Chavannagar rural police headquarters gets new helipad

The state government has constructed a new helipad at the Chavannagar rural police headquarters in Pashan. The helipad was used by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday.

According to additional superintendent of police Ramnath Pokale, the helipad was constructed two months ago by the state’s public works department.

The helipad matter has been a hush-hush affair and the rural police had never informed the media formally about the construction of the helipad. A senior police officer, who spoke to DNA on condition of anonymity, said, “Many senior police officials had been liaising with the state home ministry for the last one year for the requisite permissions. After getting the nod of the state government, the proposal for the helipad was made within a week and construction began immediately. Several trees were cut to make room for the helipad.’’
Not everybody is happy with the choice of location. A senior police officer said, “The Chavannagar rural police headquarters covers the offices of the police superintendent, rural control office, the CID office, police residential quarters and many
important offices.
“The frequent landings and take-offs could be a cause of noise and dust pollution.’’