Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to West Bengal was briefly disrupted on Saturday due to dense fog that severely reduced visibility across parts of the state. The adverse weather conditions prevented the helicopter carrying the Prime Minister from landing, prompting pilots to abort the attempt and return to Kolkata airport as a safety precaution.
Prime Minister Modi had arrived in Kolkata earlier in the day to attend multiple official programmes and later departed in a special helicopter for Taherpur. However, widespread fog across northern and eastern India affected flight operations. Despite reaching the vicinity of the Taherpur helipad, extremely low visibility made a safe landing impossible.
Dense fog and low visibility in West Bengal forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter to turn back on Saturday, preventing it from landing at the designated helipad in Taherpur, an official confirmed.
The chopper hovered briefly over the site before making a U-turn and… pic.twitter.com/IDlR8bao34
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After circling the area for some time and waiting for conditions to improve, the pilots decided to turn back as the fog did not clear. The Prime Minister subsequently remained at Kolkata airport, awaiting improved weather conditions and official clearance from the Meteorological Department.
Officials said that strict safety protocols are followed during the travel of high-level dignitaries, and landing under low-visibility conditions was deemed unsafe. Minor adjustments were made to the Prime Minister’s schedule until weather conditions improved, after which he resumed his visit.