Bollywood mega star Akshay Kumar’s recent “secret” flying visit to Nashik and his stay at a nearby resort for some medical treatment has sparked a controversy over the “secrecy” maintained and the manner in which the actor managed to obtain necessary permissions for his visit, the landing of his chopper at a private helipad and stay at the resort.
Three days after Akshay flew in a private helicopter and landed at a private helipad of Sapkal Knowledge Hub, at Anjaneri on the outskirts of Nashik and later stayed at a luxury resort “Grape County” located on the Trimbakeshwar Road, a lot of details of his “secret” visit to the grape city have emerged.
According to available information, the actor was received by prominent office bearers of the educational institution and some district officials on his arrival at a private helipad of Sapkal Knowledge Hub. Even at the resort, police officials were present. However, a lot of “secrecy” had been maintained over the actor’s visit to Nashik.
Asked whether the actor had obtained necessary permissions from the authorities for his visit, Maharashtra Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal feigned ignorance about the actor’s visit, coming as it did in the midst of the ongoing lockdown.
Bhujbal, who incidentally the district guardian minister of Nashik, said: “I have no information about the actor’s visit to Nashik. If there are any (lockdown) violations relating to the actor’s visit, an inquiry will be conducted into them”.
The local media grilled the minister on how the actor was permitted to fly in a chopper from Mumbai to Nashik at a time when the inter-district travel continues to be regulated and whether he had been granted permission to land at a private helipad.
The local journalists also wanted to know about the felicitation reportedly accorded to him by the Nashik Police chief who also provided a police escort despite the fact the area came under the jurisdiction of the Nashik Rural Police.
On his part, the minister steadfastly refused to answer questions from the local journalists and said he would comment on the issue only taking “full information” from the district collector.
Later in the evening, Bhujbal virtually did a U-turn and went to the defence of the actor, when he said: “I had received several complaints about Ashay’s visit to Nashik. I have taken information about it from the district administration. The actor had come to Nashik for medical treatment. He had gone to meet Nashik police chief to congratulate him on the stupendous work by the police in preventing the spread of Coronavoirus in the Nashik city. The police personnel present at that time were meant for the police chief and not for the actor”.
“Let me make it very clear that the police had not provided any security to the actor. Hence there should not be any misgivings over the actor’s visit to Nashik,” Bhujbal said.
Informed sources, meanwhile, said that the private helicopter, which flew the actor to Nashik, had applied permission from the district administration for landing of chopper. For this purpose, the Nashik rural police gave “No Objection Certificate” to the helicopter fir with ten conditions. Prima facie appears that the district administration gave permission to the private helicopter firm for landing the chopper at Sapkal Knowledge Hub.
At a time when the people have to still obtain e-passes for inter-district travel in Maharashtra, there are no official details as to how the actor managed to obtain all permissions from the authorities for his visit to Nashik.
Akshay’s flying visit to Nashik should be seen in the context of the fact that the VVIPS, including the chief minister, are avoiding air travel amid the Covid-19 scenario.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray travelled by a ferry from Mumbai to Raigad last month to assess the situation arising out of Cyclone and drove by road from Mumbai to Solapur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi annual ‘puja’ at Pandharpur town early this. On his part, senior minister Ashok Chavan travelled by road from Nanded to Mumbai for his Covid-19 treatment.