Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to fly to the venue of his rally at a congested East Delhi locality was a “major relief” to both the local police and residents.
Both, however, “wished” he could have taken the same route back, if only to successfully be able to set an example for future VVIP travel.
This is the first time in the history of the city that a Prime Minister has flown to a political rally.
According to police sources, Mr. Modi’s decision helped save “hundreds of manpower hours” as it didn’t require pulling local police personnel off duty twice at Kakardooma, where he came face-to-face with the Poorvanchali diaspora for his maiden rally after the declaration of the upcoming Delhi Elections.
“He missed the chopper back by just some five minutes, because of which it had to be flown away without him,” a police officer said, adding that Mr. Modi’s trip by air didn’t mean that “relaxations were made in terms of police vigilance”.
Road expert Professor P.K. Sarkar termed the decision “judicious and intelligent”.
“Just think about the inconvenience to to the average commuter due to his route. At least local residents didn’t have to face more hassles than they would have otherwise in these times of congestion,” Professor Sarkar said.
