New Delhi: Union minister Jairam Ramesh lashed out at the traffic blockade put up for the Army Chief in New Delhi after he himself got stuck on Wednesday.
The Union minister said that he would complain to Union defence minister A.K. Antony against traffic blockades put up for Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force.
Ramesh opined that the convoys of the Prime Minister and the President should be halved to lessen the pain of the common commuters.
“I got stuck as the convoy of the Army Chief was passing by. This is not the first time. I had been held up earlier too by the convoy of the Naval Chief and Air Force Chief,” he said.
The Union minister was livid at the police personnel of the Army, Navy and Air Force holding up traffic. He wondered why that job was not done by the Delhi police.
“Once, when I was walking out of 24, Akbar Road office of the Congress, the police personnel of the Air Force stopped me. When I protested that I was only walking, they let me go. Why should there be such a fuss for the service chiefs when traffic is not stopped for the defence minister?” asked Ramesh.
He said that he would complain to the defence minister A.K. Antony on the high-handedness of the cops of the three wings of the defence.
Taking up the cause of the general commuters, who regularly have to face long duration of the traffic blockades during the movements of the VVIPs, Ramesh said that even the convoys of the Prime Minister and President should be halved. “Half the numbers of cars and personnel could also provide the same level of security as done by the current strength. Such blockades are frustrating and even those walking on foot are stopped, which is strange,” quipped Ramesh.
