive him. They told the media that the details of where the Chief Minister landed were not being revealed because the Nallamala forest area, where the chopper reportedly landed is a hotbed of Maoists. They even leaked to the media that YSR had spoken to his advisor K V P Ramachandra Rao, the DGP and his family members to inform them about his safety. “However, the top police officials advised the Chief Minister not to use the satellite phone, because it might be tapped by Maoists,” sources said. But the situation changed within half an hour. At around 3.45 pm. Finance Minister and the Chief Secretary held a press conference and declared that YSR was still missing and his whereabouts were not known. They explained that as many as 11 helicopters were pressed into service to trace the missing helicopter and the Chief Minister. This statement came as rude shock to the people, who till that moment, were under the impression that YSR was safe. Immediatley, panic gripped the Congress workers, who started throning the Chief Minister’s residence and the Gandhi Bhavan in large numbers. Later, the Kurnool SP office issued a statement that though the helicopter had an emergency landing, it was untraceable. “Entire area has been searched, but there was no trace of the CM,” the SP office said. The Nandyal MP, too, changed his version. He told the media that he was yet to receive any information about the Chief minister's whereabouts. “Police have launched search operations,” he said. www.prajarajyam.org - syntax error, unexpected |
