Lok Sabha polls 2014: Netas' frequent flying pushes air traffic to a high in UP

LUCKNOW: With politicians making whirlwind trips to reach the most number of voters as quickly as possible, air traffic in Uttar Pradesh has soared beyond expectations. According to an estimate of the civil aviation ministry, while movement of chartered aircraft in the two airports and 16 airstrips across the state has gone up by 50%, chopper movement has increased by 200%.

The number of flights at Amausi airport here has gone up by nearly 100%, forcing airport authorities to grapple with the problem of accommodating aircraft and choppers in the apron.

Leading from the front are Lucknow and Varanasi airports and airstrips at Saifai and Fursatganj in Rae Bareli which are used by top leaders of political parties. While Saifai is the take-off point for the entire Yadav belt, accounting for nearly 60 landings of chartered aircraft and choppers in the past 15 days, Varanasi, from where BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi is contesting, has witnessed 15 air movements per day in the past 15 days.

Lucknow, on the other hand, has registered 40 aircraft/chopper movements per day in the past fortnight. Traffic at the Fursatganj airport, used mostly by the Gandhi family, however, has registering only eight aircraft movement in the past 15 days.

Civil aviation department sources said with the next phases in central and west UP, the traffic at Lucknow, Varanasi and Fursatganj facilities may go up further. Sources said that earlier the 16 airstrips were mainly used by government aircraft. But with the model code of conduct coming into force, private jets with netas are zooming in and out of these airstrips. "The airstrips were previously used by government aircraft ferrying ministers and officials. Now, private charters have taken over," said a senior government official.

Political leaders are also using airstrips in districts like Ambedkarnagar, Ghazipur, Sultanpur, Aligarh, Meerut, Farrukabad, Faizabad, Kushinagar, Sonbhadra, Kheri, Etawah, Shravasti, Moradabad, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot and Jhansi (where the airstrip has been given to the Indian Army). Sources said aircraft movement could rise in these strips as parties try to outdo each other to reach out to their electorate. Aviation experts insist the demand for choppers has gone up manifold since campaigning began. "Now, there is almost a scarcity of choppers," said an aviation expert in the UP government.

Sources said private charters can use airstrips by paying as little as Rs 500 per landing. "So, even if there are 100 landings by mid-May when elections will be over, the department will get barely Rs 50,000," an official said.