Around eight policemen and some officials had to push the parked plane of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for about 15-20 feet at an airstrip in Chhindwara on Monday to give way to an incoming aircraft of Congress leader Kamal Nath.
Nath's plane was supposed to land at Imlikheda airstrip, large enough to accommodate a plane, but it got delayed and the CM's aircraft made the landing at around 12.30 pm.
"As per the schedule, Nath's plane was supposed to land earlier but he got late and in the meantime, Chauhan's flight landed at the airstrip around 12.30 pm.
"After half-an-hour, Nath's plane also arrived and to make way for it to land, policemen and other staff pushed it for about 15-20 feet towards the helipad which is being used as a temporary parking bay in case two planes arrive at the airstrip," Inspector General Jabalpur Range, D Sriniwas Rao told PTI.
Rao was present at the airstrip, situated about three km away from Chhindwara.
He denied reports that there was any emergency situation or Chouhan's plane was on the runway when Nath's plane was scheduled to land at the airstrip.
The airstrip is controlled by the Nagpur air traffic control, which controls movement of flights from the city, the IG said.
Chouhan came to the town to take part in a road show and a felicitation programme. And Nath visited the constituency for taking part in a religious function and later also addressed party workers in Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan.
"It is a normal practice to push a plane for taking it to a parking bay and pilot requested it to do so to save fuel," the IG said. "As plane normally takes time after its engine is started for moving forward or backward and to avoid that time, the pilots normally ask to push it for taking it to parking area," he added.
