After day-long drama over the fate of the 111-ft long Airbus A-319 aircraft shell that got stranded atop a tractor trailer on Jessore Road on Sunday afternoon and blocked the Prime Minister’s alternative route to Barasat where he is scheduled to address a public rally on Wednesday, police on Monday evening asked the transporters to take the Belgharia Expressway and Durgapur Expressway on Monday night.
However, a challenge still remains. The maximum height of the consignment, including the trailer, cannot exceed 18m to prevent it crashing into road direction sign boards and traffic signals. TOI had written on Monday about the scrapped aircraft dashing into streetlight posts and multiple traffic lights that had sparked panic near BT College crossing on Jessore Road. The driver and helper fled the scene. What they left behind was not just the trailer with the aircraft sans the wings and tail but a major headache for Bidhannagar Commissionerate officers.
Situated in the alternative route plan of the Special Protection Group (SPG) in charge of the PM’s security, the road needed to be cleared before Tuesday morning. Narendra Modi is scheduled to take a helicopter to Barasat but an alternative route is always kept sanitised and ready for the PM’s movement in case of an exigency.
While officers had initially decided to tow the trailer and park it in the airport compound, officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) struck down the proposal at a meeting held on Monday evening. They argued that Air India had auctioned off the A-319 aircraft and it had left the airport premises on Sunday. Thereafter, the seller — AI — or the Punjab-based buyer who plans to convert the shell into an aircraft-themed restaurant, were responsible for the plane.
With the doors shut and no alternative site large enough in the vicinity to accommodate the extra-large consignment, police contacted the transporter and asked them to get the trailer moving. “We have asked the transporter to take Belghoria Expressway and NH 2 to head towards Delhi,” an officer said.
Before resuming the journey, the transporter has been asked to deflate the trailer’s tyres to ensure that the cargo does not breach the 18m height limit from the road to avoid bumping into road signs and light posts on the way.
Bidhannagar City Police DC (airport) Aishwarya Sagar has not ruled out a complaint against the transporter for failing to take prior permission while transporting such a large cargo.
TOI found a crowd of curious onlookers at the spot near BT College all through Monday. “It’s not everyday that you see an aircraft parked on the roadside. How could we miss such an opportunity,” said Arnab Dutta, a college student and resident of Birati.
A couple — Surjya Pal and Anwesha Das — were also there taking selfies with the parked aircraft as the backdrop. “It is one of the most unique selfies we have ever clicked. We rode 4km on a bike just to be here and take photographs against this aircraft,” said Pal.
