Flight delays, but Mamata apologises at festival

TT, 21 January 2019, Siliguri: Delay in her flight affected the itinerary of chief minister Mamata Banerjee again on Monday as she arrived almost two hours late at the Kanchenjungha Stadium here to inaugurate Uttarbanga Utsav, an annual cultural extravaganza hosted by the state every year.

However, unlike earlier instances when the chief minister and her party had targeted the Narendra Modi government over flight delays, Mamata made an apology to the audience.

"I reached the airport around 1pm but the flight got delayed. We do not have our own flights and that is why, I usually try to reach programme venues a day ahead. I was travelling today... and the flight got delayed. I make an apology to all those, especially the children, who had been waiting here for hours," she said in her speech.

About a year ago, the state government had initiated a probe after a flight with the chief minister on board had arrived around 19 minutes late at Dumdum from Bagdogra.

It was because the primary runway was close and there was a congestion of flights, AAI officials had said then.

Also, on November 2016, another flight carrying Mamata from Patna to Calcutta had circled over the state capital for over half an hour and there were allegations that it was running low on fuel.

The incident had prompted Trinamul MPs to raise the issue in Parliament, and express concern over the security of their party chief.

Also, on August 12, 2017, when the chief minister was returning from New Delhi to Calcutta, she had to wait for around three hours as the flight was delayed.

Mamata, in her brief speech at the inauguration of the fest, sent a message to the Darjeeling hills.

"Earlier, conspiracies were hatched to create trouble in the hills. I want the hill residents to stay in peace and would like to assure them that we would take all possible steps to expedite development projects in the hills," she said, a few minutes before her convoy headed for Darjeeling.

Earlier, speaking to newspersons at the Calcutta airport, Mamata said she would hold talks with GTA representatives and Mann Ghisingh (the GNLF president).

In course of her speech in Siliguri, she blamed the Centre for delay in opening of Calcutta High Court's circuit bench in Jalpaiguri.

"We have made everything ready for the circuit bench but it is getting delayed because of Delhi. They are only interested in politics. We do not have to depend on Delhi. Whatever means we have, we will do it in our own way," she said..