Haldia/Nagpur: The red carpet laid out for senior Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in West Bengal today got entangled with the rotor blades of his helicopter when the politician landed in Haldia.
When Nagpur Today Spoke Jayant Dixit, PRO to Nitin Gadkari he confirmed the news and said that Minister is safe and fine.
As the chopper was landing, its rotors created a draft or gust of strong wind. The tarpaulin and a strip of red carpet laid out at the helipad were blown into the air and at least one strip of tarpaulin caught in the rotors.
The minister, according to sources, was taken aback initially but then took ot in his stride and drove away for scheduled meetings at the Haldia Port Complex.
According to sources, the helicopter did not suffer any damage and will fly the minister back to Kolkata after his meeting.
But helicopter pilots who have seen the footage of the incident say it could have been a dangerous situation. The tarpaulin could have damaged the chopper blades and led to a hard landing at least.
Standard operating procedure is no loose items near a helipad. Clearly, those who planned the red carpet welcome for Mr Gadkari were unaware of the rules.
