'What's the problem if concrete of helipad sank? helicopter is going to rise upwards anyway'

PATHANAMTHITTA: KU Jenish Kumar MLA has dismissed media reports about the incident where the helicopter carrying President Droupadi Murmu slightly sank into the concrete at the Pramadam helipad. He said the news being circulated was incorrect. According to him, the helicopter was simply pushed to the “H” mark following the pilot’s instruction to reposition it.

"The concrete of the helipad where the President's helicopter landed sank slightly. What's the problem if it sank? The helicopter is going to rise upwards anyway," Jenish Kumar told the media.

Earlier, Pathanamthitta District Collector S Premkrishnan had also responded to the incident, clarifying that the dip was only about half an inch. He said there were no structural issues with the helipad. The helicopter had landed slightly behind the marked 'H,' and since the concrete was freshly laid, it caused a small depression. The collector added that if there had been any safety concerns, the helicopter would not have taken off from there.

State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar had also expressed a similar view earlier. He explained that the helipad was completed at the last minute. Although preparations for landing had been made earlier, the helicopter landed about five feet away from the designated spot, on an area where the concrete had not fully set. Because of that, it couldn’t move forward immediately, and it was later pushed to the planned landing position.

“There was no issue with either the helicopter or the President’s landing,” the police chief clarified.